Employment Allowance increase to £5,000
6 April 2022, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer
The employment allowance enables most employers to claim a £5,000 deduction against National Insurance Contributions.
Declare your dividends
24 March 2022, Advocates, Artists, Barristers, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer, Musicians, Sole Traders
The Spring Statement 2022 confirmed increases to National Insurance from the tax year starting 6th April 2022. The threshold for paying National Insurance increases to £12,570 from July, but this doesn’t affect the additional tax on dividends. The difference in the payment date of your dividends by just one day could mean that you pay […]
Protect your cash from the tax increase
24 March 2022, Advocates, Artists, Barristers, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer, General, Musicians, Sole Traders
The Spring Statement 2022 confirmed increases to tax and National Insurance from 6th April 2022. The (mild) good news is that the threshold for paying National Insurance increases to £12,570 from July 2022. There are still opportunities for most taxpayers to take advantage of a tax break in the form of pension contributions. What is […]
Training vs Learning Organisation
28 December 2021, Advocates, Barristers, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer, General, Sole Traders
Alterledger is a learning organisation. Our clients choose us for the insight that we provide. The value we bring is that business owners don’t need to divert their attention to accounts and filing deadlines. Alterledger exists to allow our clients to get with what they do best – their business. Comparison of training and learning […]
December 2021 PAYE weekend payment date
9 December 2021, Charities, Companies, Employer, General, Sole Traders
Electronic payment deadline falls on a weekend The December 2021 PAYE electronic payment deadline falls on Saturday 22nd January 2022. To make sure your payment for December reaches HMRC on time, you need to have cleared funds in HMRC’s account by 21 January 2022 unless you are able to arrange a Faster Payment. Remember that […]
December payroll – do you pay it early?
1 December 2021, Charities, Companies, Employer, General, Sole Traders
Many businesses pay their December payroll early. However, for employees who also claim Universal Credit, this can cause a problem. What if the normal payment date falls on a weekend? If you pay your employees on the same date each month e.g. 28th, this date will sometimes fall on a weekend. In November 2021 the […]
Gifts for customers and suppliers
27 November 2021, Advocates, Artists, Barristers, Charities, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer, General, Musicians, Sole Traders
What is a gift? This might seem to be an obvious question, but it helps to get the definition clear to work out the tax implication of gifts for customers and suppliers. A gift is something you give without receiving anything in exchange. For example, you may choose to give a customer a bottle of […]
Can my company pay my personal phone bill?
21 November 2021, Charities, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer, General
It is tempting to have your company pay personal phone bills, but this article will alert you to some of the pitfalls. On the face of it you might think you save money on a cheaper personal contract. However after considering the VAT, income tax and National Insurance you might be better off on a […]
Health and Social Care Levy – Finance (No. 2) Bill
18 November 2021, Advocates, Artists, Barristers, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer, Musicians, Sole Traders
The budget confirmed a few increases to tax which are likely to stoke inflation in the form of the Health and Social Care Levy. The Finance Bill is currently passing through the legislative process to introduce tax increases for most people. How does the budget affect my business? The figure of 1.25% crops up in […]
What is the formula for success? How to excel at excel.
22 July 2020, Companies, Employer, General
If you are going to claim to have advanced Excel skills, make sure you are familiar with the functions and features added to Microsoft 365 in the last few years. As a bare minimum you need to familiar with Excel Tables, PivotTables and functions such as VLOOKUP, and SUMIFS.
What an employer is looking for
1 May 2018, Companies, Employer, General
How do you know what an employer is looking for when they post a job advert? This post will point you in the right direction.
If you are applying for a job with any professional firm (and especially if you are applying for a job with Alterledger) make sure you consider the advice here.
Bounce Back Loan Extended
5 November 2020, Advocates, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer, Sole Traders
When is the Bounce Back Loan Deadline? The Bounce Bank Loan deadline for applications was originally scheduled for 4th November 2020 and then extended slightly to 30th November 2020. The announcement by Rishi Sunak on 2nd November on the Bounce Back Loan extended deadlines for applications to 31st January 2021. The Bounce Back Loan Scheme […]
Furlough Scheme Extended
1 November 2020, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer, General, Sole Traders
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme Extended to end of March 2020 The furlough scheme, where the UK Government pays part of the salary costs of furloughed employees, was first extended to the end of November 2020. Then in an announcement on 5 November 2020 the scheme was extended further until the end of March 2021. Furlough […]
Job Support Scheme Update
22 October 2020, Charities, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer, General, Sole Traders
What changed with the Job Support Scheme update? The Job Support Scheme update (JSS) announced by Rishi Sunak today (22nd October) reduces the costs for employers and also reduces the minimum hours for workers to 20% compared to 33% previously. The UK Government will issue further guidance shortly, but for the moment, here is what […]
Bounce Back Loan Deadline for Applications
25 September 2020, Advocates, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer, Sole Traders
When is the Bounce Back Loan Deadline? The Bounce Bank Loan deadline for applications was originally scheduled for 4th November 2020. On 24th September Rishi Sunak announced that the deadline for applications would be extended to 30th November 2020. The Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) will help eligible small and medium-sized businesses affected by the […]
Job Support Scheme Key Facts
24 September 2020, Charities, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer, General, Sole Traders
How does the Job Support Scheme work? The Job Support Scheme is designed to protect viable jobs in businesses facing lower demand over the winter months due to Covid-19. Employers will receive support from the UK Government to help keep their employees on payroll after the furlough scheme is withdrawn. The company will continue to […]
Overclaimed Furlough Funding
11 September 2020, Charities, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer, General
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme According to Jim Harra, the First Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive of HMRC, there is more than £3.5bn of overclaimed furlough funding. He estimates that claims in error or fraudulent claims may total up to 10% of cases. HMRC is clamping down hard and looking at 27,000 active cases. In July […]
Bounce Back Loan
29 April 2020, Advocates, Barristers, Charities, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer
Where CBILS fails, smaller companies can get a Bounce Back Loan The Bounce Back Loan scheme will help small and medium-sized businesses to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000. The government will guarantee 100% of the loan and there won’t be any fees or interest to pay for the first 12 months. Loan terms will be […]
Free webinar for COVID-19 Business Support
28 April 2020, Advocates, Artists, Charities, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer, Musicians, Sole Traders
COVID-19 Business Support webinar from Collabor8te Collabor8te is a coworking space in the heart of Glasgow. Although the building is closed at the moment, they are still supporting the business community in Glasgow and across Scotland. Collabor8te are putting on a free webinar to provide some answers on the COVID-19 business support measures that have […]
How to claim furlough funding from HMRC
8 April 2020, Charities, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer
HMRC is working on furlough website Many business owners are waiting for details of how to claim furlough funding from HMRC. Details of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) are gradually being released by HMRC. How do I claim my furlough funding? HMRC will pay funding claims within 6 working days of an online application. […]
CBILS Forecast
4 April 2020, Advocates, Barristers, Charities, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer
Why you need a Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme / CBILS Forecast. The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) provides financial support to smaller businesses (SMEs) across the UK. The businesses under consideration are those that are losing revenue and seeing their cash flow disrupted as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. The scheme is […]
Save more than 16% on Zoom subscription
2 April 2020, Advocates, Artists, Barristers, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer, General, Musicians, Sole Traders
Pay less for online subscriptions It seems that almost everyone is turning to online communications in the current situation, with Zoom, WhatsApp and Skype seeing a dramatic increase in use. Even the UK prime minister is an advocate of Zoom. Save more than 16% on Zoom costs by following the steps below. You can also […]
COVID-19 small business grants in Scotland
26 March 2020, Artists, Charities, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer, Musicians, Sole Traders
Grants for business Each local authority will be processing COVID-19 small business grants in Scotland. Applications must be made to the local authority where you are liable for non-domestic rates. How to claim COVID-19 small business grants in Scotland There are two types of grant available to ratepayers: £10,000 grant to ratepayers of businesses in […]
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme update
27 March 2020, Charities, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer, Sole Traders
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme All UK employers will be able to access support for furloughed workers who would otherwise be laid off during the COVID-19 emergency. Details have now been released. An online portal will be made available to claim funding from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which will backdate funding to 1st March 2020. […]
Company Van Benefit in Kind trap
26 January 2020, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer, General, Musicians
Van benefit in kind tax charge Driving a van as your company vehicle has tax advantages over a car. The tax charge is generally low compared with a car, and can even be zero in circumstances where a car would be taxable. What conditions must you satisfy to eliminate a van benefit in kind tax […]
Give gifts on 5th December
3 December 2019, Advocates, Charities, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer, General, Sole Traders
You can give gifts to your staff and customers at any time of the year. Learn how to avoid the pitfalls of paying tax and VAT on your generosity.
Pension re-declaration of compliance
13 May 2019, Auto Enrolment, Charities, Companies, Employer, Sole Traders
How to complete your auto-enrolment pension re-declaration of compliance Any employers who started employing workers before 1st October 2017 will have been issued with a staging date. This is the date when they had to have a qualifying auto enrolment pension in place. For anyone who starting employing people after 30th September 2017 pension duties […]
Pension re-enrolment
8 May 2019, Auto Enrolment, Charities, Companies, Employer, Sole Traders
Pension Re-Enrolment due every three years All employers should now be aware of the their pension obligations. Any employers who started employing workers before 1st October 2017 will have been issued with a staging date. This is the date when they had to have a qualifying auto enrolment pension in place. For new businesses / […]
Monthly PAYE payments or quarterly payments?
15 May 2019, Employer
How to pay your PAYE to HMRC The easiest way to pay your PAYE to HMRC is by bank transfer. The bank details for HMRC are shown below. You’ll need to use your 13-character accounts office reference number as the payment reference. You can find this on either: the letter HMRC sent you when you first registered […]
Furloughed workers
23 March 2020, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer, Sole Traders
Furloughed workers and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme All UK employers will be able to access support for furloughed workers who would otherwise be laid off during the COVID-19 emergency. Details have now been provided by the UK Government. An online portal will be made available to claim funding from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, […]
