VAT on services outside UK
25 February 2021
Buying and selling services This article considers what has changed (and what hasn’t) for businesses trading in services with the EU, including situations where there are crucial exceptions to the general rules. The highlights of VAT on services outside the UK In many cases, the VAT on services is no different to pre-Brexit 2020. However, […]
Receipt Bank is now Dext
23 February 2021
A bolt from the blue – Receipt Bank is now Dext In a surprise announcement from Receipt Bank Dext, the branding and log in details for the online service changed today. How do I log in to Dext? If you previously used the following web address to log in to Receipt Bank, it should still […]
How to set up a manual VAT payment
10 February 2021
Deferred VAT payment due to Coronavirus On 24th September 2020 the UK Chancellor announced that businesses who deferred VAT due from 20 March to 30 June 2020 had more time to pay VAT from this period. The same guidance still stands though. If you chose to defer your VAT payment as a result of coronavirus, […]
Scottish Wedding Industry Fund
27 January 2021
Get up to £25,000 for Scottish Wedding Industry The new Scottish Wedding Industry Fund opens for applications on 28 January 2021. If your business gets most of its income from weddings you could qualify for a grant of up to £25,000. The fund is available to jewellers, pipers and wedding bands as well as caterers […]
Self Assessment Tax Filing Deadline Extended to 28 Feb – please pass this on!
25 January 2021
At (almost) the eleventh hour, HMRC announces tax filing deadline extended to 28 February HMRC announced today that you will not receive a penalty for filing your 2019-20 tax return late, as long as you file online by 28 February. We are still encouraging taxpayers who have not yet filed to do so by 31 […]
Need extra time to pay your tax bill due in January 2021?
22 January 2021
Strapped for cash and worried about your tax? If you are one of the many self-employed who need extra time to pay your income tax bill at the end of the month, HMRC have an online process to help you spread your payment. With just over a week to go until the filing deadline for […]
SEISS third grant
30 November 2020
SEISS third grant open for claims. The rules on who is eligible to claim are different to those for the previous SEISS grants. The third grant will be based on 80% of three months’ average trading profits, paid out in a single taxable instalment capped at £7,500, and will cover the period from 1 November […]
You need to change the way you submit your VAT returns
30 December 2020
Action required by 8 April 2021 If you haven’t signed up for Making Tax Digital (MTD) yet, you need to change the way you submit your VAT returns. Even if you currently use Xero to file your VAT returns, you won’t be able to use software to file returns from 8th April unless you are […]
Bounce Back Loan Extended
5 November 2020
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
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 […]
Received a Self-Employment Income Support Scheme Grant and stopped trading?
30 October 2020
Received an SEISS grant? Check your inbox to avoid a penalty. HMRC is contacting businesses which claimed a grant under the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme to check whether they have stopped trading. What do you need to do? How do I know an email from HMRC isn’t spam or phishing? HMRC do not normally email […]
Job Support Scheme Update
22 October 2020
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 […]
SEISS extended to April 2021
6 November 2020
Payment no 3 in December for SEISS extended to April. The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) has been extended to April 2021. If you are self-employed and were eligible for the first and second SEISS grants you will be able to claim grants for the 6 month period from November 2020 to April 2021. What […]
More time to pay VAT
25 September 2020
Rishi Sunak has given you more time to pay VAT On 24th September 2020 the UK Chancellor announced that businesses who deferred VAT due from 20 March to 30 June 2020 will now have more time to pay VAT from this period. The original deadline for this VAT was 31st March 2021. Instead of paying […]
Job Support Scheme Key Facts
24 September 2020
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 […]
Bounce Back Loan Deadline for Applications
25 September 2020
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 […]
VAT on Cancellation Fees
14 September 2020
HMRC changes policy with VAT on Cancellation Fees On 2 September 2020, HMRC, issued a Brief dealing with the VAT on cancellation of a contract or early termination fees. The VAT treatment has changed for fees a business charges to allow customers to withdraw from agreements early. If your customer cancels an annual subscription part-way […]
Alterledger welcomes Ellys
16 September 2020
Welcome to Ellys! Our latest recruit started today. We are delighted to welcome Ellys to the team at Alterledger as a Trainee Accountant. We look forward to introducing her to our clients.
VAT on non-refundable deposits
14 September 2020
VAT is chargeable on all non-refundable deposits HMRC requires you to charge VAT on non-refundable deposits. So you must issue a VAT invoice for charges levied even if the customer does not use the goods or services. This came into force with effect from 1 March 2019, cancelling HMRC’s previous interpretation which allowed some non-refundable […]
Overclaimed Furlough Funding
11 September 2020
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 […]
Claim to reduce payments on account
4 September 2020
Reduce your income tax payments on account to HMRC You can reduce payments on account to HMRC if you expect your profits to be lower in the year to 5th April 2021. Most sole traders will find that their taxable profits will be lower this year due to the effects of the COVID emergency. If […]
Alterledger welcomes Daniel
11 September 2020
Welcome to Daniel! We are delighted to welcome Daniel to the team at Alterledger as a Trainee Accountant. We look forward to introducing him to our clients.
Making Tax Digital compulsory for VAT from April 2022
31 August 2020
Making Tax Digital compulsory for all (eventually) Recent announcements make Making Tax Digital compulsory for all VAT registered business from April 2022. The self-employed will be included from April 2023 and eventually Corporation Tax too. All VAT registered businesses will have to comply with Making Tax Digital (MTD) from 1 April 2022 and not just […]
SEISS phase 2
17 August 2020
Check if you can claim the SEISS phase 2 grant through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS phase 2) is now open for the self-employed to receive a second and final grant of up to £6,570. The HMRC website went live on 17th August 2020 to allow you to claim […]
Graduate Trainee Accountant Job Glasgow
7 August 2020
Trainee Accountant Job Glasgow Due to the growing demand for our services we have 2 trainee accountant job vacancies at Alterledger. The positions offer study support and a route to gaining a permanent position as a qualified accountant in a modern accountancy practice. It is expected that the trainee would complete a qualification with CIMA […]
What is the formula for success? How to excel at excel.
22 July 2020
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.
How to set up a VAT Direct Debit
19 June 2020
No more extra time to pay your VAT As part of the government’s support for businesses during COVID-19, HMRC gave businesses the option of deferring their VAT payments and cancelling VAT Direct Debit instructions if they were unable to pay on time. This allows VAT to be deferred without incurring late payment interest or penalties. […]
Check your SEISS eligibility
13 May 2020
Check if you can claim a grant through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) is now open for the self-employed to receive a grant of up to £7,500. The HMRC website to check your SEISS eligibility has been set up. Find out what you need to do to allow HMRC […]
What an employer is looking for
1 May 2018
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.
Never send word files
17 May 2018
Never send word files unless you really have to. In most cases a PDF file will be the better option as it retains your formatting and allows you to control your document.
Sending word files with key information including covering letters and CVs can be perceived as unprofessional. There is no excuse not to send these files in PDF format!
