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The Job Support Scheme provides support from three sources

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 […]

The Job Support Scheme provides support from three sources

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will receive support from the UK Government to help keep their employees on payroll after the furlough scheme is withdrawn.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 needs to be repaid to HMRC

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 […]

furlough funding

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.  […]

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

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. […]

Tax free van benefit in kind - did you know that the van Gogh Museum is open on Christmas day?

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 to celebrate Sinterklaas

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.

PAYE payments can be made monthly or quarterly

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 […]

Empty office due to furloughed workers

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, […]

Auto Enrolment Pension

Sole Director Companies and Auto Enrolment

18 March 2017, Auto Enrolment, Employer

A company, or individual without employees is not required to have an Automatic Enrolment Pension Scheme.  Where a company has no-one on payroll and no workers it is normally clear that Auto Enrolment doesn’t apply.  The situation is less obvious with sole director companies and auto enrolment.  If you are the sole director of your company and have no staff or workers, the company does not have automatic enrolment duties

Furlough FAQ

Furlough FAQ and resources

29 March 2020, Charities, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer, Sole Traders

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – Furlough FAQ All UK employers will be able to access support for furloughed workers.  This includes charities, non profit and public bodies.  The government expects that the scheme will not be used by many public sector organisations.  The majority of public sector employees are continuing to provide essential public services […]

PAYE refund – how to get one

25 September 2016, Charities, Companies, Employer

The normal process for reclaiming overpaid PAYE to HMRC is to deduct the amount HMRC owes you from your next regular payment.  For this reason HMRC does not normally process an automatic PAYE refund.

HMRC telephone scam

7 September 2016, Advocates, Artists, Barristers, Charities, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer, Musicians, Sole Traders

There are two new scams that you need to be aware of.  Callers are leaving a phone message or posing as an HMRC investigator.  If you are on the receiving end of an HMRC telephone scam you can report it on 0300 1232040 or on the Action Fraud Website.

HMRC interest rate change can save you money

24 August 2016, Advocates, Artists, Barristers, Charities, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer, Musicians, Sole Traders

Following the Bank of England’s cut in its base rate from 0.5% to 0.25% on 4th August the HMRC interest rate has changed too.

HMRC new bank account

20 June 2016, Advocates, Artists, Barristers, Charities, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer, Musicians, Sole Traders

Most people will pay their tax electronically either through their payroll, direct debit or by bank transfer.  Tax payments made from overseas now go to the HMRC new bank details.

National Insurance for Company Directors

National Insurance for Company Directors

5 February 2017, Charities, Companies, Creative Industries, Employer, Musicians

Most employees will pay Class 1 National Insurance each pay day.  The weekly threshold is £157 a week with the monthly threshold being £680.  If an employee earns above these amounts, they will start paying National Insurance above the threshold at 12%.  National Insurance for Company Directors can be worked out differently.

Marriage Allowance update April 2016

17 April 2016, Advocates, Artists, Creative Industries, Sole Traders

The Marriage Allowance is a tax break for couples where one partner doesn’t use all their tax free allowance.  For the 2016-17 tax year, which runs from 6th April 2016 to 5th April 2017 the tax free allowance is £11,000.

Money collected by Digital Tax Accounts

Digital Tax Accounts – the end of tax returns?

26 November 2015, Advocates, Artists, Barristers, Companies, Creative Industries, Musicians, Sole Traders

The Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 from Chancellor George Osborne confirms that the government is committed to Digital Tax Accounts.  The following extract is from the transcript of the speech delivered on 25th November 2015: “We’re going to build one of the most digitally advanced tax administrations in the world.  So that every individual and every small business will have their own digital tax account by the end of the decade, in order to manage their tax online.”

Not the new childcare voucher sheme

5 November 2015, Advocates, Artists, Barristers, Charities, Companies, Employer, Musicians, Sole Traders

A new government-backed tax-free childcare scheme was set to go live in the autumn of 2015 but so far it has not materialised.  What has happened and is this new scheme still going ahead or not?

Childcare vouchers

5 May 2015, Advocates, Artists, Barristers, Charities, Companies, Employer, Musicians, Sole Traders

As one door opens another closes A new tax-free childcare voucher scheme will start in Autumn 2015.  When this happens the current scheme for employees will close to new entrants, but still remain in place for existing employees.  If you are an employee, you will need to think about signing up now if the existing […]

Real Time Information for payroll processing – are you ready?

17 February 2013, Charities, Employer

Change required for all employers All employers will have to change the way they process payroll in 2013.  If your organisation pays wages to anyone including salaried directors, you will need to provide information in “Real Time” to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).  Real Time Information (RTI) requires employers to submit payroll information before […]

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