Category: Tax

Important changes to public sector contractors working under IR35 legislation have taken effect for 2017/18. Individuals who work through intermediaries, such as personal service companies, are no longer subject to IR35 rules if they work in the public sector. Public sector organisations or agencies paying off-payroll workers are now responsible for deciding whether the work … Continued

More than half of adults don’t understand ISA rules, research by Opinium has found. Key findings: 1 in 5 knew that the ISA annual allowance is £20,000 for 2017/18 24% knew that you can transfer money from previous tax years into a current ISA 9% wrongly believed that you can only move money if your … Continued

In March 2015, George Osborne outlined the new concept of “making tax easier”. All the tax information relevant to an individual would be gathered into the taxpayer’s digital tax account, and the annual paper tax return would be consigned to history. This was designed to result in a reduction in the administrative burden for taxpayers. … Continued

It is advisable to review your will on a regular basis, particularly on marriage, divorce, the birth of a child or grandchild, the death of a beneficiary or executor. But some changes in tax law can also affect the provisions of your will. The introduction of the transferable nil rate band (NRB) between spouses in … Continued

Never assume your business interests will avoid Inheritance Tax. Many major shareholders and business owners are oblivious to the traps surrounding Business Relief, some of which can leave their estate at risk of a very large and unexpected Inheritance Tax (IHT) bill. Business Relief (BR), formerly – known as Business Property Relief, is much like … Continued

Money that would have otherwise gone to the taxman can boost your retirement savings, but action is needed before your company’s financial year-end. Salaries reduce your profits and, in turn, your Corporation Tax bill, so this is the most obvious way to move cash out of your business. An alternative form of remuneration is dividend income. … Continued

The national living wage (NLW) is now £7.50 an hour. Most workers who are aged 25 and over and not in their first year of an apprenticeship are entitled to the new rate. The national minimum wage (NMW) rates for various ages have also increased. The following rates now apply: Age From 1 April 2017 … Continued

According to a recent study, two in five pensioners regret retirement-planning mistakes which have left them struggling financially.1 Nearly one in five say that they didn’t save enough for retirement, and 15% regret not starting to save earlier in their working lives. If we’re serious about planning for the future, we need to put away surplus … Continued

In his Budget last week Mr Hammond proposed to increase Class 4 NICs for the self-employed from 9% to 10% in April 2018, and to 11% in 2019, to bring it closer to the 12% currently paid by employees. Thousands of self-employed people across the Liverpool city region are breathing a sigh of relief after … Continued

The Budget, Tax and the Self-Employed In his first Budget on 8th March the new Chancellor Phillip Hammond announced that he would  level the playing field between employees and the self-employed by increasing Class 4 National Insurance Contributions (NICs) from 9% to 10% from 6 April 2018 and then to 11% from 6 April 2019. … Continued