As another new tax year begins, here are some important tax dates and changes to be aware of this month.
1 April
Auto-enrolment staging dates
Auto-enrolment staging date for employers who don’t have a PAYE scheme.
Business rates
Rate payers that occupy a single property with a rateable value of £12,000 or less will pay no business rates.
Corporation tax
Corporation tax reduces from 20% to 19%.
VAT
The VAT registration threshold will increase from £83,000 to £85,000. The deregistration threshold will increase from £81,000 to £83,000.
6 April
Income tax
The personal allowance increases from £11,000 to £11,500.
A £1,000 allowance for property income and a £1,000 allowance for trading income will come into effect from 6 April.
You won’t need to declare or pay tax if you have income from either source of less than £1,000.
If you have income above £1,000, you will be able to deduct expenses in the usual way or deduct the £1,000 allowance.
Inheritance tax
An additional nil-rate band of £100,000 will be introduced for property passed down to a direct descendant.
ISAs
The annual investment limit will increase from £15,240 to £20,000. The limit for a Junior ISA will rise from £4,080 to £4,128.
A new type of ISA – the Lifetime ISA – will be available for adults under the age of 40.
Individuals will be able to contribute up to £4,000 a year and will receive a 25% bonus from the government.
These savings can be used to purchase a first home once the account has been open for a year.
Alternatively, savings can be withdrawn for any reason from the age of 60. Withdrawing the funds at other times may lead a withdrawal charge of 25%.
Talk to Sue Stephens or John Elliott today about your tax obligations.
