When starting a business, whether as a sole trader, a company or in partnership, there is inevitably a preparatory period before trading commences during which expenditure is incurred in setting up the business. Depending on the nature of the business, the set-up period can be long and complex and the expenditure incurred during this phase…Read More
Higgins vs HMRC The court of appeal has declared that for a homeowner, the period of ownership begins at the date of completion. In the recent case of Higgins vs HMRC, Higgins had entered into a contract for a 125-year lease for an apartment on 2nd October 2006, which was due to be built within…Read More
Has COVID-19 ruined the spirit of Christmas? With Christmas fast approaching, typically by now most employers and employees would be looking forward to their company Christmas party. However, this year has been like no other and Covid-19 restrictions have firmly put a stop to the annual office party. As such, many employers will be considering…Read More
The 2018/19 self-assessment tax return must be filed online by midnight on 31 January 2020 if a late filing penalty is to be avoided. A later deadline applies where the notice to file a return was not given until after 31 October 2019 – in this case, the deadline is three months after the date…Read More
Marriage allowance is a government scheme which provides tax relief to married couples. Marriage allowance allows you to transfer 10% of your personal allowance, £1,250 in the current 2019/20 tax year to your spouse or civil partner, which could save you up to £250 in tax. Marriage allowance can be backdated up to 4 years.…Read More
If you are a limited company director and owner, you should prioritise working out the most tax-efficient methods to draw funds from your company. Below are some useful tips you can use to extract profits tax efficiently from your limited company: 2019/20 Basic director salary Take a director salary of £8,460 to pay a small…Read More
Private Residence Relief (PRR) is designed to keep out of Capital Gains Tax (CGT) those gains or losses that arise when a person sells or otherwise disposes of a dwelling that has been used as their only or main residence. In the 2018 budget, the government announced the following changes: the final period exemption will…Read More
If you have been skilful or lucky enough to build a business and now think it’s time to pack up or sell, Entrepreneur’s Relief could be the answer for you. While there is more to cover than in this blog, this should give you a beginner’s guide to the Entrepreneur’s Relief. Why use it? On…Read More
Selling of residential property and the implications of Capital Gains Tax Selling a property and the associated tax implications can seem very daunting to many homeowners, however, the aim of this blog will be to simplify and explain the most common type of reliefs and deductions available to help you better understand your possible capital…Read More
IR35 is the off-payroll working rules for clients, workers and their intermediaries. The legislation was designed to assess whether a subcontractor is actually acting as a subcontractor, or whether they are a ‘disguised employee’. By establishing this, HMRC can then ensure tax avoidance is not happening. Current legislation Under the current IR35 rules, the off-payroll…Read More
Zapier is an online workflow automation tool that allows you to connect your apps and services together. You can connect two or more apps together with an “If X happens, do Y” structure, to automate repetitive tasks that currently cannot be automated due to lack of integration ability between the two apps. This is where…Read More
VAT reverse charge on building and construction services Now is the time to prepare your CIS registered clients for this change. VAT reverse charge comes into effect on 1 October 2019. It is a major change to the way VAT is collected in the building and construction industry. From this date, the customer receiving the service…Read More
Save on Inheritance Tax by making pension payments into a Self-Investment Pension Plan (SIPP) Funds held in a Self-Investment Pension Plan (SIPP) on the death of the member may be transferred to the ‘nominated beneficiaries’. The member should complete an ‘expression of wish’ form for each pension plan stating to whom they wish the benefit to…Read More
Tax Relief Tax relief means that the amount you spend on certain expenses is deducted from your total income. This effectively reduces your taxable income and therefore the tax you will have to pay. In some cases, such as pension contributions, it may mean that you get tax back in another way; some reliefs are…Read More
Have you recently left university, and are you wondering if an accountancy career is for you? As a graduate looking to get your first job in accountancy, it is important to first evaluate whether you are willing to put in the work and dedicate another 3 years of your life to studying. Whether it be…Read More
The word accounting comes from the word accountability. If you are going to be rich, you need to be accountable for your money.
Robert Kiyosaki
