Many director shareholders take a minimum salary and any balance of remuneration as dividends. This tends to reduce National Insurance Contributions (NIC), and in some cases Income Tax. The planning strategy is to pay a salary at a level that qualifies the director for…
Year: 2018
Self-employed tax bills
Whether you pay Income Tax or National Insurance, the effect on your cash flow is the same. The payments are a necessary part of our obligation to fund the activities of State, but the self-employed are often surprised that their bi-annual tax payments cover…
200,000 receive back pay
In a recent press release, HMRC urged underpaid workers to complain as figures show that the number of workers getting the money they’re owed by employers has doubled after interventions by HMRC. According to latest figures, in 2017-18, HMRC investigators identified £15.6 million in…
Crackdown on abuse of UK businesses
Reforms are being considered that will ensure that Scottish Limited Partnerships continue to be used as a legitimate vehicle for investment in the UK. Measures to crack down on the abuse of a specialised financial arrangement to launder foreign money through the UK was…
Employees' holiday entitlement
The following definitions should help to clarify employee and employer rights and responsibilities regarding entitlement to holiday pay. Almost all workers are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday per year (known as statutory leave entitlement or annual leave). An employer can include bank holidays…
What to do if you can't pay your tax
HMRC will consider extended options for settling your outstanding tax bill. The key is to contact HMRC, explain why you can’t pay on time, and discuss how you can settle any outstanding liabilities. If you can’t pay before the deadline, call the Business Payment Support…
Payments in lieu of notice
Up to 5 April 2018, certain payments in lieu of notice were not taxable, primarily, those not contractually required to be made. This is no longer the case. Employers will now need to pay Income Tax and Class 1 National Insurance contributions (NICs) on an…
Who qualifies for the minimum wage?
As you would expect there are a range of conditions that affect the answer to this question. We have reproduced below a summary of the main conditions to be observed. Workers must be at least school leaving age to get the National Minimum Wage. They…
Location is everything
Now that Wales and Scotland have devolved powers for taxation purposes, residents that live and work in the border areas with England have more planning options. Wales have their own stamp duty regime from April 2018, the Land Transaction Tax (LTT), and Scotland, from April…