by Acuaccounts | Oct 8, 2020 | latest news, tax
Please see our latest blog article for the more recent updates from the chancellor’s statement on November 5th, 2020
The chancellor announced on September 24th 2020 a series of measures as part of the Winter economic plan with the aim to protect jobs and support businesses over the coming winter months. Central to the plan is a new Job Support Scheme, the extension of the Self Employment Income Support Scheme SEISS and more flexibilities for businesses to help pay back loans.
We have outlined what you need to know as a business owner or self-employed and invite you to reach if you need further clarification or support in implementing these measures for yourself and your business.
The new Job support scheme starts November 1st 2020
- The Job support scheme takes the place of the current furlough scheme, due to end October 31
- Employees must be working at least 33% of their usual hours
- The Government will pay a third of hours not worked up to a cap, with the employer also contributing a third. This will ensure employees earn a minimum of 77% of their normal wages, where the Government contribution has not been capped.
- The level of grant will be calculated based on the employee’s usual salary, capped at £697.92 per month.
- Currently confirmed to be available for six months ending 30 April 2021
- Less generous than the current Job Retention Scheme but highly flexible with employees being able to cycle on and off the scheme without the need to keep the same pattern each month. Each short-time working arrangement must cover a minimum period of seven days.
- Can be combined with the Jobs Retention Bonus (£1,000 one-off payment to employers for every furloughed employee who remains continuously employed through to 31 January 2021)
- The scheme applies to all employees, whether they have been previously furloughed or actively working. Employees cannot be made redundant or put on notice of redundancy during the period within which their employer is claiming the grant for that employee
Here is an example of how the Job support scheme works:
To help you navigate the complexities and calculate how the scheme could best work for your business get in touch via email or phone.
Tax cuts and deferrals for businesses and self-employed
- 15% VAT cut for the tourism and hospitality sectors is extended to the end of March 2021
- If your business has deferred their VAT bills the New Payment Scheme gives you the option to pay back in smaller instalments where rather than paying a lump sum in full at the end March next year, they will be able to make 11 smaller interest-free payments during the 2021-22 financial year.
- 11 million self-assessment taxpayers will be able to benefit from a separate additional 12-month extension from HMRC on the “Time to Pay” self-service facility, meaning payments deferred from July 2020, and those due in January 2021, will now not need to be paid until January 2022.
Some good news and not so good news for the self-employed
- The Self Employment Income Support Scheme Grant (SEISS) has been extended to cover three months’ worth of profits for the period from November to the end of January next year.
- However, the grant will cover only 20% of average monthly profits, up to a total of £1,875.
- The taxable grant will be provided to those who are currently eligible for SEISS and are continuing to actively trade but face reduced demand due to coronavirus.
If you have any questions around taxable grants or your next self-assessment tax return due to January 2021 book a call or send us an email
Bounce back loans have been extended
- More than 1.17 million ‘bounce back loans’ have been issued since the scheme launched in May and applications have been extended to the end of November
- Your business can borrow between £2,000 and £50,000 capped at 25% of your total turnover
- No interest will be charged and no repayments will need to be made in the first 12 months and after 12 months, all banks will charge a fixed 2.5% annual interest.
- Bounce back loans may be extended from six years terms to ten, which will cut monthly repayments by nearly half.
- Interest-only periods of up to six months and payment holidays will be available
If you are interested in applying for a Bounce Back Loan from £2,000 – £50,000 or have already taken out a loan and want to verify how these updates affect your cash-flow get in touch to book a financial assessment call.
Kickstart scheme to support employment for young people
- You can create 6-month job placements for young people who are currently on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment
- And organisation regardless of size can apply for funding. If you have fewer than 30 job placements to offer we can put you in touch with an organisation that can apply on your behalf
- Funding available for each job will cover the relevant National Minimum Wage for 25 hours a week, plus the associated employer National Insurance contributions and employer minimum automatic enrolment contributions.
- The job placements created with Kickstart funding must be new jobs. They must not replace existing or planned vacancies or cause existing employees or contractors to lose or reduce their employment
- The roles you are applying for must be: a minimum of 25 hours per week, for 6 months and paid at least the National Minimum Wage for their age group. Roles should not require people to undertake extensive training before they begin the job placement
- The government will initially prioritise young people aged between 16 and 24 who are ready for an opportunity will be supported by their Jobcentre Plus work coach to enrol in the scheme.
To find out what the Winter Economic Plan means for your business get in touch via email or phone.
#Employer #Employee #Salary #Wages #PAYE #business #update #coronavirus #covid19 #income #support #SEISS
by Acuaccounts | Apr 5, 2019 | latest news, tax
Welcome…
To AcuAccount’s April’s Tax Tips & News, our newsletter designed to bring you tax tips and news to keep you one step ahead of the taxman.
If you need further assistance just let us know or you can send us a question for our Question and Answer Section.
We are committed to ensuring none of our clients pay a penny more in tax than is necessary and they receive useful tax and business advice and support throughout the year. Please contact us for advice in your own specific circumstances. We’re here to help!
Making Tax Digital Update
Biggest change from HMRC has come into effect! Meaning VAT-registered businesses with a taxable turnover above the VAT threshold are required to use the Making Tax Digital (MTD) service to keep records digitally and use software to submit their VAT returns from 1 April 2019.
Updated guidance
HMRC have published an updated version of their Making Tax Digital Mythbusters factsheet. The ‘myths’, and HMRC’s comments covered in the factsheet are summarised as follows:
- Businesses don’t know it’s happening or what to do: HMRC state that over 80% of businesses had stated to make preparations for MTD by December 2018
- Everyone will have to join the service by 1 April: Businesses are required to join MTD and submit their VAT returns using the new service for their first VAT period which begins on or after 1 April. For the majority, who file quarterly, their first MTD returns won’t be due until August or later
- Under MTD, businesses will have to provide more information than they already do: business will need to provide information to HMRC more regularly than they do now
- MTD won’t reduce errors: HMRC maintain that the integrated approach offered by MTD will, in the long term, reduce reporting errors
- HMRC have underestimated the admin burden and costs to businesses for MTD: costs will differ from business to business but there are MTD-compatible solutions available at low cost for most businesses
- Businesses can’t use spreadsheets as part of MTD: Businesses can choose to use spreadsheets to both maintain digital records and perform tax calculations, provided the spreadsheets combine with some form of ‘bridging’ software that will allow their VAT return data to be sent to HMRC from the spreadsheet
- Small businesses should be automatically exempt: Only those with taxable turnover above the VAT threshold of £85,000 are required to join MTD, although the c.1m VAT registered businesses below the threshold can choose to join voluntarily.
- HMRC will penalise me if we get the new process wrong: During the first year of mandation HMRC will take a light touch approach to digital record keeping and filing penalties where businesses are doing their best to comply with the law.
For further information on MTD, see the GOV.uk website.
Employee Mileage Allowances
Confusion often arises over differing tax treatment of mileage allowances paid to employees using their own cars for business, and those provided with a company car.
An employee using their own car for work can claim a mileage allowance from their employer, which is designed to cover the costs of fuel and wear and tear for business trips. The mileage allowance will be tax-free if it does not exceed HMRC’s Approved Mileage Allowance Payment (AMAP) rates, which are currently as follows:
Cars and vans: first 10,000 business miles per year – 45p per mile; over 10,000 miles – 25p per mile
Motor cycles: fist 10,000 business miles per year – 24p per mile; over 10,000 miles – 24p per mile
Bicycles: first 10,000 business miles per year – 20p per mile; over 10,000 miles – 20p per mile
Unless the employer reimburses employees at a higher rate, the payments can be paid tax-free and do not need to be reported to HMRC. However, anything paid above the approved rates is tax deductible, and must be reported to HMRC on form P11D.
If an employer pays less than the approved rates, the employee can claim income tax relief from HMRC for the shortfall. This can be done via a self-assessment tax return or by completing form P87.
For NIC, the 45p per mile rate is used for all business miles in the tax year, not just the first 10,000 miles.
The AMAP scheme does not apply for company cars. However, employees can still claim fuel expenses for all business mileage where they pay for the fuel. The rates are lower than the AMAP rates and are updated quarterly. Current and previous rates can be found on the Gov.uk website at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advisory-fuel-rates.
Amounts paid in excess of HMRC’s advisory rates will be taxable.
If the company pays for all fuel (business and private), the fuel benefit will be charged, which is based on the cash equivalent of the benefit each tax year. The fuel benefit is fixed each year (for 2019/20 it is £24,100). This figure is multiplied by the CO2 percentage figure applicable to the company car.
It is also worth noting that if the company pays for all fuel, but the employee reimburses the company for private use, as long as the amount paid back is equal to, or more than, the amount for personal fuel in the same tax year, the employer will not have to pay anything to HMRC or report on such transactions.
NMW and NLW increases take effect
New rates for the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) (aged 25 and over) apply from 1 April 2019, and employers must ensure that they implement them accordingly. The rates are as follows:
– 25 and over – £8.21 per hour;
– 21- to 24-year-olds – £7.70 an hour;
– 18- to 20-year-olds – £6.15 an hour;
– under 18s – £4.35 an hour; and
– Apprentice rate – £3.90 an hour.
All other workers including pieceworkers, home workers, agency workers, commission workers, part-time workers and casual workers must receive at least the NMW.
Severe penalties may be imposed for failure to comply with NMW/NLW obligations. Broadly, the penalty percentage which may be imposed for non-compliance is now 200%. The maximum penalty is a hefty £20,000 per worker, although it may be reduced by 50% if the unpaid wages and the penalty are paid within 14 days.
Workplace Pension
The minimum contributions you and your staff pay into your automatic enrolment workplace pension scheme will increase from 6 April 2019. This is also sometimes known as phasing.
It is your responsibility to make sure these increases are implemented.
Who does this apply to?
All employers with staff in a pension scheme for automatic enrolment must take action to make sure at least the minimum amounts are being paid into their pension scheme. This applies to you whether you set up a pension scheme for automatic enrolment or you decided to use an existing scheme.
However, you don’t need to take any further action if you don’t have any staff in a pension scheme for automatic enrolment, or if you are already paying above the increased minimum amounts.
What are the increases?
This table below shows the minimum contributions you must pay and the date when they must increase:
| Date |
Employer minimum contribution |
Staff contribution |
Total minimum contribution |
| New rate: 6 April 2019 onwards |
3% |
5% |
8% |
| Current rate: 6 April 2018 to 5 April 2019 |
2% |
3% |
5% |
If you need further assistance on any of the above topics just let us know or you can send us a question.
We are committed to ensuring none of our clients pay a penny more in tax than is necessary and they receive useful tax and business advice and support throughout the year. Please contact us for advice in your own specific circumstances. We’re here to help!
by Acuaccounts | Dec 12, 2018 | accounting, latest news
All supplies could be classified as exempt, zero-rated or standard rated for VAT purposes. Supplies that are standard-rated or zero-rated are considered to be ‘taxable supplies’ as defined.
The supply of goods and services are generally subject to VAT at the standard rate (20%), unless such supply is specifically zero-rated or exempt in terms of the VAT Act.
A zero-rated supply is a taxable supply on which VAT is levied at the rate of 0%. No output tax will be payable to HM Revenue & Customs in respect of zero-rated supplies. Registered VAT entities making zero-rated supplies are entitled to claim their input tax deductions on goods or services acquired in the course of making such taxable supplies.
An exempt supply (i.e. not a taxable supply) is the supply of goods or services on which no VAT rate is chargeable. Registered VAT entities may not claim an input tax deduction in respect of goods or services acquired in the course of furtherance of making exempt supplies. A person that makes only exempt supplies cannot register for VAT as they are not providing taxable supplies as per the VAT Act.
Where goods and services are purchased for taxable and non-taxable purposes, only a portion of the input tax may be claimed. VAT registered entities making mixed supplies (taxable and exempt supplies), are required to apportion their input deduction to the extent to which the entity has utilised the goods or services in the course and furtherance of making taxable supplies.
Confusion often exists about ‘VAT at a Zero-Rate’, ‘Exempt supply’ and ‘Non-supply’. The main difference between zero rate and exempt supplies is that the suppliers of zero-rated goods and/or services can still reclaim all their input VAT, but the suppliers of exempt goods are either not registered for VAT or if they are, they cannot reclaim their input VAT. Examples of VAT at a Zero rated items and services include:
- Petrol leaded or unleaded;
- Mahango, mahango meal, maize meal and bread, but not as a prepared meal;
- Water and electricity to a residential account;
- Selling of residential property;
- Fresh milk
- Sunflower oil
For more information on anything related to VAT feel free to get in touch with one of our experts.
by Acuaccounts | Nov 12, 2018 | accounting, latest news
Do you purchase business-related equipment, stationary & so on from Amazon? If so why not create an Amazon Business account!
If you have not already done so, this is a great feature to utilise from accounts and record keeping as this enables you to gather:
- VAT exclusive pricing and VAT invoicing: See prices with and without VAT and benefit from VAT invoicing. This is great for when working out VAT Returns, note Amazon itself is not VAT registered
- Visibility and control: Add a Purchase Order number to orders, add multiple users, set spending limits, enable purchasing approval workflows and gain visibility into spending with Amazon Business Analytics
- Reconciliation: Easier to reconcile for your Accountant/Bookkeeper against payments, access can also be given to your accountant/bookkeeper
- Keep it Separate: Keep things separate from Personal and Business Related
In addition to competitive pricing and great selection, Amazon Business customers have access to the following features:
- Free One-Day Delivery: Free premiums shipping on qualified orders of £30 or more.
- Detailed transaction data on commercial card purchases: Track and reconcile business purchases with line-item detail on every Amazon Business purchase made with a Visa Commercial Card issued by Barclaycard, Citi, HSBC or Lloyds Bank.
- 30 days credit and paid by invoice options
Wondering how and why this would benefit your Company?
Speak to one of our team for more details.
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