My Latest Blogs
8th April 2024
Auto-Enrolment Changes?
Could there be Auto-Enrolment changes? The UK Government has recognised that auto-enrolment contributions need to increase in order to cover projected short-falls in personal pension pots. In September 2023, a bill to reduce the age for auto-enrolment and abolish the lower-level qualification threshold received Royal Assent. It is projected that the average earner’s pension…
4th April 2024
Student Loan Thresholds 2024-25
For the 24-25 tax year there will be 5 different student loan deduction rates. However, Plan 5 does not become due for payment until the 2026-27 tax year so can be discounted for now. The new rates show no change for Plan 2 and 3, but the thresholds for Plan 1 and 4 have been…
4th April 2024
Holiday Entitlement from April 2024
Yet again we have a tinkering of the rules regarding holiday pay in the seemingly forlorn hope for simplification. Basic holiday entitlement hasn’t changed. Employees are still entitled to 5.6 weeks holiday per annum and the changes apply to those workers who have no set hours or work irregular hours. One little known aspect…
13th November 2023
Holiday Pay & Entitlement Consultation Responses
News broke on 8th November regarding the long-awaited results of HMRC’s consultation on holiday pay and entitlement for employed workers. In 2011, in order to come in line with the Working Time Directive, HMRC deemed that the 12.07% accrual method for calculating holiday pay was unlawful. This led to several employee tribunal cases with…
10th October 2023
Sick Pay: Farming Industry
The Farming Industry has some marked differences is sick pay legislation, PAYE regulations don’t pay sick pay over the statutory daily rate currently standing at £21.88 per day and commencing from the 4th consecutive day of absence. Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is payable for the first 28 weeks of sickness, after which the employee can…
27th September 2023
HMRC increase interest rates
Until inflation is under control, HMRC have no option but to adjust their interest rates in accordance with changes decreed by the Bank of England. There are two rates to consider, both linked to the Bank of England base rate: Late payment interest, set at base rate plus 2.5% Repayment interest, set at base…
26th September 2023
Statutory Maternity Pay: Alabaster Ruling
The employee is entitled to claim additional Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) if a pay rise took place, or would have been awarded, between the start of the relevant period & the end of her statutory maternity leave had she not been absent on statutory maternity leave. The ruling is not a new one, coming…
21st July 2022
Employment Allowance (E/A): Hand in hand with Auto Enrolment
In 2014 HMRC set up the Employment allowance which was a way of giving back to employers who took on more staff, the way the allowance works is that your employers national insurance liabilities are reduced by the allowance up to £2,000 or by the tax year end which ever was reached first. Since…
13th June 2022
NIC: All Change!
HMRC Changes to the National Insurance contributions for 2022-2023 tax year, are you confused? Due to the COVID-19 strain on the NHS, the government announced that they would be increasing the National Insurance contributions by 1.25% as a means to increase spending on health and social care. The Health and Social Care Levy was applied…