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For many years employers have been able to set up a Direct Debit (DD) with HMRC to make a single one-off payment. Recurring DD’s have not been allowed. From early Autumn, HMRC are expecting to launch a new Payments Strategy enabling employers to establish a DD that will recur monthly.   Employers will need their…

For most of my life sugar beet have represented a stable but unexciting crop. Sugar adjusted yields have seemed reasonably consistent from year to year and the price for which the commodity could be sold has been negotiated by the NFU and British Sugar before growing contracts have been agreed. I have just listened to…

Background Following the recent remediation measures announced after the McCloud age discrimination case, some individuals may suffer retrospective increases to their historic pension growth which in turn could result in annual allowance excess charges.   In the most recent finance act the government has announced changes to the scheme pays legislation to enable individuals to…

  Tax planning is not often at the top of the to-do list when a couple are separating, however, the timing of asset transfers can make a huge difference for tax purposes.   The rules as things stand   Married couples and civil partners can transfer chargeable assets between them without incurring capital gains tax…

With the reduction of BPS over the coming years and movement in Sustainable Farming Incentives, many farmers/growers are looking for alternatives to traditional crops. One crop that has come to my attention recently is Mustard.   Through a cooperative, English Mustard Growers Ltd, mustard is being sourced throughout Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire. The benefits…

  HMRC have recently amended their approach to obtaining tax relief on household costs associated with working from home, effective from 6 April 2022.   Throughout the pandemic, employees were able to claim expenses associated with working from home for the full tax year, even if they were at home for just one day. Newspapers…

If you run a construction company and would like some more feedback on:   How your company is doing? Which jobs are most profitable? Keeping track of your staffs location and working hours?   Then there are plenty of apps that can integrate with your accountancy package like Xero, Sage and QuickBooks which will make…

Yesterday the Supreme Court rejected Harpur Trust’s appeal with regards to the calculation of holiday pay.   In 2013 Brazel was a part-time music teacher who worked varying hours throughout the year. Her employer was Harpur Trust. When taking her holiday, Harpur Trust calculated her holiday pay based on 12.07% of hours worked. Brazel disagreed…

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…

  Introduced in 2017 as a form of taxation designed to help companies offer more in the way of apprentice opportunities. Any company offering approved apprenticeships can tap into the funds raised from a levy exacted against employers with a payroll bill in excess of £3m per annum (£250,000 per month).   However, what a…