Wokingham Accountants
The self-employed pay two classes of National Insurance contributions – Class 2 and Class 4. Class 2 contributions are weekly flat-rate contributions which provide the mechanism by which the self-employed build up their entitlement to the state pension and certain contributory benefits. By contrast, Class 4 contributions are based on profits from the self-employment and … Read more
Directors’ loan accounts – avoiding the risks HMRC produce a series of toolkits which set out common errors that they find in returns. The hope is that by being familiar with the mistakes that are routinely made, steps can be taken to avoid them. Although the toolkits are aimed primarily at agents, they are useful … Read more
Rather than allocating specific cars to particular employees, some employers find it preferable to operate a carpool and have a number of cars available for use by employees when they need to undertake a business journey. From a tax perspective, provided that certain conditions are met, no benefit in kind tax charge will arise where … Read more
Tax credits are benefit payments that are paid to people in work who are on a low income or have children. There are two tax credits – working tax credit (for those working but on a low income) and child tax credit (for those on low income, regardless of whether they are working or not, … Read more
If you’ve received a tax calculation or simple assessment from HMRC, don’t assume that it is correct – HMRC can and do make mistakes. Each year HMRC undertake a PAYE reconciliation for employed individuals who are not required to submit a tax return to check that the correct amount of tax has been paid. Where … Read more
From a payroll perspective, there are various tasks that an employer has to perform when they take on a new starter. For 2019/20 an employer needs to operate PAYE where the employee earns more than £118 per week (the lower earnings limit for National Insurance purposes). However, if any employees earn more than £118 per … Read more
Closing a business can be a difficult time. However, you can be tax efficient with this beneficial liquidation strategy. Although it is possible to strike off a company and for distributions made prior to dissolution to be treated as capital rather than as a dividend, this is not an option where the amount of the … Read more
A SIPP is a self-invested personal pension which is set up by an insurance company or specialist SIPP provider. It is attractive to those who wish to manage their own investments. Contribution to a SIPP may be made by both the individual and, where appropriate, by the individual’s employer. Investments The range of potential investment … Read more
Inheritance – Special rules apply for inheritance tax purposes to married couples and civil partners. To ensure valuable tax reliefs are not lost, it is beneficial to consider the combined position, rather than dealing with each individual separately. Married couples and civil partners benefit from exemptions that are not available to unmarried couples. Inter-spouse exemption … Read more
Working parents can receive a tax-free top-up from the Government to help with their childcare costs. The top-up is worth £500 every three months (£2,000 a year). A higher top-up of £4,000 a year (£1,000 every three months) is available where the child is disabled. To receive the top-up, eligible parents must open an account … Read more
