Deferring your state pension
If your contributions record is sufficient, you will be entitled to the state pension on reaching state pension age. The age at which you reach state pension age depends on when you were born. To qualify for a full single-tier state pension (set at £168.60 per week...
What to do if you need to change your self-assessment tax return
You made it and filed your self-assessment tax return for 2018/19 by the 31 January 2020. However, having felt pleased with yourself, you realise to your horror that you have made a mistake and need to correct your return. Can you do this and if so, how and by when?...
Reporting low emission vehicles – Changes from April 2020
From 6 April 2020, new appropriate percentage bands – and new lower charges for low emissions cars – will apply for company car tax purposes. From the same date, the way in which carbon dioxide emissions are measured is also changing. This means that in order to find...
Incidental overnight expenses
A tax exemption enables an employer to meet small personal expenses when an employee stays away from home for work, without the employee suffering a tax charge and without any need to report the expenses to HMRC. What are incidental overnight expenses? Incidental...
Do you need a Virtual Finance Director?
Many small business owners feel that having access to an experienced, knowledgeable finance professional is a luxury that they simply can’t afford on a permanent basis. However, we are pleased to say that this doesn’t have to be the case. Let us ask you a few...
Using company vans for tax-free home to work travel
As a general rule, travel between home and work is regarded as private travel and if the employer meets the cost of that travel, a benefit-in-kind tax charge will be triggered. However, it is possible for employees with a company van to use that van to travel between...
Does the high-income child benefit charge apply?
The high-income child benefit charge (HICBC) applies to claw back child benefit from either the claimant or his or her partner where at least one of them has income of £50,000 or more. The charge is perhaps one of the more unfair tax charges in that the person who...
Correcting an overpayment of wages
Mistakes happen, and it can be very easy inadvertently to pay an employee too much when doing the wages. Perhaps a number was keyed in incorrectly or figures were transposed, or maybe commission was overstated or an employee was paid for more overtime hours than they...
Utilising the 2019/20 dividend allowance
The dividend allowance is quite unusual in that it is available to everyone and everyone has the same allowance. For 2019/20 the allowance is set at £2,000. In common with many allowances, it is a case of use it or lose it. As the end of the 2019/20 tax year draws...