Wokingham Accountants
Accountancy may not strike everyone as exciting, but it is fast moving. We’ll keep you informed about issues we think may be of interest or relevance to you.
If you are self-employed and you received Covid-19 support payments during the pandemic, you may need to report these on your self-assessment tax return. If you are an employee and you were furloughed and received furlough grants under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, these were liable to tax under PAYE and liable to National Insurance … Read more
The normal minimum pension age (NMPA) is the age at which most pension savers can access their pensions without incurring an unauthorised pension charge (unless they take their pension earlier due to ill-health). Registered pension scheme cannot normally pay any benefits to members until they reach the NMPA (except in the case of ill-health). Registered … Read more
As part of the Government’s push to encourage drivers to ‘go electric’, the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, announced an extension to a £50 million Government fund to install electric charge points. The fund aims to help small business to gain access to the workplace charging scheme and provide grants to meet up to 75% of … Read more
Childcare costs can be very expensive and any help is welcomed, particularly where you can benefit from that help tax-free. There are various routes by which this is possible. Government tax-free top-up scheme Under the Government scheme, you can open an online account and deposit money which is used to pay for your childcare. For … Read more
Last year, the Covid-19 pandemic and national lockdown took Christmas parties (other than virtual ones) off the agenda. This year, they may be a temptation to make up for lost time. How can you celebrate the festive season without triggering a tax liability in the process? Limited tax exemption There is a limited tax exemption … Read more
Making Tax Digital (MTD) is a government programme to move to a digital tax world. HMRC’s stated ambition is to become one of the most digitally advanced tax administrations in the world. MTD involves fundamental changes in the way in which taxpayers keep records and report information to HMRC. MTD launched with MTD for VAT, … Read more
Capital allowances are the tax equivalent of depreciation, and the mechanism of providing tax relief for certain items of capital expenditure. However, with the exception of cars, capital allowances are not available where accounts are prepared under the cash basis; instead relief may be available as a deduction in computing profits under the cash basis … Read more
Although married couples and civil partners are assessed individually for capital gains tax purposes and each has their own annual exempt amount, a special rule allows them to transfer assets between them at a value that gives rise to neither a loss nor a gain. This can be very useful from a tax planning perspective. … Read more
Trading income is taxed for both income tax and corporation tax purposes. In order for a tax charge to arise under the trading income rules, there must be a trade. It is, therefore, necessary to understand what constitutes trading, and when a trade commenced or ceased. Indicators of trade To determine whether a trade exists, … Read more
Childcare is expensive; however, the tax system can provide a helping hand. In recent years, there has been a shift from tax relief for employer-supported childcare and vouchers to a Government top-up scheme. Government scheme The Government operate a tax-free childcare scheme whereby parents deposit money into an account which can be used to meet … Read more
