Those personal service companies working in the private sector (referred to, variously, as freelancers, consultants or contractors) should now be aware that new tax rules will apply to them wef 1-Apr-20. These rules, off-payroll working, aim to finally clamp down on the abuse of the Inland Revenue Press Release number 35 tax rules (IR35) that…
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There are only 23 days until the self-assessment tax return deadline of 31 January 2020. If your return is not filed electronically by this date, an automatic £100 penalty will be applied. Please note that the deadline for filing a paper tax return was 31 October 2019 and therefore all returns are required to be…
As the planned changes to who determines IR35 status are fast approaching, contractors would be well advised to review their contracts on HMRC’s updated CEST (Check Employment Status for Tax) tool. Having provided answers to questions regarding substitution, control and nature of the work, the updated tool will give HMRC’s view of the workers employment…
Have you or your business received one between 23 April 2018 and 31 January 2019? If so, you may want to check if it has been dated. If it has not been dated you may be in for a refund. Any surcharge liability notice or surcharge liability notice extensions are invalid if they have…
With the festive period fast approaching, it is easy to lose sight of your self-assessment tax return! If you are employed or receiving a pension and you file your return before 30 December 2019, you can elect to have your tax collected through ‘Pay As You Earn’ (PAYE) rather than paying one lump sum…
(Data Source) As another year draws to a close, local SME businesses will be forgiven for looking forward to drawing a line under it. With 2019 sales growth barely nudging 1%, it has been a year of focusing on not slipping backwards, rather than the usual mantra of continually signing up new accounts. When commentators…
HM Revenue & Customs have reminded Self Assessment taxpayers to watch out for fraudsters as the tax return filing deadline of 31 January approaches. HMRC say they have received nearly 900,000 reports of suspicious phone calls, texts or e-mails from scammers pretending to be the tax authority. Most of these messages were about fake…
Boris Johnson has announced plans to postpone the cut in Corporation Tax to 17% (down from 19%) that was due to take effect from 1st April 2020 in order to save £6bn, stating that the money would be better spent on other ‘national priorities’, including the NHS. It is not clear when, or indeed…
Since 6 April 2017, changes are being gradually introduced to restrict the relief available to landlords in respect of their finance costs. Under the old rules, the interest element of the mortgage payments was 100% allowable for income tax purposes. However, this is gradually being replaced with a 20% tax reducer instead. The timetable…
Knowledge based contractors working in the private sector will hopefully now be well aware that, subject to any possible Government last minute change of heart, new tax rules are coming next April. For many, who are not currently following IR35 rules, this will mean a large increase in the tax they pay; perhaps tens of…
