Autumn Statement 2022 Small Business Summary

Posted on By dc_admin

The Autumn Statement 2022 contained a number of tax increases for small business, landlords and employees. Below is a summary of relevant changes.

National Living and Minimum Wage

The national and living wage will increase from April 2023

Age range Current hourly rate From April 2023
23 and over £9.50 £10.42
21 – 22 £9.18 £10.18
18 – 20 £6.83 £7.49
16 – 17 £4.81 £5.28

 

Tax on dividends

From April 2023 the current 0% tax dividend allowance will be halved to £1,000. This will result in additional income tax of £88 for a basic rate taxpayer, £338 more for a higher rate taxpayer and £394 more for an additional rate taxpayer.

In April 2024 it will be reduced again to £500.

Business owners with the flexibility of paying a salary/dividend mix may want to re-assess whether their strategy is still the optimum remuneration method for them.

Income Tax and NIC thresholds

The personal tax allowance has been frozen at £12,570 until April 2028. The higher rate tax threshold will remain at £50,270. Usually these thresholds increase to keep pace with inflation. Freezing the thresholds will mean most people paying more tax over the next few years. Assuming inflation of 2% per year, someone with a salary of £25K will pay around £580 more in 2027/28, while someone earning £62K will pay about £2,940 more.

The additional rate of tax, 45%, will be payable on income above £125,140 from April 2023. The threshold is currently £150K.

National Insurance

The employer’s threshold will remain at £9,100. Employer’s (secondary) NI contributions will be due at £13.8% of employee’s earnings above that level.  However, the employer’s allowance remains in place, so many employers will not need to pay the first £5,000 of secondary contributions.

Class 2 NIC, paid by self-employed people, will increase to £3.45 per week.

Capital Allowance Reduction

The tax-free capital allowance will reduce from £12,300 to £6,000 in April 2023, then become £3,000 in April 2024. This is significant for property owners planning to sell properties that are not their main residence.  It will increase tax liabilities by up to £1,764 in 2023/24 and £2,604 in 2024/25.

Corporation tax

Corporation tax will remain at 19% for companies with taxable profits below £50K.  Those with profits between £50K and £250K will pay 25%, with marginal rate relief.  Marginal rate relief provides a gradual increase in the rate of corporation tax as profits increase from £50K until the main rate of 25% is payable once profits reach £250K.

R&D tax relief

The small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) additional deduction will decrease from 130% to 86%, and the SME credit rate will decrease from 14.5% to 10%.  This is quite a significant change and means considerably less tax relief will be available for small companies.

Business rate relief

For the smallest businesses affected by reductions or changes in eligibility to small business rate relief or rural rate relief, the increase to their bills will be capped at £600 per year from 1st April 2023.

More information…

You can read the full Autumn Statement on the Treasury website.

Revising your forecasts and business plans for April 2023 would be a good idea. If you would like any assistance please get in touch.

Spring 2022 tax and NI update

Posted on By dc_admin

A Summary of changes to UK tax and NI rates and thresholds from April 2022

Employers and Employees

Minimum and living wage rates increase from 1st April 2022

23 and over 21 to 22 18 to 20 Under 18 Apprentice
April 2021 (current rate) £8.91 £8.36 £6.56 £4.62 £4.30
April 2022 £9.50 £9.18 £6.83 £4.81 £4.81

 

The Employment Allowance will increase

From April 2022 the employment allowance, which reduces employer’s national insurance contributions for certain employers, will increase to £5,000.  Employer’s NIC rates and thresholds remain unchanged.

The planned increase to National Insurance rates will go ahead

The rate of National Insurance will increase by 1.25 percentage points between 6th April 2022 and 5th April 2023.   After 5th April 2023, the increase will be replaced by a separate Health and Social Care Levy.

Class 1 and Class 4 National Insurance thresholds will increase

From July 2022, the threshold at which employees start paying Class 1 National Insurance contributions – which is currently £9,569 and will rise to £9,880 in April 2022 – will increase again to £12,570. This means that employees won’t have to start paying National Insurance until they have earned a minimum of £12,570 in a single tax year, though there may be special arrangements for the 2022/23 tax year.

As NIC is paid according to the pay period, and is not cumulative, only nine months of earnings (from July 2022 to March 2023) will benefit from the higher PT.

Sole Traders and Self-employed

Class 4 NIC

The threshold for Class 4 National Insurance contributions – which self-employed people pay on their profits – will also increase from July 2022. Currently £9,569 and £9,880 from April 2022, the threshold will increase again in July to £12,570.

The class 2 small profits threshold (SPT) will remain in place from April 2022, but the individual will not be liable to pay class 2 NIC until their profits exceed the lower profits threshold for the tax year, which is aligned with the lower profits threshold for class 4 NIC.

Tax year Flat rate per week Small profits threshold Lower profits limit
2022/23 £3.15 £6,725 £11,908*
2023/24 TBA TBA £12,570

*effective limit for the year with the first 13 months at £9,880 and the remainder from July at £12,570.

New class 2 NI credit 

Where the individual has annual profits between the SPT and the LPL, they will effectively build up a NI credit for that year, while paying zero class 2 NIC. Note that the taxpayer has to make profits at least equal to the SPT for the year in order to benefit from this class 2 NI credit.

In order to receive the class 2 NI credit the taxpayer will have to submit a tax return, although if they have no other income in the year they will have no tax to pay.

The introduction of the class 2 NI credit does not eliminate the need for voluntary class 2 NIC payments. Where the trading profits are less than the SPT the individual may still wish to pay voluntary class 2 NIC in order to maintain their contribution record and qualify for the state pension, as well as for other contributory benefits.

 

Class 2 National Insurance rules will change 

From April 2022, sole traders whose annual profits fall between the Small Profits Threshold and the Lower Profits Limit will be able to claim that year as a qualifying year for contributions towards the State Pension and other benefits, without paying Class 2 National Insurance.

The Small Profits Threshold is currently £6,515 and will rise to £6,725 on 6th April 2022. The Lower Profits Limit is currently £9,569. It will rise to £9,880 on 6th April 2022 and will increase again in July 2022 to £12,570.

Personal Income Tax

The basic rate of Income Tax will decrease

In April 2024, the basic rate of Income Tax in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will decrease from 20% to 19%. It’s not yet known whether any equivalent change in Scotland, where rates are set by the Scottish government, will be introduced.

Dividend tax will increase by 1.25 percentage points in 2022.  The new dividend tax rates for 2022/23 tax year (factoring in the 1.25 point rise) are: 8.75% (basic), 33.75% (higher) and 39.35% (additional).

Corporation Tax

Further news on capital allowances is expected in the Autumn Budget

The Annual Investment Allowance will remain at £1 million until March 2023. The Chancellor indicated that more news on the UK’s capital allowances regime can be expected in the Autumn Budget later this year.

This is just a brief summary of changes, please get in touch if you’d like assistance with your tax returns or employee payrolls. You can read the Spring Statement 2022 in full on the government’s website.

 

 

 

Summer Budget 2015 – Small business essentials

Posted on By dc_admin

The Summer Budget 2015 will have an impact on all UK businesses, and many individuals.  Changes are being introduced from April 2016.  What follows is a summary, with extracts, from the Summer Budget 2015 Policy Paper, published 8th July 2015.

Income Tax and Individual Taxpayers

The personal allowance will increase to £11,000 in 2016-17 (it is currently £10,600). The higher rate threshold will increase from £42,385 to £43,000.

The effective inheritance tax threshold will be £1 million, where a main residence is passed to descendants. This will be paid for by the introduction of a taper to the annual allowance for pensions tax relief for people whose total income is above £150,000 per annum.

Insurance premium tax will increase from 6% to 9.5%

Businesses

Corporation tax will be cut from the current 20% to 19% in 2017, and 18% in 2020.

The Annual Investment Allowance will be £200,000 from January 2016. This allowance means businesses can claim capital allowances on tangible fixed assets of up to £200,000 in the year of purchase, rather than spreading the tax relief over several years.

From April 2016, companies where the director is the sole employee will no longer be able to claim the Employment Allowance (the £2,000 reduction in employer’s national insurance contributions).

In the March Budget 2015, the government announced it would transform tax administration for individuals and small businesses over this Parliament, leading to the end of the tax return. Small businesses will be able to manage their tax through a digital account linked to business software. HMRC will begin discussions with businesses and software providers about how best to integrate tax reporting and payment with everyday business activity, to inform a roadmap the government will publish by the end of 2015 setting out the policy and administrative changes needed.

Sunday trading – The government will consult on devolving powers on Sunday trading to city mayors and Local Authorities. This will look at allowing mayors or councils to extend Sunday trading for additional hours within parameters that they would determine.

Enterprise Zones – The government will hold a bidding round for a new programme of Enterprise Zones for this Parliament.

Tax lock – The government will legislate to set a ceiling for the main rates of income tax, the standard and reduced rates of VAT, and employer and employee (Class 1) NICs rates, ensuring that they cannot rise above their current (2015-16) levels. The tax lock will also ensure that the NICs Upper Earnings Limit cannot rise above the income tax higher rate threshold; and will prevent the relevant statutory provisions being used to remove any items from the zero rate of VAT and reduced rate of VAT for the duration of this Parliament. (Summer Finance Bill 2015)

Business tax roadmap – The government will publish a Business tax roadmap by April 2016, setting out its plans for business taxes over the rest of the Parliament.

Self-employed National Insurance contributions – The government will consult in autumn 2015 on abolishing Class 2 National Insurance contributions (NICs) and reforming Class 4 NICs for the self-employed

Simplified expenses: legislative amendments – The government will amend the simplified expenses regime introduced in Finance Act 2013 to ensure that partnerships can fully access the provisions in respect of the use of a home and where business premises are also a home. (Finance Bill 2016)

Business skills, infrastructure and regional development

To support innovation throughout the country, the government will invest £23m in 6 Next Generation Digital Economy Centres over 6 sites (London, Swansea, Newcastle, Nottingham, York and Bath), leveraging £22 million of additional funding, and partnering with LEPs, regional councils, and local SMEs. These centres will exploit opportunities across sectors of the digital economy including the creative industries, finance, healthcare and education.

The so-called Northern Powerhouse seems to fail to recognise that the UK doesn’t end at Leeds. Although there is mention of upgrading the final stretch of the M1/A1 route between Newcastle and London to motorway. The government will look into the case for renaming the A1(M) north of Leeds as the M1. The A1 will be dualled north of Newcastle as far as Ellingham,

Employers

The Employment Allowance will rise from £2,000 per year to £3,000 from April 2016. This reduces the cost of Employer’s National Insurance contributions. Most small businesses will be eligible, but as mentioned above, the allowance will no longer be available to companies where the sole director is the only employee.

A National Living Wage is being introduced for workers aged 25 and over. National Living Wage – The government will introduce a new premium for those aged 25 and over starting at 50 pence leading to a new National Living Wage (NLW) of £7.20 in April 2016. The target is £9.00 per hour by 2020.

National Minimum Wage – The combined 50 pence premium with the 20 pence minimum wage increase on the current rate will benefit 1.7 million workers and means that a current NMW worker working 35 hours a week will see their annual salary increase by over £1,200 from April 2016.

Taxation of employee benefits and expenses – As announced at Autumn Statement 2014, from April 2016 the government will simplify the tax system by introducing a statutory exemption for trivial benefits in kind costing less than £50. (Finance Bill 2016)

Apprenticeships levy – The government will introduce a levy on large UK employers to increase the number of apprenticeship starts. In England, employers will be able to access this funding for apprenticeship training. Details including rates and implementation will be set out in the Spending Review.

Dividends

Dividend tax credits will be replaced with a tax-free Dividend Tax Allowance of £5,000, and new dividend tax rates. The tax rates will be 7.5% for basic rate taxpayers, 32.5% for higher rate taxpayers, and 38.1% for additional rate taxpayers.

Landlords

Tax relief on mortgage interest for individual landlords will be restricted to the basic rate of income tax.

Individuals renting out a room in their main residence will benefit from an increase in Rent-a-room tax relief to £7,500 from April 2016 (currently £4,250).

Reform of the Wear and Tear Allowance – From April 2016, the government will replace the Wear and Tear Allowance with a new relief that allows all residential landlords to deduct the actual costs of replacing furnishings. Capital allowances will continue to apply for landlords of furnished holiday lets. The government will publish a technical consultation before the summer. (Finance Bill 2016)

Further information

The full Summer Budget can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summer-budget-2015/summer-budget-2015

If you are concerned about how any of these changes could affect you please contact us.

 

The new tax year 2015-16

Posted on By dc_admin

The new tax year 2015-16 is almost with us. There are a few changes for individuals and employers to be aware of.

Income tax

From 6th April 2015 the personal tax allowance will increase to £10,600 for the 2015/16 tax year. Taxpayers will pay 20% on the next £31,785 of their income, so higher rates of tax will be applied to income above £42,385.

A new married couples’ allowance is being introduced from April 2015. This means that if eligible you could transfer up to £1,060 of your allowance to your spouse or civil partner. Your partner would then save up to £212 tax during the tax year. To qualify, one spouse must have a total income no higher than £10,600, and the other must be earning between £10,601 and £42,385. One person per couple can register here https://www.gov.uk/marriage-allowance

Employer’s National Insurance

There is some good news for certain employers for the 2015/16 tax year. The NIC allowance is continuing, so employers will not need to pay the first £2,000 of the 13.8% employer’s national insurance liability. It’s a good idea to check your payroll software is set up to enable this deduction.

Also, from April 2015 employers’ NICs on payments to employees aged under 21, and apprentices under 25 will be nil, on salaries/wages up to £42,385. The normal 13.8% rate will apply to amounts in excess of that threshold.

The NIC deducted from employees is not affected by the above.

Pensions

There have been wide-ranging changes to the way people can pay into pension schemes and withdraw cash. The tax savings or consequences of your decisions could be significant, and you are strongly advised to seek advice from a regulated financial advisor before making any changes, or simply to review your pension status.

Payroll reporting

Penalties for late submissions of PAYE reports (RTI / FPS / EPS reports submitted online on or before the wages/salaries payment date) are due to begin in March 2015.  3 days’ grace will be allowed for employers with fewer than 50 employees.

Penalties start at £100 per late return, further details are here https://www.gov.uk/what-happens-if-you-dont-report-payroll-information-on-time

Auto-enrolment pension schemes

Between now and 2017 employers with small numbers of employees will be contacted by the Pensions Regulator, and will need to have a compliant pension scheme for all eligible workers. Employers should ensure they understand their obligations and act in plenty of time to set up a scheme before their compulsory staging date.  The staging date is the date on which employees must be enrolled and the scheme begins. Information can be found on the Pensions Regulator website, and/or from your financial advisor.  http://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/employers.aspx

If you would like any help with any of the above please contact us.

Autumn Statement 2014

Posted on By dc_admin

The government expects future growth to come from smaller businesses and targeted a significant proportion of the autumn statement towards them.

Small business measures included reducing employment taxes and encouraging apprenticeship schemes for the under 25s, as well as a review of business rates. Pennies

PERSONAL

INCOME TAX

The personal tax allowance will increase to  £10,600 a year from April 2015. The higher rate threshold will rise from £41,865 this year  to £42,385 next year.

ISAs

The annual ISA allowance will increase to £15,240 a year from April 2015. ISA savings that are inherited by a surviving spouse from a deceased partner will retain their tax-free status.

PENSIONS

The 55% tax on unused inherited pension pots will be scrapped. People who die before they are 75 will be able to pass on joint life or guaranteed term annuities tax free.

RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY STAMP DUTY

The way stamp duty is applied to residential properties will change to a marginal rate system. From midnight on 3 December 2014, rates will only apply to the proportion of the property price that falls within each band. The rate will be 0% on the irst £125,000, rising to 12% on prices above £1.5 million.

BUSINESS

BUSINESS RATES

Small business rate relief will be doubled for another year. The inlation-linked increases to business rates will be capped at 2%. There will be a review of the structure of business rates. The business rates discount for certain high street shops will increase by 50% to £1,500.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Research and development tax credit will increase to 230% for small and medium sized businesses and 11% for large firms.

NATIONAL INSURANCE

Businesses will not have to pay national insurance contributions when they hire apprentices who are under 25, up to the upper earnings limit. National insurance contributions for employing anyone under 21 will be abolished from April 2015.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

TAX AVOIDANCE

A continued crackdown on tax avoidance and evasion will raise at least £5 billion in the next parliament.

VAT REFUNDS

Hospice charities, search and rescue services, and air ambulances will benefit from VAT refunds.

CARERS

Carers will be included in the employment allowance which reduces employer national insurance contributions by up to £2,000.

FUEL DUTY

The freeze on fuel duty will continue.

The government has published the autumn statement documents here, for anyone who would like more information.   The effect of changes on your own tax situation will depend upon your own circumstances. If you would like to discuss how any changes may affect you or your business please get in touch.

RTI – Real Time Information

Posted on By dc_admin

Real Time Information (RTI) has been introduced to improve the PAYE system by assisting HMRC in gathering critical data on a more frequent basis.  It begins on your first pay date after 6th April 2013, so it is important to act very soon to ensure you can meet the requirements.

This change applies to your business if you have any employees, including those paid below the tax/NIC threshold, those paid just once a year, casual and temporary workers (unless they are paid by an agency). The main changes being implemented are:

  1. Reporting to HMRC: currently your payroll data is reported to HMRC annually on the  Employer’s End of Year Return (P35).  The 2012/13 tax year is the last time this will be done.  From 6th April 2013, employers will report their payroll data to HMRC every time they pay employees,
  2. Employees paid below the tax/NIC threshold must now be added to your PAYE scheme,
  3. It will no longer be necessary to file P46 and P45 starter and leaver forms: however, new starter information is still needed, and the employee must still be provided with a P45 when he/she leaves.

One of the first things you need to do to, before you even begin to consider the impact of RTI on your business, is talk to your existing software provider. It is important that you find out whether or not your software is currently RTI compliant or will be compliant before April 2013. This is when most employers will start operating the new PAYE process.

Collins Accountancy Ltd uses fully compliant software and provides a full payroll service. If you prefer to process payroll in-house please ask for software recommendations, some options are free.

RTI and payroll

The biggest exercise you may need to do is the data cleansing process and what HMRC refers to as ‘payroll alignment‘.

To minimise rejection due to a mismatch with HMRC records, it is important that the payroll records are reviewed for any missing and incorrect compulsory data. Where this data is not available, it must be obtained from the employee. The next step would be to transfer the amendments onto your computer system using your payroll software.

Using Collins Accountancy Ltd as your RTI provider

The introduction of RTI needs to be properly managed.  It is important to know that:

  • once the return has been filed there can be no more changes to the pay run,
  • All of the data needed for new starters must be obtained on a timely basis or the new starter may not get paid (in practice this may put you in a difficult position as you may have a legal and contractual duty to pay your employees).

Get help and advice with RTI

For information on Real Time Information visit the HMRC website and select the link which states ‘I confirm that I want to view guidance on operating PAYE in real time’. HMRC publications, such as the Employer Bulletin are usually worth reading too.

If we can help with any of the above please contact us.