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The P9X form is used to notify employers of the tax codes to use for employees. The basic Personal Allowance for the tax year starting 6 April 2019 will be £12,500 and the tax code for emergency will be 1250L. The basic rate limit is £37,500 except for those defined as Scottish taxpayers who have a lower basic rate limit as well as an intermediate rate. As a result of the increase in the basic Personal Allowance, there will be ...
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A capital sum received by an individual in respect of the sale or relinquishment of income to be derived from his or her personal activities, can sometimes be treated as earned income and chargeable to Income Tax. If this is the case, the amount charged to Income Tax is not also charged to Capital Gains Tax. The following conditions must all be present before the sale of income legislation can operate:

1. The individual must be carrying on an occupation ...
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The 'badges of trade' tests, whilst not conclusive, are used by HMRC to help determine whether an activity is a proper economic / business activity or merely a money-making side line to a hobby. Careful consideration needs to be given when deciding if a hobby has become a taxable activity. It is clear from the significant amount of case law on this subject that a decision on whether there is a business activity is often not clear. In fact, both ...
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As a general rule, most deposits made by customers serve as advance payments and create a VAT tax point when the deposit is received. It is important that businesses ensure that the VAT element of any deposits received is accounted for correctly. Usually this will mean that VAT is due on a deposit when it is received and not when the supply is actually made. VAT does not apply to some types of deposit. For example, a deposit received as ...
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Your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) identifies your tax records at HMRC. The number is also known as your taxpayer number or tax reference number and should be used whenever you contact HMRC, or when you file your tax returns. The UTR is a unique 10 digit code. You are automatically given a UTR when you set yourself up to file Self Assessment tax returns or form a limited company. If you have mislaid your UTR, you should be able to ...
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In many circumstances it can be beneficial to make voluntary Class 2 National Insurance Contributions (NICs) to increase your entitlement to benefits, including the State or New State Pension if you are self-employed. You might want to consider making voluntary NICs because:

• you’re close to State Pension age and do not have enough qualifying years to get the full State Pension
• you know you will not be able to meet the qualifying years you need to get the full ...
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The following comments were written on the 13th March 2019 immediately following Philip Hammond’s presentation of the 2019 Spring Statement to Parliament. In theory, the Government uses the Spring Statement to respond to the most recent forecasts made by the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR). In a nut-shell, the OBR forecast that:

• the UK economy will continue to grow, and
• Government borrowing, and therefore interest payments, will continue to fall.

Unfortunately, the Brexit debate has compromised the Chancellor’s ...
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Capital Allowances are the deductions which allow businesses to secure tax relief for certain capital expenditure. Capital Allowances are available to sole traders, self-employed persons or partnerships, as well as companies and organisations liable to Corporation Tax. Interestingly, the Capital Allowance legislation does not specifically define plant and machinery (P&M). However, there is legislation that makes it clear that most buildings, parts of buildings and structures are not P&M. Attached to this legislation is confirmation that the following listed items ...
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According to HMRC’s published guidance there are special rules for the taxation of post-cessation receipts and expenses. These provisions apply to professions, vocations and trades. Tax relief may be available for post-cessation expenses of a trade, although such expenses still have to satisfy the wholly and exclusively test and be revenue in nature to qualify for relief. In order to be an allowable post-cessation expense, the trade must have ceased, and the expense would, in the normal course of events, ...
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Companies can use incentive award schemes to encourage their employees in various ways, for example, to sell more of their own goods and services. The award can take various forms including cash, vouchers or other gifts. Where an employer meets the tax payable on a non-cash incentive award given to a direct employee by entering into a PAYE settlement agreement (PSA), the award is not chargeable to tax on the employee. With the exception of non-cash awards covered by a ...
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Sometimes tax-payers may sell an asset at a loss. If acceptable as capital losses, they can be deducted from Capital Gains made in the same or future years. As a general rule, if the asset would have been liable to CGT had a gain taken place then the loss should be an allowable deduction. These allowable losses are deducted automatically. It is not necessary to make a claim for set-off of losses. However, it is possible to claim that losses ...
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There are Late Filing Penalties which are designed to encourage companies to file their accounts and reports on time. The penalties were first introduced in 1992 and were significantly increased from February 2009. All companies, private and public, large or small, trading or non-trading must send their accounts to Companies House. The late filing penalties guide has recently been updated although there have been no changes to the penalty amounts. The table of penalties for late submission is as follows: ...
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HMRC has issued a new briefing paper on disguised remuneration charge on loans. Disguised remuneration schemes are tax avoidance arrangements that seek to avoid Income Tax and National Insurance contributions by paying scheme users their income in the form of loans. HMRC is clear that these loans were never intended to be repaid and are no different to normal income and are therefore taxable. HMRC is encouraging tax-payers affected to come forward and settle their tax affairs before a charge ...
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The deadline for the introduction of VAT filing changes is now just weeks away. For VAT returns periods starting on or after 1 April 2019, some 1 million businesses with a turnover above the VAT threshold (currently £85,000) will be required to start keeping their records digitally (for VAT purposes only) and provide their VAT return information to HMRC by using compatible software. HMRC has published a press release to help remind businesses to get ready for the change and ...
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HMRC has published a press release to remind qualifying couples to claim the Marriage Allowance. The Marriage Allowance allows lower earning couples to share part of their personal tax-free allowance. The Marriage Allowance is available to married couples and those in a civil partnership where one partner doesn’t pay more than the basic 20% rate of Income Tax and the other party does not fully utilise their tax-free Personal Tax Allowance. The lower earning partner can currently transfer up to ...
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The Help to Save scheme for people on low incomes was officially launched in September 2018 and since then over 80,000 people have signed up. The scheme allows those in work entitled to Working Tax Credit and in receipt of Working Tax Credits or Child Tax Credits to save up to £50 a month for two years and receive a 50% government bonus. The scheme is also open to UK residents who are claiming Universal Credit and have a household ...
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Advisory fuel rates are intended to reflect actual average fuel costs and are updated quarterly. The rates can be used by employers who reimburse employees for business travel in their company cars or where employees are required to repay the cost of fuel used for private travel. HMRC accepts there is no taxable profit and no Class 1A National Insurance on reimbursed travel expenses where employers pay a rate per mile for business travel no higher than the published advisory ...
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The VAT paid in other EU countries is often recoverable by VAT- registered businesses in the UK, who bought goods or services for business use. The exact rules that govern the amount of VAT refundable depends on the other countries' rules for claiming input tax. It is important to note that VAT incurred in foreign countries can never be reclaimed on a domestic UK VAT return. There are a number of conditions which must be met in order for a ...
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Where an error on a VAT return is discovered, VAT registered businesses have a duty to correct the error as soon as possible. As a general rule, you can use a current VAT return to make an adjustment to a past VAT return. However, in order to be able to do so, there are three important conditions that must be met:

1. The error must be below the reporting threshold.
2. The error must not be deliberate.
3. The error can only ...
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There are special rules in place when a limited company gives to a charity. This can include Corporation Tax relief for qualifying donations made to registered charities or community amateur sports clubs (CASC), as well as Capital Allowances for giving away equipment that has been used by a company. However, the rules are different if the company is given something in return for making a donation, such as tickets for an event. Donation amount Maximum value of benefit that is ...
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