On Friday afternoon, in the Government's daily news briefing, the Chancellor outlined how the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will operate moving forward to allow for employees to return to work part time. Following that announcement, self-employed workers got a boost when it was revealed that they will be able to get Government
More...The government's dormant assets scheme allows money in accounts that have been dormant for at least 15 years to be made available for certain qualifying charitable and community causes. The Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden has announced that £150 million from dormant bank and building society accounts is to be unlocked to help
More...It has been revealed by HM Treasury that the VAT collected on donated personal protective equipment (PPE) will be given to charities supporting the NHS and care workers. This measure will apply to all the VAT collected on donations made from 1 March until 30 April - the period between PPE donations starting and when the temporary zero VAT
More...National Insurance credits can help qualifying applicants to fill gaps in their National Insurance record. This can assist taxpayers to build up the amount of qualifying years of National Insurance contributions which can increase the amount of benefits a person is entitled to such as the State Pension. National Insurance credits are
More...HMRC has updated its guide for employers who have employees working from home due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This could be a result of the workplace being closed or because employees are following government advice to self-isolate. The updated guidance reflects temporary changes to the rules for reimbursing employees for the purchase of
More...An Employee Car Ownership Scheme (ECOS) is a set of arrangements whereby employees acquire cars from a specified, often single source and within a specified financing framework. The use of an ECOS can effectively be seen as a halfway measure between providing a company car and leaving an employee to make all their car arrangements
More...The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak has made a further Treasury Direction under sections 71 and 76 of the Coronavirus Act 2020 concerning the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). The CJRS currently helps employers furlough their employees with significant government support. Employers can currently claim cash grants of up to 80% for eligible
More...HMRC is responsible for the money laundering supervision of a number of businesses including estate and lettings agents. Estate agency businesses that HMRC is responsible for supervising should be aware of the requirement to register with HMRC and the penalties for not doing so. It is a criminal offence to trade as an estate agency or
More...HMRC has published a new press release that provides some advice for people choosing to give up their income to support their business or donate to charity during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Employers, directors and employees have several options to support a business or employer, including: Waiving their salary or bonuses
More...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
More...Many retailers and manufacturing businesses have stock on their shelves gathering dust. There are compelling reasons for tackling this issue as we cautiously emerge from lock-down. For example, freeing up storage space will enable you increase the volume of goods that are selling. Stock that is not selling is rather like withdrawing
More...Without a doubt, the furlough scheme has provided small businesses with the means to retain staff that would otherwise have been laid-off. The government is paying 80% of furloughed employees’ wages (subject to a £2,500 maximum). From 1 August 2020, this level of support is expected to drop to say 60%. From the same date, 1
More...1 June 2020 - Due date for Corporation Tax due for the year ended 31 August 2019. 19 June 2020 - PAYE and NIC deductions due for month ended 5 June 2020. (If you pay your tax electronically the due date is 22 June 2020) 19 June 2020 - Filing deadline for the CIS300 monthly return for the month ended 5 June 2020. 19 June 2020 - CIS tax
More...Last month, the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced a number of measures to help innovative firms survive the Coronavirus pandemic. One of these measures was the launch of a special investment fund for high-growth companies impacted by the crisis, made up of funding from government and the private sector, called the Future Fund. The
More...The scope of the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS) is to be extended from 26 May 2020. The maximum loan size will be increased from £50 million to £200 million. Larger businesses will be able to benefit from loans up to the lower of 25% of turnover or £200m. The changes are expected to go live
More...The government has produced guidance to help employers, employees and the self-employed in England understand how to work safely on their return to work during the coronavirus pandemic. The so-called “COVID-19 Secure” guidance currently comprises eight separate guides covering the following workplace settings: construction
More...The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published guidance for employers on workplace testing during the coronavirus pandemic. It covers the extent to which employers can carry out tests on staff on their return to work to see if they have either coronavirus or symptoms of it. The guidance makes clear that any testing needs
More...Trade credit insurance is a contract acquired by suppliers to make sure they get paid even if their customers default. This gives businesses the confidence to trade with one another and is especially important as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to decimate many businesses. The risk of COVID-19 meant that insurers could withdraw insurance
More...We thought it would be useful to remind our readers of the upcoming bank holiday dates across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Whilst many people are still under lockdown, there are still some extra days off to look forward to for the rest of the year. 2020 bank holidays in England and Wales Monday 25 May - Spring bank
More...A reminder that MOT expiry dates are being extended by 6 months for all MOTs due on or after 30 March 2020. This includes vehicles that are due their first ever MOT test and applies to cars, motorcycles, light vans and other light vehicles. The MOT expiry date will be automatically extended approximately 7 days before it’s due to
More...Under the Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme small-and medium-sized businesses and employers will be able to reclaim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) paid for sickness absence due to COVID-19. It has now been confirmed that the online service to reclaim SSP will launch on 26 May 2020. In order to claim, you will need the Government
More...The insolvency measures to help prevent businesses unable to meet debts due to the impact of Coronavirus to continue trading and not be forced to file for bankruptcy have been extended. It was confirmed that the temporary suspension of wrongful trading liability during the pandemic will now continue until 30 June. The measure was
More...Employees who need to buy substantial equipment to use as part of their employment may be able to claim tax relief based on the initial cost. In most cases you can claim tax relief on the full cost of this type of equipment as it usually qualifies for a type of capital allowance called annual investment allowance. Any tax relief would be
More...The Self-employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) opened for applications on 13 May 2020. HMRC has confirmed that by midnight on 17 May there had been a total of 2 million claims with over £6.1 billion claimed. The scheme will provide grants of up to £2,500 per month based on 80% of average profits to qualifying
More...There are special rules in place which limit the ability to change a company’s year-end date. A company’s year-end date is also known as its ‘accounting reference date’ and is historically set by reference to the date the company was incorporated. Under certain circumstances it is possible to make a change to the
More...Company directors and other eligible people such as company secretaries, people with significant control (PSC) and LLP members can apply to remove their personal addresses from the UK’s official company register on Companies House. Company directors and others are still required to provide an alternative correspondence address if
More...Most companies will have fairly healthy accounts up to the middle of March 2020 when the lock-down of activity to control coronavirus started. Since that date, many firms will have struggled to maintain profitability even with the support of the various government programmes. If we do manage to extract ourselves from lock-down without
More...For less than you would spend on tea milk and coffee each month, you can acquire the use of cloud-based accounting software. Why bother? Computerising your accounting routines in this way has a number of benefits for your business; of crucial concern if we are to survive the current COVID disruptions. Benefits for individual businesses
More...The Self-employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) opened for applications at 8am on 13 May 2020. The scheme will provide grants of up to £2,500 per month based on 80% of average profits to qualifying applicants. HMRC has reiterated that the claim is designed to be made by the claimant directly and that advisers cannot make a claim
More...The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak has today (12 May 2020) announced significant changes to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, now commonly referred to as the furlough scheme. The scheme had been due to run until at least 30 June 2020. The Chancellor has now confirmed to the House of Commons that the furlough scheme will be extended for a
More...