It's that time of year when scammers prey on cash strapped tax payers after Christmas. If you receive ANY email from HMRC saying that your are entitled to a refund there is a high probability that it will be a scam. HMRC will not contact you via an email address they are just not sophisticated enough to have these details for every tax payer.

Some of our clients have received very convincing emails asking them to fill in their bank details. PLEASE do not click on any links within the email or fill out ANY forms. It could not only download harmful viruses onto our computer, but unfortunately if you get that far, scammers could wipe your entire bank account.

HMRC will only contact you about a possible refund via post. If you are still unsure always ring the HMRC helpline to confirm that you are in fact entitled to a refund.

Here is an example of the beginning of a convincing scam email we have recently received;

If you would like any help on anything we have mentioned in our blog, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0845 303 1144 or email info@coopercurtis.co.uk. 

POST BY CAROLINE

The child benefit claw back for higher earners (those earning over £50,000) was first introduced back in January 2013, and meant those who claimed the benefit had to pay it back through a charge on their tax return. 

However, mothers with children born after 6 April 2013 may not realise that by not claiming this benefit as their partner is a higher earner, this could leave them with a big gap in their national insurance record affecting their state pension entitlements.

If this applies to you, take action now!

If you or your partner fall into this category, you should either claim child benefit and include the tax charge on the higher earner's tax return, or fill out the form CH2 to claim the child benefit at 0%. Those qualifying years will then be protected up until the child is 12.

Those who claimed child benefit before 2013 will still be protected until their child is 12. If you don't claim for children born January 2013 and onwards, you could be missing out on those all important contributions especially for those not returning to work once the child has reached 12.

To qualify for a state pension, you now need 35 years of NI contributions. 

Blog by Caroline

If you would like further information on anything outlined above, please contact Cooper Curtis on 0845 303 1144 or email info@coopercurtis.co.uk.

Please note, all our content is for general guideline only, every case is different and we would recommend speaking to us before taking any action as a result of the content. The content was correct at the time it was published. 

A question we get often asked by our recruitment director clients' is; 

'Should I be operating a childcare voucher scheme through my own limited company?'

The facts.

An employer operating the Childcare voucher scheme will allow each parent paying basic rate tax, up to £55 per week or £243 per month tax free childcare for children up to the age of 15. Higher rate tax paying parents are allowed up to £28 p/wk and £124 p/mth respectively. Any vouchers exceeding this amount are subject to tax and NI and must be included on a form P11D. 

So, many limited company directors who employ their spouses, have use of twice the amount of vouchers. 

It works by having either a deduction in your salary (via a salary sacrifice) saving tax &NI, or having an addition to your salary, and having it as a company expense. 

Care needs to be taken when coming to a decision on which option to take. 

How it's done.

• Your childcare provider must be registered with the OFSTED scheme. You can find out this information from the OFSTED website.

• Set your scheme up IN YOUR COMPANY'S NAME through HMRC or pay for a scheme administrator such as Kiddivouchers or Edenred to do this for you.  

• If you choose to use a scheme administrator they will charge commission on supplying the vouchers for this but is allowed as an additional business expense. (Yet more tax savings!) 

• Payments MUST be made through the company bank.

The future of the Childcare Voucher Scheme.

The childcare voucher scheme is running out and no further parents can apply to join the scheme after April 2018.

You may already be aware of the Government's new 'Tax-free childcare' scheme which is being introduced from 2017. It will then be necessary for parents to decide which scheme would be more beneficial to them. There are more strict conditions with this new scheme. For example, both parents must be working and earning over a certain amount to enter the scheme.

How it works under the new 'Tax-free childcare' for every 80p paid into the scheme, the government will top this up by 20p up to a total of £10,000. For parents with lower childcare costs such as a couple of days a week, the current childcare voucher scheme may be more beneficial to them.

To conclude, in my opinion it is beneficial to enter the scheme and operate the vouchers through your limited company as long as your administration costs stay low and the costs don't outweigh the benefit. We will see what happens when the new 'Tax-free childcare' scheme is introduced next year and whether my view will change.

post by caroline

If you would like further information on how to set up a childcare scheme through your own limited company, please contact Cooper Curtis on 0845 303 1144 or email info@coopercurtis.co.uk.

Please note, all our content is for general guideline only, every case is different and we would recommend speaking to us before taking any action as a result of the content. The content was correct at the time it was published. 

From the 1st October 2016, the national minimum wage rates for the different age bands and for apprentices are increasing.

The new rates from next month will be as follows;

From October 2016 - April 2017

Adult rate (21+)NLW (25+)        £7.20

 Adult Rate (21-24)                    £6.95

YDR (18-20)                               £5.55

16-17 Yr Old Rate                       £4.00

Apprentice Rate                        £3.40

Please ensure your current payroll system is compliant in advance of the changes.

POST BY CAROLINE

 

If you would like more information on the minimum wage requirements or have a payroll query, please contact us on 0845 303 1144 or email info@coopercurtis.co.uk. 

Please note, all our content is for general guideline only, every case is different and we would recommend speaking to us before taking any action as a result of the content. The content was correct at the time it was published. 

At first, the idea of giving a role in your organisation to your husband or wife might not seem particularly appealing. Working in such close proximity to your partner, could put a strain on your relationship.

When you begin to take a deeper look into the consequences of such an arrangement however, perhaps it isn’t the worst idea after all…

Clearly, you know the person well, and therefore all the concerns about trust (should) go out the window.

From a financial point-of-view, there are certain benefits that you can achieve through employing a spouse. Let’s take a look at some of them now;

Use up your Tax Allowance!

Almost everyone living in the UK is entitled to an Income Tax Allowance; “the amount of income you can receive each year, without having to pay tax on it”. For the majority of the working public, this figure currently stands at £11,000.

By employing a spouse, you can make sure that your partner is using up all of this non-taxable income. If they do a job for free, pay them! After-all, it’s money going into your household – that isn’t getting taxed. Just think; how much would it cost to employ a non-family member to do the same job?
 
Higher Rate Business – Split your profits

 On a similar note; directors of a business which pays a higher rate of tax can also benefit from taking on a spouse, by making them “more than just an employee.”

If your spouse were to become a shareholder in the company, for example, “you can pay yourselves a mixture of salary/bonuses, benefits, and make use of the £5,000 dividend tax free band, thereby reducing your overall tax bills quite considerably. Not only this, but once more this in more money going into your household.

However, employing a spouse is not as easy as this. Before doing so, you must make sure you are aware of all your duties with regards to the law.
 

Save on National Insurance costs

Rising to £3,000 in April, the employment allowance can be claimed through the payroll giving relief on Employers NI as along as a director only business pays their additional employee more than £8,060.  

Don’t get caught out!

It is important that your spouse is treated like a “normal” employee. Just because you are in a personal relationship with them, it doesn’t mean you can exploit them for your own gain.

The National Minimum Wage rules therefore still apply, and your spouse must actually be paid what they are owed (and are thus affordable to you). Just like with a normal employee, if your spouse is not involved in any other paid employment, a starter checklist form must be filled out.

To avoid any unwelcome visits/checks from HMRC; make sure that your spouse is employed to do a “proper” job within your organisation. 
 

Employing a spouse is a good idea

 All in all, employing a spouse can often be a worthwhile venture for your business. There are many tax benefits (some listed above), that can be realised from doing so.

However, it is essential that if you are thinking about taking on your husband/wife, you do things by-the-book. One quick tip; if you pay them in cash, you may struggle to justify your activities should HMRC come knocking.

Post by Brian

If you would like to find out more information about employing a spouse – or employment in general – check out the payroll section of our website.

Alternatively, get in touch with us at Cooper Curtis today on 0845 303 1144 and we’d be happy to help…

Please note, all our content is for general guideline only, every case is different and we would recommend speaking to us before taking any action as a result of the content. The content was correct at the time it was published. 

 Are you thinking of purchasing a pool car rather than going down the expensive company car route? It is possible, but if these strict conditions are met a business can escape a taxable benefit for their employees (and employers NIC!).... 

1/ The Pool car is made available to and used by more than 1 employee.

2/ It is made available by reason of the employee’s employment.

3/ The car was not used by 1 employee at the exclusion of others.

4/ In the case of each of those employees, any private use of the car made by the employee was merely incidental to the employee's other use of the car in that year (60% as a rule of thumb) such as a short diversion to shops on way to, or from work premises.

5/ The car was not normally kept overnight on or in the vicinity of any residential premises where any of the employees was residing, except while being kept overnight on premises occupied by the person making the car available to them. (Eg setting off early to a business meeting.)

If any of the above conditions aren’t met, this will be classed as a company car and taxable benefit on each employee.

Do you have a query on pool cars? Contact Brian or Caroline on 0845 303 1144 or email info@coopercurtis.co.uk. 

Please note, all our content is for general guideline only, every case is different and we would recommend speaking to us before taking any action as a result of the content. The content was correct at the time it was published.