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. 

Our chosen charity that we will be supporting in 2017 will be Maggie’s, who's centres provide practical, emotional and social support to people with cancer and their families. We will be kicking off our 2017 Sponsorship with a Christmas donation to them. A sponsored bike ride from Oxford to Cheltenham is planned by our team in early 2017 so we will be in training after the Christmas excesses!

We hope that you find our 2017 content interesting and helpful to you and look forward to interacting with you in future.

Best Wishes,
Brian and the team

In our latest blog, Brian discusses the benefits of running a Recruitment Agency from home

Most newly established Recruitment Agencies we meet operate from their home address with possibly their registered company address held at their accountants, a way of keeping overheads to a minimum which is so important in the initial first few years of trading.

A 24 hour business landline telephone can be easily purchased to point at your mobile to receive business calls.

There are also companies who offer managed admin services answering your calls in your agency name and then passing the details onto you to follow up as soon as you can. This creates the impression of you being a larger agency.

You may have considered, or put into action some or all of the above but what if you reach the point of overload and need help in-house?

In my next blog, I will discuss taking on another fee earner and support staff to accommodate your business expansion and the issues you might face.

Blog from Brian

Meanwhile, please feel free to contact us anytime on 0845 303 1144 to see how we can improve on the services you currently receive

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.