Blog
Closing a business – when a member’s voluntary liquidation is beneficial
Although it is possible to strike off a company and for distributions made prior to dissolution to be treated as capital rather than as a dividend, this is not an option where the amount of the distributions exceeds £25,000.
VAT Reverse Charge for Construction Services
The VAT domestic reverse charge for building and construction services comes into effect from 1 October 2019. The reverse charge represents part of a government clamp-down on VAT fraud.
Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS)
This is a similar scheme as EIS, but is aimed at smaller companies. The scheme is available from 6 April 2012.
Property income receipts – what should be included?
When calculating the profit or loss for a property rental business, it is important that nothing is overlooked. The receipts which need to be taken into account may include more than simply the rent received from letting out the property.
Does the high-income child benefit charge apply?
The high-income child benefit charge (HICBC) applies to claw back child benefit from either the claimant or his or her partner where at least one of them has income of £50,000 or more.
Entrepreneur’s relief – the basics
Entrepreneurs’ relief is intended to reduce the rate of capital gains tax to a flat rate of 10% on certain qualifying business disposals. Certain aspects of the relief have recently changed, and this may affect any subsequent tax liability.
The Construction Industry Scheme
Special tax rules apply to the construction industry and workers which are detailed in The Construction Industry Scheme (CIS).
Incidental overnight expenses
A tax exemption enables an employer to meet small personal expenses when an employee stays away from home for work, without the employee suffering a tax charge and without any need to report the expenses to HMRC.
Jointly-owned property – who pays the tax?
Where property is jointly-owned, the way in which the rental income can be split between the joint owners for tax purposes depends on whether the joint owners are married or in a civil partnership or not.
Which Business Structure Should You Use?
This article gives you an outline of the different business structures you can trade through. Your business format is not set in stone forever and you can change between them.
Making good use of the £1000 property allowance
A new property allowance of £1,000 was introduced from 6 April 2017. The allowance means that individuals with income from property of less than £1,000 do not need to pay tax on that income. Further, they do not need to tell HMRC about it. The allowance is available in addition to the personal allowance (and other allowances, such as the marriage allowance, to which the individual is entitled).
The Basics of Inheritance Tax
Inheritance tax (IHT) is starting to be more of a concern to many people. Most estates (the assets you leave when you die) are still not charged with inheritance tax, as the total value is not high enough, but more estates are being dragged into the IHT net because of property prices. However, with sensible planning a lot can be done to mitigate the effects of IHT.
Make use of the capital gains tax inter-spouse exemption
There are a number of tax concessions available to married couples and civil partners which recognise that their financial affairs may be interlinked. One of these concessions relates the transfer of assets between spouse and civil partner for capital gains tax purposes.
Enterprise Investment Scheme
The Enterprise Investment Scheme provides for some significant income tax and capital gains tax reliefs for individual investors in unquoted trading companies.
VAT reverse charge in the construction industry
Autumn Budget 2018 announced a new measure, designed to counter fraud in the construction industry, which has seen gangs of criminal traders artificially extending the chain of supply of labour services, then failing to account for all the output VAT due to HMRC by collecting the VAT on the supplies (sales) and then going "missing" before passing the VAT on to HMRC.
How to get the most out of Xero right from the start
When you start using Xero, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it. We’re big fans here at PMA Accountants and know how happy clients are when they can see their cash flow situation whenever they want, send online invoices, pay bills and run their businesses more effectively.
How do I apply for Gross Payment Status? – CIS contractors
If you have a CIS registered limited company, obtaining gross payment status will allow you to be paid a gross amount rather than being taxed at 20% (CIS registered) or 30% (non-CIS registered).
How to get your SA302 for mortgage applications
How to get proof of earnings for mortgage or loan applications.
Obtaining Gross CIS Payment Status
Although the amount of tax ultimately paid on profits will be the same if you obtain CIS gross payment status, improvements in cashflow and reductions in the cost of credit, such as overdraft interest, should easily make the application process worthwhile.
Making Tax Digital
Many businesses need to start preparing for the major changes that the government’s Making Tax Digital project will impose from April 2019. Preparation for these changes will take time, additional support, and for some businesses the implementation of new accounting software and processes. Therefore it is important to involve your accountants now as they can help facilitate, support, recommend and implement changes to make the transition as smooth as possible.