Miscellaneous income

There are special rules known as the miscellaneous income sweep-up provisions that seek to charge tax on certain income. This unusual provision, which is broad in scope, catches income that would not otherwise be charged under specific provisions to Income Tax or Corporation Tax. Amongst the types of income covered are: payment for a service where it […]
Gifts with reservation

The majority of gifts made during a person's life are not subject to tax at the time of the gift. These lifetime transfers are known as 'potentially exempt transfers' or 'PETs'. These gifts or transfers achieve their potential of becoming exempt from Inheritance Tax if the taxpayer survives for more than seven years after making […]
Tax relief on replacement of domestic items

The replacement of domestic items relief has been in place since April 2016. The relief allows landlords the ability to claim tax relief when they replace movable furniture, furnishings, household appliances and kitchenware in a rental property. The allowance is available for the cost of domestic items such as free- standing wardrobes, curtains, carpets, televisions, […]
Business records if self-employed

If you are self-employed as a sole trader or as a partner in a business partnership, then you must keep suitable business records as well as separate personal records of your income. For tax purposes, the business records must be held for at least 5 years from the 31 January submission deadline for the relevant […]
Construction services taxed at VAT zero or 5% rate

Whilst most businesses in the UK charge VAT at the standard rate of 20%, there are a number of different VAT rates and exemptions that businesses should be aware of. In the UK, there are three separate VAT rates, the standard rate @ 20%, reduced rate @ 5% and the zero rate @ 0%. HMRC has […]
Settlement legislation – non-trust settlements

The settlement legislation seeks to ensure that where a settlor has retained an interest in property that the income arising is treated as the settlor’s income for all tax purposes. A settlor can be said to have retained an interest if the property or income may be applied for the benefit of the settlor, a spouse […]
Emergency tax codes

The letters in an employee’s tax code signify their entitlement (or not) to the annual tax-free personal allowance. The tax codes are updated annually and help employer’s work out how much tax to deduct from an employee’s pay packet. The basic personal allowance for the tax year starting 6 April 2022 is £12,570 and the […]
Non-resident company taxation

Non-resident companies with a trading business in the UK are liable to pay UK Corporation Tax on their profits made through a permanent establishment/branch or agency. If the non-resident company is deemed liable to pay Corporation Tax, then its chargeable profits are: any trading income arising directly or indirectly through or from the permanent establishment/branch […]
NIC threshold increased

In the Spring Statement earlier this year, the then Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced an NIC tax-cut to take effect from 6 July 2022. This change sees the National Insurance threshold increased from £9,880 to £12,570. This increase means that the Primary Threshold (PT) for Class 1 NICs and Lower Profits Limit (LPL) for Class 4 […]
Entitlement to National Minimum Wage

Employers must ensure they are paying staff the new National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) rates for the period from 1 April 2022 – 31 March 2023. The NLW is the minimum hourly rate that must be paid to those aged 23 or over. The rate for the NLW is £9.50. The […]