How to claim child benefits
An application to claim child benefits can usually be made 48 hours after you have registered the birth of your child, or once a child comes to live with you. An application for child benefit can be backdated for up to 3 months. An application for child benefit is usually made online either using the […]
Why inflation matters when funding pension funds
When planning pension funding, inflation is often acknowledged but not always fully reflected in contribution decisions. Using an average inflation rate of around 5% over recent years helps to illustrate why this matters so much. Even when inflation appears to be easing in the short term, its long-term effect on retirement income can be significant. […]
Check how to claim a tax refund
If you believe that you have overpaid tax to HMRC, you may be entitled to claim a tax refund. Overpayments can occur for a variety of reasons, including changes to employment, incorrect tax codes or unclaimed allowances. The process for making a claim will depend on whether you submit a self-assessment tax return and how […]
Intimidating claimants with costs orders may be at an end.
A claimant made allegations of unfair dismissal, discrimination, and detriment resulting from whistleblowing. While his claim against the Council was subsequently withdrawn early on, the claim against the private limited company proceeded. The respondent, however, argued that the claimant was a volunteer and that his claims were vexatious, threatening to apply for a strike-out order […]
31 January deadline met by more than 11.48 million people
HMRC has confirmed that more than 11.48 million people submitted their 2024-25 self-assessment tax returns by the 31 January deadline. This included 475,722 taxpayers who left their filing until the final day and almost 27,456 that filed in the last hour (between 23:00 and 23:59) before the deadline! There are an estimated 1 million taxpayers that […]
Tax Diary March/April 2026
1 March 2026 – Due date for Corporation Tax due for the year ended 31 May 2025. 2 March 2026 – Self-Assessment tax for 2024-25 paid after this date will incur a 5% surcharge unless liabilities are cleared by 1 April 2026, or an agreement has been reached with HMRC under their time to pay […]
Budgeting and forecasting in a period of lower confidence
Many business owners are entering the new year with a sense of caution. Confidence across the UK business community has softened, driven by continued cost pressures, uncertainty over tax policy and higher financing costs. In this environment, reviewing budgets and forecasts is not just a routine exercise, it is an essential management discipline. For many […]
What is a UK property business
The income generated from land or property in the UK is treated as arising from a UK property business. The underlying legislation defines this broadly to include all activities that produce rental income or similar receipts from UK land, whether the taxpayer is subject to Income Tax or Corporation Tax. Although property income is treated […]
Payments made into employee benefit trusts constitute taxable income
A Tribunal recently ruled that payments made for work into a third-party trust constitute immediate employment earnings. This decision effectively precludes employers from using loan-based structures to obfuscate remuneration. Mr. Jack was employed by an offshore company based in the Isle of Man while living and working in the UK. Under this arrangement, the fees […]
Construction Industry Scheme: tackling fraud
Tackling fraud in the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) was one of the measures addressed in the recent Budget. The changes are intended to allow faster intervention where fraud is suspected, while also simplifying certain administrative aspects of the CIS. From 6 April 2026, HMRC will be able to act immediately where a business makes or […]
