Are you self-employed? If you are, you may need to make your second payment on account for 2016-17, due date for payment is 31 July 2017. This second payment on account will have been based on 50% of your combined Self Assessment tax and Class 4 NIC liability for 2015-16. Which raises an interesting question. What if your actual Self Assessment liability...
What happens if you can’t pay your tax on time
Following on from the previous article, we thought readers might be interested in the consequences if they fail to pay their Self Assessment tax on time. If you are facing cash-flow issues, and cannot see how you can afford to settle part, or all of your tax payment due 31 July 2017, what is the best strategy to avoid confrontation with...
When does a hobby become a trade
An example may illustrate the answer to this question. Harry updates his iPad and decides to sell his old one – he does not use the iPad for his employment or any business, it’s used purely for recreational purposes. He sets up an account on eBay and manages to sell for a reasonable price. Encouraged, he sells a number of other,...
Claim back pre-registration VAT
It is possible to reclaim VAT you have paid on any business purchases before you have subsequently registered for VAT. In fact, once you have registered your business for VAT the first thing you should consider is the possibility of reclaiming input tax on purchases of goods and services prior to registration. This article summarises the issues you will need to...
Tax Diary June/July 2017
1 June 2017 - Due date for Corporation Tax due for the year ended 31 August 2016. 19 June 2017 - PAYE and NIC deductions due for month ended 5 June 2017. (If you pay your tax electronically the due date is 22 June 2017.) 19 June 2017 - Filing deadline for the CIS300 monthly return for the month ended 5 June...
Are you missing out on a �662 tax rebate
Apparently, over 4 million tax payers are eligible to claim the new marriage allowance, but only 2 million have done so. If our math is correct, this add up to £1.3bn in unclaimed tax refunds. The allowance has been available since 6 April 2015 and is worth £212 for 2015-16, £220 for 2016-17 and £230 for 2017-18; a cumulative tax rebate...
Possible bonus when you register for VAT
Businesses are required to register for VAT purposes when their annual taxable turnover exceeds £85,000 (this limit applies from 1 April 2017). You will not have to account for VAT on your taxable sales up to the date you are required to register, but interestingly, you may be able to claim back VAT you have paid out on purchases of...
Do you use your car for business purposes
Many employees use their own cars to undertake journeys for their employers. In most cases, employers will pay for this. Generally, they will pay a rate per mile. HMRC consider this type of mileage payment as tax exempt as long as the rate per mile paid does not exceed a certain amount. Currently, the tax-free rates for cars are: 45p per mile...
Muras Matters: New ‘Lifetime ISA’
New ‘Lifetime ISA’ Background From April 2017 the Government introduced the new Lifetime Individual Savings Account (ISA) to provide an another option for younger people looking to save flexibly for the future. The Lifetime ISA is intended to be a longer-term tax-free savings account that will provide savers with a 25% bonus on the amount they put into their account. As with other...
Changes to taxable benefits from April 2017
The good news, the way in which benefits in kind are taxed – company cars, mobile phones, etc. – is unchanged for the tax year just ended, to 5 April 2017. Consequently, you can expect your tax position regarding any benefits you enjoy to be unchanged for 2016-17; as long as the benefits themselves have not changed. Unfortunately, from April 2017,...