Companies must record PSCs

From 6 April 2016, the Small Business, Enterprise & Employment Act 2015 is introducing new rules on identifying and recording who owns and controls UK companies and LLPs. These entities will have to collect and keep information about people with significant control over them (PSCs). This includes those who own or control – either directly… Read more…

Helping you prepare for Workplace Pensions

Do you know your Staging Date?       You may already be aware of the term ‘auto-enrolment’ – the automatic enrolment of employees into workplace pension schemes. If not, you need to know that auto-enrolment has already begun and, by 2018, every UK employer will need to provide this facility for employees. Finding out… Read more…

Audit exemption for small companies

The Government has considered responses to questions posed on the audit exemption threshold in its discussion paper on the implementation of the Audit Directive (2014/56/EU) and the Audit Regulation (Regulation 537/2014) and raised the audit exemption threshold. This means that companies with a turnover up to £10.2 million, a balance sheet total of up to… Read more…

MPs say the UK is not ready for digital tax

During the Chancellor’s 2015 Autumn Statement, the Government announced its plans to reform tax legislation to require small businesses, the self-employed and landlords to update HMRC quarterly, rather than completing an annual tax return. The Government intends for quarterly updates to be initially introduced from 2018 and phased in fully by 2020. MPs criticised the… Read more…

Employment Allowance set to rise

The Employment Allowance that enables employers to reduce their NI bill by £2,000 is being extended from 6 April 2016 to £3,000. However, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has advised that single-director companies will be excluded. The news follows a technical consultation that closed on 3 January 2016.  An extract, indicating the adjustment, was published on… Read more…

Excuses, excuses

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has revealed the worst excuses it has heard over the previous year from people filing late tax returns. The list, which was released ahead of the 31 January deadline for filing tax returns online, contains claims that were used in unsuccessful appeals against penalties imposed for late returns. Failed excuses… Read more…

Buy-to-let mortgage applications from limited companies more than double as landlords strive to beat tax hikes

The number of buy-to-let loan applications from limited companies has surged in recent months as landlords prepare for tax hikes starting in April, say mortgage brokers. The latest Buy-to-Let Index, produced by specialist broker, Mortgages for Business, found that 38 per cent of its applications by December 2015 were from limited companies, up from 15… Read more…