More than 30,000 responses have flooded in to a government consultation on zero hours contracts. The 12-week consultation, launched last December, focused on the two key issues of exclusivity in employment contracts and lack of transparency for employees. The government said that some businesses employing people on a zero hours contract bar them from working… Read more…

More than 70,000 employers have been warned that they face penalties unless they submit employees’ Pay As You Earn (PAYE) information in real time. Employers who have never used the new Real Time Information (RTI) system to file PAYE returns were sent an email in March telling them to do so by the end of… Read more…

Major current account providers have signed up to an agreement that will give customers their account data in a simple, standardised format that can be used in comparison sites for the first time. The agreement, brokered by HM Treasury and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, should enable consumers to carry out quick and… Read more…

People with unpaid national insurance contributions (NICs) have been warned that private debt collectors could be used to recover the money they owe HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). People paying tax through Pay As You Earn (PAYE) as an employee or who receive a taxable, UK-based private pension may have received a P2 annual coding… Read more…

The Pensions Regulator has urged small and medium-sized employers to find out when their new workplace pension duties begin, following research showing that many have yet to check when auto-enrolment will affect them. Thousands of medium-sized employers will reach their staging date – the date at which they must start automatic enrolment of eligible workers… Read more…

Time is ticking away for health professionals to bring their tax affairs up to date on the best possible terms in an HM Revenue & Customs’ (HMRC) campaign that could lead to more tax investigations and even prosecutions. More than 180,000 people were offered the opportunity to put their tax affairs in order under the… Read more…

The head of the service that will provide free support to help employers and employees resolve employment disputes more quickly has been highlighting the benefits it offers. From 6 April 2014, anyone considering making an employment tribunal claim about a workplace issue – such as an unfair dismissal claim, redundancy payments or issues around equal… Read more…

Small businesses are being encouraged to consider using an HM Revenue & Customs’ (HMRC) scheme that allows them to be taxed on money flowing into and out of their business, rather than using full accounting rules. With a new tax year about to start on 6 April, HMRC has highlighted the benefits of the cash… Read more…

Employers are reminded to make sure they do not miss out on a £2,000 cut in their employment costs from 6 April 2014. The new Employment Allowance will see up to 1.25 million employers – businesses, charities and Community Amateur Sports Clubs – benefit from the annual reduction in their Class 1 secondary national insurance… Read more…

A significant change to statutory sick pay (SSP) is on the way for employers from April 2014. Under the percentage threshold scheme (PTS), employers can recover SSP if the total paid in a tax month is more than 13 per cent of their gross national insurance contributions in the same tax month. But the PTS… Read more…