Category: Tax

Events, Landlords, News, Property, Tax

Gwent Landlord Forum – 31 May 2017

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2017 is flying by and changes to Landlord regulations seem to be keeping pace. So we would like to invite you to attend the 3rd Gwent Landlord Forum of this year, taking place on Wednesday 31 May between 6pm and 8pm, at The Parkway Hotel and Spa.

As always, our invitation goes out to all who may be interested so if you know someone who is a landlord or thinking about becoming a landlord, please do pass this invitation on to them – we are always happy to welcome new guests.

Speakers

Neil Soundy of Neil Soundy Financial Services Limited will be talking about:

  • Buying via Limited Company/Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV)/Trading Company.
  • Lower rental coverage requirements via Limited Company/SPV.
  • Buying Multi Unit Block or HMO.
  • Basic taxation on Limited Company Buy To Let (BTL)
  • Use of Tenancy in Common on existing personal BTL’s
  • Possibility of transferring existing personal BTL’s to Limited Company.
  • Airbnb for landlords

Daniel Bellis, Policy Officer with the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) will be speaking about:

  • The Renting Homes Act and how they are creating standardised contracts across the rental sector.
  • He will also cover other changes, such as Fit for Human Habitation regulations, changes in abandonment procedure and changes to joint contracts.
  • With over 20 different regulation still to finalise before landlords start using the new system, a lot has already changed since the Act was first passed.

Eventbrite - Gwent Landlord Forum

For any enquiries about this event, please contact Katie Williams at Green & Co on 01633 871122, Email: katie@greenandco.com.

Advice, Article, Business, Business Support, Employees, HMRC, News, Press Release, Tax

Some Employee Perks Are Being Lost and It Could Be Costly

Green & Co

Green & Co feature in the South Wales Argus discussing the tax changes for employee perks.

The new tax year has seen a raft of changes, with more legislative reform scheduled to come into effect over the next few years.

From changes in dividends, stamp duty, and national insurance (with a U-turn thrown in for good measure) the way that people are taxed is an ever-evolving landscape. However, it’s not just directors, landlords and the self-employed who have been targeted with new legislation.

Barrie Kenyon, partner at Green & Co Accountants and Tax Advisors said: “From 6th April, the tax and employer national insurance advantages of a salary sacrifice or salary exchange scheme was removed. This means that any employees who have swapped their salary for benefits, which typically include additional holiday days, will now pay the same tax as if they were buying them out of their post-tax income. The Chancellor, Philip Hammond, announced the changes in the autumn statement believing the previous schemes were unfair. From earlier this month, they have started to come into effect.

“However, these changes do not affect those employees who have reduced their salary for pension contributions, childcare purposes such as vouchers, workplace nurseries or directly contracted childcare, the cycle to work scheme and ultra-low emission company cars with co2 emissions of or less than 75g/km.

“The schemes were seen as attractive to both employees and employers, with reduced tax liabilities benefiting both parties.”

Mr Kenyon stressed that there were some caveats that accompany the changes: “If any arrangements which were in place before April 2017 relate to cars with co2 emissions over 75g/km, accommodation or school fees: these arrangements will be protected until April 2021. Also, other arrangements agreed prior to April 2017 that do not fall into the aforementioned categories will be protected until the end of the current tax year in April 2018.”

It is estimated that millions of workers from across the UK will pay more tax due to these changes, with the Treasury believing that these schemes are costing too much in lost tax receipts and national insurance contributions. It is estimated that the reform will cost employers in the UK around £85M this tax year, whilst increasing another £260M by April 2021 when the full changes will come into effect.

If you are worried about any of these forthcoming changes, please contact us at Green & Co for further help and guidance.

Green & Co Accountants and Tax Advisors specialise in business growth and tax minimisation for businesses across Wales and the South West of England.

For proactive advice, contact Green & Co Accountants and Tax Advisors on 01633 871 122, follow @Green_and_Co on Twitter or email barrie@greenandco.com.

Please note: This article is a commentary on general principles and should not be interpreted as advice for your specific situation.

Business, Business Support, HMRC, News, NIC, Tax

Class 2 Voluntary Contributions

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Although the self-employed heaved a sigh of relief when the Chancellor reversed his decision to raise the rate of Class 4 NIC recently, other changes in the structure of National Insurance will give cause for concern, particularly for those with low earnings.

The abolition of the self-employed stamp (Class 2 NIC) from April 2018 means those who are currently below the Small Earnings Exemption and have been paying voluntary Class 2 contributions in order to secure contributory benefits will no longer be able to do so.  From that date they will have to pay Class 3 voluntary contributions which is currently £14.10 per week, compared to the Class 2 amount of £2.80 they are currently contributing.  In addition, the special rates for share fishermen (currently £3.45) and volunteer development workers (£5.60) will also be abolished, so they too will have to pay the higher Class 3 amount to maintain their contributions.

The situation is further complicated as in the past those with income below the Class 2 limit had to opt out of paying the stamp by applying for exemption, whereas now low earners have to opt in if they wish to make contributions – a fact many may not have been aware of, and may give rise to gaps in their records.

You can check your Class 2 record by logging onto your personal tax account at HMRC on-line, by post or by phone – details can be found here. If you have gaps in your contributions you can now backdate your Class 2 contributions for up to 6 years but you will need to do so before Class 2 is fully abolished.  You need 35 years of contributions paid or credited to be entitled to the full state pension.

If you would like to discuss your situation with one of the team at Green & Co, please contact us on 01633 871122.

Please note: This article is a commentary on general principles and should not be interpreted as advice for your specific situation.

HMRC, Landlords, Property, Tax

Mates Rates – Letting your property at below Market Value

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When you let a property to a third party for a market rent it should be relatively straightforward to calculate your taxable rental income, or loss if applicable. A market rent is that which a landlord can expect to receive in accordance with rents charged for similar properties in the same area. If your rental income exceeds the allowable expenditure incurred the profit will form part of your income and if the allowable expenditure exceeds the income then, assuming you meet all criteria, you will have a loss which you can carry forward and offset against future rental income.

There are some circumstances where a market rent is not charged. For example, a parent may let a property to their child for a lower amount, as parental duty dictates.  In this instance the expenses incurred, such as mortgage interest, landlord insurance, etc., may be greater than the rent received. If this is the case, then the expenses are not sustained wholly and exclusively for business purposes and in strict terms should not be claimed. However the good people at HMRC do allow expenditure to be claimed up to the value of the rent received, therefore resulting in no profit no loss. As a result, however, any actual ‘loss’ will be lost.

Should you have any Landlord tax queries please contact Green & Co on 01633 871122.

Please note: This article is a commentary on general principles and should not be interpreted as advice for your specific situation.

Benefits, Business, Business Support, Employees, News, Tax

Some employee perks are losing their tax breaks.

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From 6 April 2017 the tax and employer national insurance advantages of a salary sacrifice or salary exchange will be removed, with the exception of:

  • Pensions
  • Childcare (Vouchers, workplace nurseries or directly contracted childcare)
  • Cycle to work
  • Ultra-low emission cars with co2 emissions of or less than 75g/km.

Any employees who have swapped their salary for benefits, for example, additional holiday days, will now pay the same tax as if they were buying them out of their post-tax income.

If any arrangements which were in place before April 2017 relate to cars with co2 emissions over 75g/km, accommodation or school fees, they will be protected until April 2021. All other arrangements (arranged before April 2017) that are not detailed above will be protected until April 2018.

If you are worried about any of these forthcoming changes, please contact us at Green & Co for further help and guidance.

Please note: This article is a commentary on general principles and should not be interpreted as advice for your specific situation.

 

Advice, HMRC, Pensions, Tax

New Allowance for Pension Advice

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A new allowance which will enable people to access pensions advice in a tax efficient way will commence in April 2017.

Under existing rules, if you require advice regarding pensions you will normally have to pay a fee to a Financial Adviser. A new allowance being introduced in April will mean that you will be able to use funds saved in a defined contribution type pension fund to pay for the advice instead. The ability to access the advice in this manner essentially means that the cost of the advice is tax free.

The amount which can be accessed is £500. It can be accessed up to 3 different times provided it is in different tax years.

Be aware that the allowance can only be used to pay for regulated advice and cannot be used by those in final salary schemes unless they also have a defined contribution pension plan at the same time.

If you would like further information or would like to discuss your situation please contact our tax team.

Please note: This article is a commentary on general principles and should not be interpreted as advice for your specific situation.

HMRC, Landlords, Property, Tax

Landlords: Is your Tax on the Up from April 2017?

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From 6 April 2017 the relief that Landlords receive for mortgage and loan interest on residential lettings will be restricted. It marks a big change for Landlords as it is estimated that one in five will be affected by the policy.

Under the new rules, by 2020/21, finance costs will no longer be deducted from the rental income received (thus giving relief at whatever rate of tax you pay); instead they will be subject to basic rate relief, currently 20%.

The changes will be brought in gradually so that the following proportion of interest costs will be relieved in the normal way in the respective tax years.

2017/2018                           75%

2018/2019                           50%

2019/2020                           25%

2020/2021                           Nil

The balance of costs for each year will be relieved at basic rate.

This change does not just affect higher rate taxpayers.  Some people may find that, even though they are currently a basic rate taxpayer, when the finance costs are no longer being deducted in calculating their net rent, they may be pushed into higher rate tax.  And relief is only available at basic rate.

HMRC announced this change in 2015 in order to give Landlords time to prepare for the impact. If you haven’t done this already then there’s no time like the present (meaning… act NOW!).

Contact us if you would like to discuss your situation with one of the Green & Co team.

Please note: This article is a commentary on general principles and should not be interpreted as advice for your specific situation.

Advice, Business, Business Support, Corporation Tax, HMRC, Pensions, R&D, Tax

Year End Tax Planning Tips For Companies

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Corporation tax is set to reduce to 19% with effect from 1 April 2017 but opportunities still remain to reduce and defer corporation tax liabilities. Here are some you may wish to consider.

MAXIMISE CAPITAL ALLOWANCE

The annual investment allowance (AIA) provides 100% tax relief for qualifying expenditure incurred up to a limit of £200,000 for 12 month periods starting on 1 January 2016. The allowance can only be claimed in the period in which the expenditure was incurred. You should be aware that cars are excluded from this relief.

If you have a 31 March year end, it would be sensible to review capital expenditure plans and consider bringing forward any purchase to before 31 March, thereby utilising this allowance which might otherwise be lost.

On the other hand, if the £200,000 limit has been exceeded, then further purchases should be delayed until after the year end, if possible.

PENSION CONTRIBUTIONS

Relief for employer contributions is given in the chargeable accounting period in which the contributions are paid. In most cases it is sensible to ensure that all contributions are paid before that date in order to accelerate the relief. In the context of a 31 March year-end, if the payments are made before 31 March, relief is given at 20%. This would reduce to 19% for contributions paid after this date.

DEFERRING INCOME OR PROFITS

Consider delaying a transaction to shift profits forward into the next financial year, so as to delay by one year any corporation tax payable. This will also have the effect of reducing the corporation tax payable from 20% to 19%.

There are several ways of deferring income to the next tax year. Sales could be pushed forward to the next period, selling goods on consignment, or if a seasonal trade, changing the year end to exclude a more profitable period or to include a loss-making one.

CLAIM RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT TAX CREDITS

Companies that have undertaken research and development work could qualify for generous tax reliefs. For an SME, for every £1 of qualifying R & D expenditure, an additional £1.30 is allowed in the tax computation. A loss making SME may be able to surrender the loss arising as a result of the R & D claim for a cash credit of 14.5%

CLEAR OVERDRAWN LOAN ACCOUNTS

The tax charged on a company loan to a “participator” is equal to 32.5% of the amount of the loan outstanding at the year-end, unless the loan has been repaid or cleared within nine months of the end of the accounting period. Companies should therefore review outstanding loans and consider clearing them within the nine months to avoid the tax charge.

CONSIDER ROLL OVER RELIEF

Any company that has realised gains on the disposal of land and buildings used in a trade should consider whether the corporation tax on this can be deferred by way of business asset roll over relief. This may be available if the company reinvests all of the disposal proceeds in new qualifying assets, either within 12 months before the disposal or up to 3 years after. Partial relief could be available if all the proceeds are not reinvested.

For further information please contact the tax team at Green & Co.

Please note: This article is a commentary on general principles and should not be interpreted as advice for your specific situation.

Advice, Budget, Business, Business Support, Corporation Tax, Dividends, Employees, HMRC, Landlords, Making Tax Digital, National Living Wage, National Minimum Wage, News, Newsletter, NIC, R&D, Savings, Self Assessment, Tax, VAT

2017 Budget Review

Following on from the Chancellor’s first and last Spring Budget, we are pleased to provide you with our summary of the key announcements, along with our tax tables for the 2017/18 tax year:

Budget Summary

Tax Data
The main changes include:

  • The tax-free dividend allowance will be reduced from £5,000 to £2,000 from April 2018.
  • Class 4 national insurance contributions for self-employed workers will increase to 10% in April 2018 and rise again, to 11%, from April 2019.
  • Unincorporated businesses and landlords with a turnover below the VAT threshold will have until April 2019 before they are required to implement ‘Making Tax Digital’.

Among the key changes to note for this year are:

  • The Chancellor confirmed that corporation tax will be cut to a rate of 19% from April 2017 and it will be further reduced to 17% in 2020.
  • The personal allowance will rise to £11,500 in April 2017 and to £12,500 by 2020 and the higher rate income threshold will rise to £45,000, although special rules will apply in Scotland.
  • Individual landlords’ tax relief for finance costs will be restricted to basic rate tax – to be phased in over four years from April 2017.

More information on the Budget is available on our website or if you would like to speak to one of our team please contact us.

Please note: This article is a commentary on general principles and should not be interpreted as advice for your specific situation.