Most smaller businesses will not have the resources to train and employ their own customs clearance staff in which case you may have to consider using a customs agent or broker. We have reproduced the advice on the GOV.UK website on this critical issue below. If you do import or export goods from and to […]

A reminder that It is possible to make small tax-free payments to employees, including directors, and this might be an appropriate time to make a small tax-free bonus in advance of the annual Christmas, New Year holidays. Employers and employees don’t have to pay tax on small benefits provided they comply with the following rules: […]

If you have still not submitted all of the information we need to complete your 2019-20 tax return, could we ask you to respond as soon as you can as the deadline is fast approaching – 31 January 2021. HMRC has made no announcement that this deadline will be extended. Accordingly, the initial £100 late […]

Most employers who are eligible will be aware that the furlough scheme (the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme) has been extended for five months – from 1 November 2020 to 31 March 2021. The general terms for the first quarter to 31 January 2021 are: Maximum claim per employee is 80% of hours not worked. Furlough […]

The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, confirmed a small increase in the National Living Wage rates from April 2021. Employers will need to diarise these increases otherwise they may break their obligation to pay these rates and risk penalties. The increase in the NLW will mean that low-paid workers’ incomes rise broadly in line with predicted wage […]

When we awake to the new year we will no longer be in transition; we will be out of the EU and will have to cope with a wide range of regulatory changes if we buy or sell goods or services to EU suppliers and customers. The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy recently […]

If you are making claims under the extended furlough scheme from 1 November 2020 you need to be aware of changes in the claims process. Perhaps the most significant is that claims need to be registered within 14 days of the relevant period end. In their revised guidance on this topic HMRC say: You can […]

Two quarterly grants have been paid to UK self-employed traders that qualify for the Self- Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS). These covered the periods up to 31 October 2020. The Chancellor has announced that two further quarterly payments will be made. Traders will still need to qualify for the payments and in particular: Have been […]

We have reproduced below a list of businesses which must close during the period 5 November to 2 December 2020. Business based in England and required to close To reduce social contact, the regulations require some businesses to close and impose restrictions on how some businesses provide goods and services. These include: Non-essential retail, such […]

What to do if you are placed in a financial position where you do not have sufficient income to meet your monthly outgoings and you are unable to find work to plug the gap. The main government assistance for those who find themselves in this position is to register for Universal Credits. The following notes […]