Individuals who build their own home, or complete part of the build project themselves, are entitled to reclaim the VAT paid on materials under the VAT homebuilder’s scheme. When engaging builders and contractors to build your home, their labour and materials are zero-rated, so the…

The online form for requesting overlap relief information for basis period reform is now live. Overlap profits normally arise in the first two tax years of a new trade where the accounting date of the business does not align to the tax year end and…

HMRC has updated its Employment Income Manual to bring the guidance on charging electric company cars at home in line with the legislation. Until now, the guidance in the Employment Income Manual (EIM23900) has contradicted the legislation in advising that if an employer reimburses an…

A dramatic simplification of the MTD processes to be introduced in 2026 including no EOPS; cumulative submissions each quarter; and restrictions for complex situations. Taxpayers with turnover over £50,000 will be brought into MTD ISTSA from April 2026. The £50,000 threshold applies to gross total…

The NLW currently applies to workers aged 23 and above and stands at £10.42 per hour. Workers under the age of 23 and apprentices are entitled to the national minimum wage (NMW) instead. The age above which workers qualify to receive the NLW will be…

The Chancellor has announced cuts to national insurance contributions (NIC) for self-employed taxpayers and employees. The headline news from the Autumn Statement was the reduction of primary Class 1 and Class 4 NIC and the removal of compulsory Class 2 NIC. The main rate of…

HMRC has confirmed that requirements to report additional information will come into effect from the 2025-26 tax year or possibly a later period. HMRC has set out its intention to collect data relating to trade sectors; locations; occupations; hours worked; shareholdings and dividends paid; and…

The Nationwide Building Society has paid what is described as a ‘fairer share’ of £100 each to around three million of its customers. To qualify for this payment the customer must have held a qualifying current account plus either a savings account (including ISAs) with…

In Spring Budget 2023 the Chancellor announced a welcome change to the tax treatment of pensions – the scrapping of the Lifetime Allowance (LTA). The LTA stood at £1,073,100 when the process began on 5 April 2023 with the removal of the LTA charge. This…

Claiming child benefit is, after the initial claim, an incredibly straightforward process (subject to the issues raised above regarding higher earners). However, after sixteen years of automatic claiming it is easy to forget to update HMRC on whether you will continue to be entitled for…

HMRC has given taxpayers an extra two years to plug any gaps in their NIC record from April 2006. The deadline for making voluntary contributions has been extended from 5 April 2023, as previously reported, until 5 April 2025. The deadline was first extended to…

In families where child benefit is claimed, it is important that the individual or couple receiving the child benefit keeps a close eye on their income level. If the higher earner has income of more than £50,000 some or all of the child benefit received…