As anticipated, Rishi Sunak’s budget on 3 March 2021 was focused on protecting jobs and livelihoods, with a focus on extending and opening further access to COVID-19 support measures. This was a required move by the Government, particularly with lockdown restrictions prevailing until 21 June at the earliest.
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It’s important to be aware of all the 2021 tax dates and deadlines, especially those that will affect your small business. Some of the tax deadlines such as the self-assessment and VAT tax return take a considerable amount of preparation and time beforehand. So make sure you take note of all the dates that are relevant to you and your small business in order to get prepared.
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As an employer, managing maternity leave is an inevitable part of doing business. You will be understandably thrilled for your employee, whilst also wondering whether your team will be overstretched, or how this change might hurt productivity. On top of that, you have the financial commitments surrounding UK statutory maternity pay (SMP) to navigate. It can all end up feeling rather admin heavy.
Disgruntled creditors get desperate, and when all approaches to recover a debt have failed, they may send a winding-up petition to the beleaguered company as a last resort to get paid. It’s an extremely serious move and not one that should be taken lightly as it’s typically preceded by a statutory demand. In the UK, HMRC is the most common business creditor and is normally aggressive in its pursuit of tax liabilities. The majority (60%) of all winding up petitions are served by HMRC.
Readers Question: I have a trading company with a high level of retained earnings. Rather than liquidate, I am thinking of taking £500k in dividends (grossed up to £555k) and then making a donation to the charity of say £500k (adjustable for tax efficiency), which would extend my basic rate band by £625k. Am I correct in thinking that this combination of dividend and charitable donation is a tax efficient way of charitable giving, in the sense that I would avoid the higher rate dividend taxes?
Readers’ question: I’m looking into starting a small business and I’m still not sure what the main differences between a sole trader and limited company are with regards to tax implications. What is the more tax beneficial method of running a business?
Although HMRC sends reminders to those who need to file their self-assessment tax return, not everyone meets this deadline. More than 30,000 taxpayers completed their tax return within the last hour on January 2018.
At this time of year, you may well be planning parties, awards and gifts for staff and customers. As you do this are you checking that you are making the most of the available Christmas tax reliefs or ways to leverage your money this Christmas?
When you are self-employed you will pay your tax based on the income and expenses you show on your Self Assessment tax return. Here Simple Tax will give you an insight of the Self Assessment process and your legal obligations as a self-employed individual.
It is not a widely known fact, but company directors can receive statutory redundancy pay from their limited company under certain circumstances. If your company becomes insolvent and has to be liquidated, whether this happens on a voluntary basis or forcibly via a creditor’s winding-up petition, you may be eligible to make a claim.
One of the main benefits of cloud accounting software is that your business accounts can be accessed from anywhere and at any time. The capability to update data in real time for extra speed, accuracy and efficiency in accounting will enhance the company’s performance as a result.
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The government are wanting to renovate the way we process and submit our taxes through Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT. Overall the scheme will allocate every taxpayer with a digital ID, this means that businesses and individuals will be able to manage all their tax activities online, reducing errors and late submissions for a more efficient system.
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As a business owner you should have an exit strategy in place for your small business. It can vary from selling, to retiring, to moving onto another business idea, to even passing your business down to your children. You can keep your options open when it comes to deciding what you want to do with your business in the long term, however it is highly advisable to have an exit strategy in place. This can help you prepare for the future of your business ensuring that you choose the most beneficial and profitable option for you.
Here are the main tax rates and allowances for 2017/18, that are most relevant to small businesses.
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Being in control of your finances is key to keeping your earning model afloat. That’s why it’s so important to stay on top of your books as a contractor or a small business owner as you have multiple income streams to deal with. Effectively managing your finances can do wonders for the process of bookkeeping for your small business.
In this article, we look at the tax benefits of a limited company and drawing down income in the form of dividends as well as salary.
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