HMRC has announced that they achieved record enforcement results this year, identifying £15.6million of minimum wage underpayments. The number of workers identified as underpaid was double that in 2016/17 and the highest number since the National Minimum Wage came into force. The figures reveal: a record £15.6 million of underpayment identified for more than 200,000 workers ...

For those individuals who have previously submitted ‘paper’ self assessment tax returns the deadline for the 2017/18 return is 31 October 2018. Returns submitted after that date must be submitted electronically or they will incur a minimum penalty of £100. The penalty applies even when there is no tax to pay or the tax is paid on time. If you would like any help with the compl ...

Rising house prices and increases in other assets have seen HMRC launch more investigations to ensure individuals are paying the correct amount of inheritance tax (IHT), with the number of tax probes up by 5% this year. There were 5,400 investigations into IHT returns in 2017/18, an increase from 5,100 on the previous year. If an investigation finds that IHT has been underpai ...

The government has decided not to proceed with plans to abolish Class 2 National Insurance Contributions (NICs) from April 2019. Class 2 NICs are currently paid at a rate of £2.95 per week by self-employed individuals with profits of £6,205 or more per year. The government had planned to scrap the Class 2 contribution and had been investigating ways in which self-employed indi ...

Breaking with the tradition of a Wednesday in November, perhaps in a bid to avoid the ongoing Brexit negotiations, the government is expected to set out its plans ‘to build a stronger, more prosperous economy, building on the recent Spring Statement and last year’s Budget’. The government announcements are expected to include updates on draft legislation and consultations, and ...