• Beware scams pretending to be HMRC

    Fraudsters are continuing to target taxpayers with scam emails as the deadline for submission of self-assessment returns for the 2024-25 tax year gets ever closer. In the 12 months to 31 July 2025, HMRC received more than 170,000 reports of

  • War Widows Recognition Payments Scheme

    Bereaved spouses who lost service pensions before 2015 have until 15 October 2025 to claim a one-off £87,500 recognition payment. This scheme was launched in October 2023 to help war widows and widowers who lost their service-attributable pensions

  • Dividend taxes will they increase?

    Speculation is growing that rates or allowances applied to dividend income may change in the next Budget. The current tax rates for dividends received (in excess of the £500 dividend tax allowance) are as follows: 8.75% for basic rate taxpayers

  • Tax relief for employer contributions to a pension scheme

    Employers can generally claim tax relief on contributions made to a registered pension scheme by deducting those payments as an expense when calculating their business profits. This reduces the amount of taxable profit and therefore lowers the

  • Who needs to register for anti-money laundering supervision

    If your business operates in a sector covered by the Money Laundering Regulations, you must be monitored by a supervisory authority to ensure compliance. This article outlines who needs to register with HMRC for anti-money laundering (AML)

  • Don’t rush to judgement over pending tribunal claims

    Mr. Aslam, a former Metroline employee, applied to another bus company on 13 April 2019, disclosing that he suffered from partial hearing loss, depression, anxiety, insomnia and stress, and was interviewed on 14 May 2019. He disclosed that he had

  • Why you should maintain a tax reserve

    Every business has a duty to pay tax, whether that is Corporation Tax, VAT, PAYE, or personal tax liabilities for the owners. While these payments are predictable, many businesses still find themselves short of cash when the due dates arrive. One way

  • Understanding working capital and why it matters

    Working capital is a simple but powerful measure of a business’s financial health. It is the difference between current assets and current liabilities. In other words, it shows what is left when a business’s short-term debts are taken away from its

  • What is the settlement legislation?

    Thinking of gifting income to a spouse or partner? HMRC’s settlements rules may still tax it as your own. The settlements legislation is contained in s.624 ITTOIA 2005. The legislation seeks to ensure that where a settlor has retained an interest in

  • How do HMRC define “wholly and exclusively” for tax purposes

    Not sure if a business cost is deductible? HMRC’s ‘wholly and exclusively’ rule is the key test. When deciding whether an expense is deductible or not it is important to bear in mind that the expenditure must be incurred wholly and exclusively for