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Tax Archives - Nimbus Accounting

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Budget 2016: Small business takeaway

March 24, 2016 | By |

With the dust now settling on the Chancellor’s recent budget, we’ve picked out some highlights that will help small business owners as they attempt to navigate through the plethora of proposed legislation.

The headline grabbers were undoubtedly the falling business rates, corporation tax and capital gains tax measures. The reforms to business rates will have the biggest impact as small businesses will look to save significant funds through the proposals, with an additional 600,000 businesses no longer paying any business rates – ever. The Chancellor’s claim is that this will reduce the business rates burden by nearly £7bn over the next five years.

Some would say that the closing of corporation tax loopholes has been a long time coming, but for small business owners they will now have the assurance that the big boys will now be paying their fair share. A number of polls held with small businesses before the budget indicated that the closing of tax loopholes so that big business paid their fair share was the number one desired outcome from the budget.

There was also the extended commitment to funding for small businesses through the British Business Bank. A significant figure of £1bn of financial support was agreed. This will mean that regional councils will be working with the BBB, to help investing in local businesses.

Nimbus believes that small businesses should be at the heart of the nation’s economic growth plan and it looks like the chancellor feels the same way – finally. The closing of tax loopholes and cutting of taxes will motivate local business owners and make them feel valued in the government’s economic ecosystem.

For more support following Budget 2016, get in touch with our team of accountants.

 

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Should you pay yourself an extra dividend?

November 5, 2015 | By |

Up until the chancellor delivered his Summer Budget it was possible to pay less tax if you ran your business through a limited company, this was because you could avoid National Insurance. If you are one of the many people that took advantage of this structuring then from 6 April 2016 your dividends are going to become more expensive. We covered the changes in more detail in our blog on the summer budget in July, but here are the headline changes that impact dividends:

  • Tax rate on dividends is increasing by 7.5%
  • The old notional 10% tax credit is being abolished
  • The first £5,000 of dividends will be tax free 

If you have retained earnings in your company that you are thinking of withdrawing at some point in the future, why not pay them out before the rate increases in April? It is worth taking a moment to consider if it is sensible to take a dividend before the change, if you are not a higher rate tax payer and you have some capacity to take a dividend without incurring any tax, it might be the time to do so.

For those with a lot of money tied up in their company and thinking of calling it a day, remember that Entrepreneurs relief at 10% might be available. This is certainly the cheapest way of getting your money out of a company structure.

If you would like to discuss dividends or liquidating your company in more detail, give one of our accountants a call on 01273 782 747, or visit our Contact Us page for our email address and Skype details.

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Did the Summer Budget mark the end of the small incorporated business?

July 11, 2015 | By |

Those businesses that are run through a limited company structure had the advantage of avoiding National Insurance, by structuring the extraction of funds using a low salary and extracting additional funds as dividends. The chancellor announced that from April 2016 dividends for basic rate tax payers would increase from an (effective) 0% to 7.5%. He also announced that the old notional tax credit of 10% would be abolished. So while the rates of taxation for higher rate and additional rate payers are nearly identical at 32.5% and 37.5%, once the tax credit is taken into account the 7.5% is seen to be levied across the spectrum.

The rationale behind this change is to close the tax gap between operating under the corporate structure and the self employed sole trader. Thankfully there is also a new £5,000 tax free dividend allowance for all tax payers, to stop the majority of ordinary investors, with modest dividend income, from having to complete a tax return.

So looking at the changes in monetary terms, the additional cost from next April of someone making a net profit of £28,000, after deducting their salary [equal to their personal allowance] as a directors remuneration, will be approximately £1,700. However, this still leaves them roughly £1,200 better off than someone that runs their business as a sole trader.

The company structure is still optimal, but the decision to incorporate is now more marginal. But lets not lose sight of the other benefits of having a limited company, such as the limited liability status of a company, separation of business and personal assets, slightly different and more generous rules relating to the expenses you can claim, better tax planning opportunities with dividend timing and the status of being a company. In our opinion these benefits are still worth having, despite the additional administrative burden and slightly higher costs.

In preparation for these changes we would suggest making sure that you have paid yourself the optimal amount of dividends in the current year before they become 7.5% more expensive to receive. If you would like any further information on this or any other aspects of your taxation affairs, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with one of our qualified accountants.

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Salary Increase & £2,000 from HMRC

March 23, 2015 | By |

Another tax year is drawing to a close and it is time to make some adjustments to your salary and dividends.

HMRC are continuing their £2,000 give away for 2015/16. This amount is a credit and can only be offset against employers national insurance contributions. So for the second year running it is more tax efficient to pay yourself a salary up to the personal allowance, which has been raised to £10,600. This pay will attract £304 of employees national insurance contributions over the year. The net tax saving is £203, which is the difference between the employees national insurance contribution payable and the corporation tax saved by having the extra salary. Therefore, as a company director it is more tax efficient to pay yourself a monthly salary of £883.33 and declare a dividend on top.

In order to declare a dividend which keeps you within the basic rate threshold, the net dividends for the year will need to be £28,606 (£2,383 per month). If you decide to pay yourself more dividends, you will be taxed personally at 25% on the net dividend payment.

If you have other employees that will naturally utilise the £2,000 employers national insurance credit, it is advisable to keep the salary to the national insurance primary threshold of £8,060 for the year (£671.67 per month) and the net dividends to £30,892 (£2,574 per month).

Hopefully you will have a good year and your total gross income will get close to £100,000. Be careful at this point as the tax rate is an effective 60% over this amount as a result of the personal allowance being withdrawn at £1 for every £2 of earnings over £100,000. It is advisable to keep your income below this threshold unless completely necessary.

If you want more information on extracting money from your company in a tax efficient manner we are your local Brighton & Hove based accountants, feel free to get in touch http://www.nimbusaccounting.com/contact-us/.

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New VAT rules for digital services

December 17, 2014 | By |

There are new rules being implemented on 1 January 2015 concerning VAT on the supply of digital services within the EU. Digital services includes broadcasting, telecommunications and e-services that are electronically supplied. The VAT registration threshold has been reduced to zero for any digital services supplied to domestic and non-VAT registered business consumers in any country other than the one in which you are based.  Therefore, if you only make one supply of a digital service in another EU country and do not register for the Mini One Stop Shop (MOSS), you are required to register for VAT in the country of your customer and account for local VAT accordingly. If you would like more information or assistance registering for MOSS please contact one of our team.

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Income Tax Allowance for Children

November 12, 2014 | By |

Clients are always keen to save tax and we often get asked if their children can work for them. Children are entitled to the same income tax personal allowance, just like their parents. Some might conclude that there is an opportunity to gift a share to their children and shift income to take advantage of this personal allowance. Sadly HMRC have seen this happen a few times before and where gifts from a parent produce income in excess of £100 in a year, that income is taxed as though it was received by the parents. This £100 rule applies until a child gets married or turns 18, whichever occurs first.

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Tax Return Deadline

October 16, 2014 | By |

The first of the deadlines for the 2013/14 Tax Return is the 31 October 2014. This deadline is for those that submit their return on paper.  If you are one of the reducing number that still files on paper and you haven’t made a start yet, it might be time to consider filing online. Registering with HMRC to file online can take up to six weeks, so we recommend that you register immediately to avoid missing the final deadline of 31 January 2015.

 

The next deadline on the horizon is 31 December 2014. This deadline is for those that owe less than £3,000 of tax and wish to have their tax collected on a monthly basis during the 2015/16 tax year through the PAYE system.

 

The final filing deadline is the 31 January 2015, for online Tax Returns. There is a fixed penalty of £100 for failing to file a return on or before the filing date. If you file after 1 May 2015, or 1 February 2015 in the case of a paper return, this fine will apply in addition to a penalty of £10 a day for every day the return remains outstanding, up to a maximum of £900.

 

The 31 January 2015 is also the deadline for paying any tax due, if you haven’t taken advantage of the arrangement above. Late payment of tax will incur interest at an annual rate of 3%, on top of this there is also a surcharge of 5% on any outstanding tax due that hasn’t been paid by 28 February 2015.

 

At Nimbus we make sure all our clients have plenty of notice of upcoming deadlines. If you would like to work with an accountant that takes care of the deadlines then get in touch.

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Directors salary and Dividends for 2014/15

March 22, 2014 | By |

Another tax year is drawing to a close and it is time to give yourself a pay rise. Last year you were probably receiving £641 a month from your company, but this year you can pay yourself £833.

You might ask “why am I paying myself an annual salary of £10,000? That’s the personal allowance limit and I normally only pay myself the national insurance threshold?” Ordinarily any pay over the national insurance threshold would trigger the payment of 12% employees national insurance and 13.8% employers national insurance. However, for 2014/15 HMRC are giving employers £2,000 towards their employers national insurance contributions. So for the time being it is more tax efficient to pay yourself a £10,000 salary (which will attract £245.28 of employees national insurance contributions). The net tax saving is £163, the difference between the employees national insurance and the corporation tax. Therefore as a company director, it is more tax efficient to pay yourself a monthly salary of £833 and declare a dividend on top.

While the personal allowance has increased, the point at which higher rate tax becomes payable has reduced.  If you are declaring dividends on a monthly basis and keeping them within the basic rate thresholds, the net dividends will fall to £2,389. So your net payments from the company will total £3,222. If you want to take more dividends, you can, but you will be taxed personally at 25% on the net payment.  It might be better to reinvest the money into the business or consider a pension scheme.

Remember these allowances are for each director/shareholder.

If you want more information on extracting money from your company in a tax efficient manner we are your local Brighton & Hove based accountants.

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£2,000 cash back from HMRC?

March 17, 2014 | By |

We usually hear the term cash back from mortgage companies or in the supermarket, however, for 2014/15 HMRC are giving £2,000 back to employers. This is great news for employers and will really benefit their small businesses – a real reward for creating more jobs in the economy.

“How does this work” we hear you say and “what’s the catch”?  Amazingly there a no catches. You save the first the £2,000 of your Employers National Insurance due after 6 April 2014.  This will be deducted from the Employer National Insurance payable when you or your accountant runs your monthly RTI return in the payroll software. The amount is not spread throughout the year, it is available from April onwards and any unused balance in the first month will be rolled forward until it is all used or 5 April 2015, whichever is sooner.

As with all offers there are terms and conditions to stop abuse, but they are limited. If you are caught by IR35 you won’t be eligible and if you have more than one company in your business structure you cannot claim more than once.

If you want to know more about this great offer, contact your accountant. If they have not mentioned this to you then it is probably time to find another accountant. We can make a good suggestion in the Brighton & Hove area….

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What dividend and salary to pay yourself in 2013/14?

March 6, 2013 | By |

 
As the 2012/13 tax year comes to an end, there is another change in your personal allowance and tax thresholds to be aware of, coming into effect from 5 April 2013. The question this raises is “How should you extract profits from your business is the most tax efficient manner for 2013/14?”

As always the extraction of funds needs to be a mixture of dividends and salaries, but what is the best solution to utilise all of your allowances while minimising your personal tax liability? We have two methods below, one taking a salary within the national insurance threshold and the other taking a salary within the personal allowance threshold, which will give rise to a small national insurance bill.

Option 1 – Taking a salary within the national insurance threshold

The national insurance threshold for 2013/14 is £148 per week, therefore you can pay yourself an annual salary of £7,696 (£641 per month).

The basic rate tax band has fallen from £34,370 to £32,010 (any amount over this figure would attract personal tax on dividends), taking into account the above salary and the tax credits on dividends you could take £30,379 of net dividends in 2013/14 before paying any personal tax.

 

Option 2 – Taking a salary that utilises your personal tax free allowance

The personal tax free allowance for 2013/14 has increased from £8,105 to £9,440, which would be a monthly salary of £786. However, with an annual salary of £9,440 you will incur an employee national insurance bill of £203.04 and an employer’s national insurance liability of £240.67.

Based on the above salary of £9,440 you would be able to take dividends of £28,809.

With this option, due to the increase in salary and the additional employer’s national insurance contribution, there will be a corporation tax saving of £396.94. If we compare the two options we can see the difference in net take home pay.

 

Option 1

Option 2

Salary

7,696

9,440

Dividends

30,379

28,809

Employees NI deductions

(203)

Take Home pay

38,075

38,046


 Total salary and dividends

38,087 

38,249 

Employers NI

(240)

Corporation Tax Saving

397

Net over all position

38,075

38,092

As you can see, by extracting the funds by option 2 you are £29 worse off personally, due to incurring national insurance (£38,075 vs £38,046).  When you consider the overall wealth, including the company, you are worse off by a further £17, so £46 in total. Option two also requires paying PAYE deductions every quarter, so increased administration on top of the cost.

 You may want to take more money out of your company, more options to consider include:

  • Additional shareholders
  • Pension contributions
  • Gift Aid

If these are not an option then the higher rate of tax on dividends ranges from 25% (of the net dividends, up to a total gross income from all sources of £150,000) to 30.5%.

The above calculations are based on an individual under 65 years old and not receiving any other income. They are also for illustration purposes only and do not constitute tax advice. We would recommend that you seek professional advice before planning your own tax strategies.

At Nimbus Accounting, our aim is to make sure all of our clients minimise their tax liability, to help them grow and develop their businesses in these tough economic times.