The media has been reporting recently on HMRC inquiries into the employment status of BBC personnel. The inquiries will establish whether workers should be taxed as employees or whether they are self employed. HMRC have always been very clear that employment status is never a matter of choice but is dictated by the employment relationship. […]
Archives for 2016
We’ve partnered with Quickbooks Online!
We are always looking for efficient and cost effective ways of helping small local businesses. Whether it’s by completing timely and accurate VAT returns, taking the headache out of your payroll, getting your Auto-Enrolment sorted by your staging date or even just a chat about how the business is going over a cup of tea […]
Do you think Auto Enrolment duties don’t apply to you?
There can’t be many business owners who haven’t heard about or seen the adverts on television about the workplace pension (Auto Enrolment) but how many think it doesn’t apply to them? Auto Enrolment duties do not apply when a company or individual meet the following criteria: You are a sole director company with no […]
National Minimum Wage Rises
From 1st October 2016 new minimum wage rates will apply to workers up to the age of 24. The National Living Wage rate of £7.20 per hour which was applicable from 1st April 2016 doesn’t change. The National Living Wage must be paid to workers aged 25 and over. Workers aged 21-24 will see their […]
Five things we like best about Xero
Business owners need to keep accounts in order to determine their profitability (or not) and to satisfy HM Revenue & Customs requirements so there can’t be many business owners who aren’t using one of the myriad of accounting software to do this. But using accounting software is not a necessity. If you only have a […]
Expenses for the Self-Employed
As a self-employed person do you ever wonder what expenses you are allowed to deduct from the income you earn? Do you worry that you are not claiming everything you could? Or perhaps worry that you are claiming things that you shouldn’t? So what sort of things could you claim against your income? HM Revenue […]
More Penalties for Employers
Earlier this month the Government’s Department for Business named another 197 employers who have not paid their workers the National Minimum Wage making a total of 687 since the scheme to publicly name and shame employers was introduced in October 2013. These employers between them owed their employees £3.5 million. The Government doesn’t distinguish between large or smaller […]
Are you ready for a VAT Inspection?
If you are a VAT registered business you should always be prepared for a VAT inspection. Do you keep your accounts records up to date so you can instantly lay your hands on the paperwork the VAT Inspector is asking for? I have dealt with visits from HMRC VAT Inspectors for a half a dozen […]
Our Bookkeeper Stars
It takes hard work and a lot of dedication to go to work and study at the same time especially when you have young children too. Two of our bookkeepers, Sarah and Ruth, have just achieved the best possible results in their Level 4 Bookkeeping and Accounting exams. They both have young families and have […]
What you should know when calculating pay for your leaver
When an employee hands in their notice the first thing you will think about is how you are going to manage without them and how you are going to find a replacement soon enough for your leaving employee to train them. Most small businesses will not have sufficient resources to have trained a “spare” and […]