Entries by Mark

Boost State Pension by Plugging Gaps in National Insurance

IMPORTANT: the video mentions the original deadline in April 2023. This has now been extended to 31 July 2023.

Do you have gaps in your National Insurance record? If so, it could mean that you could get a lower State Pension when you reach state retirement age, particularly if you are aged between approximately 45 and 70 at the moment. Generally speaking, you need 10 years of contributions for a basic state pension and around 30 to 35 years for a full state pension. It does vary by circumstance though and, even with gaps, some people might have enough qualifying years for the full state pension already.

Urgently Check Whether You Have National Insurance Gaps

Our advice is to urgently check whether you do have any gaps in your National Insurance record. If so, in many cases it would be wise to make some one-off payments to plug any gaps for the years 2006 to 2016. However, there is limited time to do so despite the deadline for this opportunity having been extended from early April to the end of July 2023 [UPDATE: This has now been extended again to 5th April 2025]. Thereafter, the chance to fix all 11 years from 2006 to 2016 will be gone forever.More information follows, including how to check, how to top up and more.

Missed the Tax Return Deadline? What Happens Now?

Missed the Tax Return Deadline? What Happens Now?

[February 2023]: If you missed the deadline to submit your self-assessment tax return, the first thing to know is that you are now into the penalty stage. HMRC applies an automatic £100 penalty to those who are even 1 day late (the deadline was 11.59pm on 31st January) and further penalties are added if you take even longer to comply. It’s worse, of course, if you also haven’t paid any tax owed as you’ll then owe interest too, so our advice is to pay as much as you can as soon as possible, so you’ll reduce any element of interest. However, if you “took reasonable care to meet” a deadline and there is a genuine reason why you were late, you have the option to appeal if your circumstances fit eligible criteria. Let’s take a look …

31st January was the Self Assessment Tax Return Deadline!

Today (31 January) is the self-assessment tax return deadline!

[As at 1 February 2023]: The 31st January was the Self Assessment tax return and tax payment deadline. Miss the deadline and you’ll be in for a £100 HMRC fine right away. Interest will also be charged from 1 February, as usual, if tax is not paid by midnight on 31 January (rules apply). Time is short, so contact Taxfile for help with your tax return as soon as possible please. Book an appointment* with one of our helpful tax advisors and accountancy experts TODAY — we’ll make it easy!

020 8761 8000
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1 Week to the Self Assessment Tax Return Deadline!

1 week to the self-assessment tax return deadline!

[As at 24 January 2023]: This is the final week in the run-up to the Self Assessment tax return and tax payment deadline. Miss the deadline (31st January) and you’ll be in for a £100 HMRC fine right away. Interest will also be charged from 1 February, as usual, if tax is not paid by midnight on 31 January (rules apply). Time is short, so contact Taxfile for help with your tax return as soon as possible please. Book an appointment* with one of our helpful tax advisors and accountancy experts TODAY — we’ll make it easy!

020 8761 8000
Book Appointment

Get Started Here

2 Weeks to the Self Assessment Tax Return Deadline!

[As at 17 January 2023]: There are only about 2 weeks left in which to file your Self Assessment tax return and pay any tax due by the official deadline of 31 January. Miss the deadline (31st January) and you’ll straight away incur a £100 HMRC penalty. Interest will also be charged by HMRC if […]

Saturday Appointments in January – Book Now for Tax Returns Etc.

Saturday Appointments Available in January - Book Now for Tax Returns Etc.

Taxfile is open on Saturday mornings in January, by appointment. Saturdays might be useful if you need to see us for your 2021/22 tax return, or any other accountancy work, but can’t do it on a weekday. Saturday slots are limited; there are only 4 Saturdays available in January and opening times will be from 9am until 1pm. So, please book in today if a weekend appointment suits you — before slots are all taken. Late appointments are also available on Mondays and Tuesdays, when we open until 6pm, or choose any other weekday if you can come earlier. Please note that we close earlier, at 3pm, on Fridays.

020 8761 8000
Book Appointment

Get Started Here

3 Weeks to the Self Assessment Tax Return Deadline!

3 weeks to the self-assessment tax return deadline!

[As at 10 January 2023]: There are only about 3 weeks left in which to file your Self Assessment tax return with HMRC. Miss the deadline (31st January) and you’ll straight away be in for a £100 HMRC fine, so don’t delay — contact Taxfile for help with your tax return. Book an appointment* with one of our helpful tax advisors and accountancy experts TODAY and we’ll make it easy!

CIS Sub-contractors – Claim Your Tax Refund Now!

CIS sub-contractor refunds

[Updated April/May 2022]: It’s now time to start the process of claiming your tax refund if you are a sub-contractor working within the Construction Industry Scheme (‘CIS’). Refunds are usually fast through Taxfile.

What you need to do

Don’t delay – book an appointment with Taxfile today by calling 0208 761 8000 and we’ll sort it all out for you. We have staff who speak English, Polish, Pashto, Dari, Russian, French, and Dutch, should you need them on the day. Our Tulse Hill office is at 25 Thurlow Park Road, London SE21 8JP. Call 0208 761 8000 for an appointment — the first 20 minutes is free! Alternatively, you can have a ‘virtual’ appointment with us on Zoom, Teams, Google Hangouts, Skype, FaceTime, WhatsApp or whatever you prefer.

Outside of London? No problem – click here.

We’re open from Monday to Saturday in April & May (including early evenings Mon/Tues)

Our Tulse Hill office is open 6 days a week during April & May and offers Saturday morning appointments plus early evening appointments on Mondays and Tuesdays if standard office hours do not suit you (please call for details).

Check List

  • Book an appointment by calling 0208 761 8000;
  • Bring in records of your invoices, whether they are self-billed or your own. If any are lost, try to bring copies.
  • Bring in all your CIS statements and receipts for the period 6th April 2021 to 5th April 2022;
  • Even if you don’t yet have your most recent CIS statement, we can still make a start;
  • Show us receipts for things you use for work including tools, equipment and plant hire – the law expects you to keep proof so don’t throw anything away;
  • Bring receipts for materials too, as some can be offset to maximise your tax refund;
  • If you had any equipment or tools stolen during the year, make sure you bring a crime reference number so we can obtain tax relief on those items;
  • Bring in bank statements — if any records for income or expenditure have been lost, bank statements can prove vital to fill in the gaps and give us a better view of your overall tax situation;
  • Lastly, if you have any payslips from any employment during the year, please do also bring in those.

Contact Taxfile to get your CIS tax refund fast!

Taxfile are experts at claiming back CIS tax refunds – we do over 500 of these per year and usually sub-contractors receive their refunds in just 2-4 weeks (often sooner for those who beat the rush and come in early). Taxfile are also very well trusted by HMRC so our sub-contractor CIS submissions and refund requests are rarely questioned. And currently we’re open 6 days a week at the Tulse Hill branch!

Come and see us. Our offices are ideally located if you’re in Tulse Hill, Battersea, Brixton, Dulwich, Elephant & Castle, Streatham, Camberwell, Peckham, West Norwood, Clapham, Stockwell, Herne Hill, Clapham, Pimlico, Vauxhall, Balham, South Lambeth, Earlsfield, Southfields, Wandsworth, Chelsea, Fulham & beyond.

  • Need a Saturday morning appointment? No problem – call us on 0208 761 8000 for latest staff availability.
  • Need a late afternoon/early evening appointment on a Monday or Tuesday? Again, no problem — call 0208 761 8000.

Why you’re due a tax refund

CIS construction workers like you are usually taxed at source before being paid, and this usually results in a tax overpayment. That’s because you were taxed on the first £12,500 of your income even though that part falls within your 2020-21 ‘Personal Allowance’, i.e. the part of your income that should be tax-free. In addition, by pre-paying the tax, you will not have offset any allowable expenses such as tools etc. To rectify this, Taxfile will help you get the figures right, offset all allowable expenses and maximise your tax refund! Most sub-contractors receive their tax rebate within just 2 to 4 weeks, through Taxfile.

Working through a Limited Company?

Perhaps you a sub-contractor working through a limited company? If so, that’s also no problem! As well as CIS tax refunds, we can help limited companies with accounts preparation, confirmation statements, corporation tax computations, CIS set-off rebate, National Insurance (N.I.), VAT and much more.

Call Taxfile on 0208 761 8000. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Key Takeaways from the Spring Statement 2022

Key Takeaways from the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Spring Statement 2022

The Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled his Spring Statement for 2022 on 23 March and in some ways it was more like a mini budget.

Key takeaways from the Spring Statement include:

  • The earnings threshold at which you start to pay National Insurance Contributions (NICs) will increase to £12,570 from July 2022. This is currently set at £9,880 (correct at time of writing, March 2022), so will leave people with more money in their pockets.
  • Class 2 NICs for the self-employed will also reduce, from April 2022, to zero for profits between £6,515 and £9,568
  • 5p per litre has been cut immediately from fuel duty.
  • The basic rate of income tax will reduce from 20% to 19% starting in April 2024.
  • The Employment Allowance will increase to £5,000 per annum from April 2022. Currently it’s set at £4,000. The allowance reduces the NICs that employers have to pay.
  • VAT on materials that save energy will be reduced from 5% to zero from April 2022. This should reduce the cost of things like solar panels, heat pumps and insulation.
  • Councils in England will be able to pass on their share of an additional £500m in extra Government support via the Household Support Fund. The new tranche is for the period 2022/23. The fund helps vulnerable residents, via councils, with short-term help with things like fuel and household bills, food, clothing and other essentials. The previous tranche ends on 31 March 2022, so this is timely.

Watch the Chancellor’s 28 minute Spring Statement 2022, as delivered to the House of Commons, in the video above. Alternatively get all the detail in the House’s briefing summary here. There’s also a