New 30-Day Rules for Capital Gains on Residential Property

New 30-Day Rules for Capital Gains on Residential Property

New 30-Day Rules for Capital Gains on Residential Property

New rules have now come into force in relation to capital gains made on disposals of UK residential property*. Several key actions are now required if a taxable capital gain has arisen, including some that now need to be made fast:

  1. Taxpayers need to report the property’s disposal within 30 days of the actual disposal;
  2. They will need to pay the estimated Capital Gains Tax (‘CGT’) to HMRC within 30 days of the disposal.
  3. Those who fill in and submit a Self-Assessment tax return will also need to include details of the disposal on their return.

Who Do the New CGT Rules Apply To?

The new rules apply whether you’re an individual, joint property owner, trustee, partner in a partnership or LLP, or a personal representative.

What Counts as a Residential Property Disposal?

The new rules apply to all UK residential property that was disposed of (taken as the date of the exchange of contracts) since 6 April 2020 inclusive, where a capital gain was made that will require payment of CGT.

To fall within the rules, a UK residential property must be one that:

  • is suitable for use as a dwelling, or;
  • is being built or adapted for use as a dwelling.

It can be one in which the the owner has never lived or has lived for only part of the period they owned it. It can also be a rental property or a holiday home.

Where a property has been used for mixed purposes, only the capital gain that’s equivalent to Read more

How we harness technology at Taxfile in Tulse Hill, Dulwich, Devon & Cornwall

Harnessing Technology at Taxfile

How we harness technology at Taxfile in Tulse Hill, Dulwich, Devon & Cornwall

The rapid pace of technological change has caused some of the biggest shifts in how we view and process our tax returns. At Taxfile, we’re constantly striving to use technology as effectively as possible to aid us in collecting, analysing, and collaborating when working on your personal data.

Over the pandemic, we’ve had to place our reliance even further on technology to maintain our standards, with regular meetings online. We’re constantly improving the efficiency of our work pipeline and, with the ability to pull figures directly from online bank statements, we can ensure precision in the numbers we present you with. For the last two years, we’ve implemented cloud technology as both a collaborative tool between our senior and junior staff and as storage for various databases used to track everything from employee working hours to the status of your tax return. We’re expanding further on this concept in collaboration with Pure Technology by merging our existing cloud systems with our current remote work solution to form one, all-encompassing workspace environment. Hosting it in the Microsoft Cloud ensures that, with the help of our office staff, your paperwork and bookings can be sent to and viewed by your tax agent as soon as possible. This and a variety of other endeavours are examples of our ambitions to be at the forefront of innovations, and constant review of our policies ensures we remain ahead, or on track, to meet the standards set by Making Tax Digital (MTD) for its 2023 launch.

Contact South London’s Favourite Accountant

Taxfile can help you with all your tax or accountancy requirements. We offer Read more

PAYE, 2021/22 Tax Thresholds, Employment Allowance & P800s

PAYE, 2021/22 Tax Thresholds, Employment Allowance & P800s

PAYE, 2021/22 Tax Thresholds, Employment Allowance & P800s

My name is Daniel and I have been a part of the Taxfile family since 2007. It started as a part-time job doing bookkeeping, but as time went on, I developed new abilities and a deeper understanding of the tax world. PAYE, VAT, and Company Register are now my areas of expertise.

I understand how complicated the tax world is, so here are a few PAYE things to consider:

Understanding the tax thresholds for 2021-2022

PAYE is calculated based on how much you earn and whether you are eligible for the personal allowance.

  • Standard Rate: PAYE income tax is charged at 20%, less a personal allowance of £12,570, this is signified by tax code 1257L.
  • Higher Rate: For most, income over £50,270 to £150,000 is charged at 40%.
  • Additional Rate: Income above £150,000 is charged at 45%.

What is the Employment Allowance?

The Employment Allowance allows certain businesses that employ workers to reduce their annual National Insurance (NI) bill by up to £4,000 (for the 2021/22 tax year).
Eligible businesses can claim a reduction against their employer’s Class 1 NI liability up to a maximum of £4,000 each tax year. You can still claim the allowance if the liability was less than £4,000 in a tax year.

You can’t claim if you’re a company with only one employee paid above the Class 1 National Insurance Secondary Threshold (£8,840 for the 2021/22 tax year, up from £8,788 for the 2020/21 tax year) if that employee is also a director of the company.

How will I know if I haven’t paid the right amount of PAYE?

HMRC will send out a P800 tax calculation form after the tax year ends on 5 April, which you should receive by the end of November. This will show how much tax is due to be refunded, or is owed for previous years.

Another significant aspect of Taxfile is that it works with a wide range of accounts software (Sage, QuickBooks, Xero, FreeAgent, VT, Forbes, Moneysoft, and so on) and can accommodate everyone. These are just a few examples, but if you need assistance with any area of PAYE, VAT, or other types of tax, Taxfile and the team are here to help. Call Taxfile on 020 8761 8000, book a free appointment (in-person and phone or video call options are available) or simply message us your tax-related query and we’ll be happy to help. We are accountants and tax experts in South London and the South West.

This post was brought to you by Daniel at Taxfile.

Get peace of mind by using an experienced and friendly team of tax advisers and accountants

Peace of Mind from Using an Experienced Tax Team

Get peace of mind by using an experienced and friendly team of tax advisers and accountants

When using Taxfile, you are using an experienced team that will make dealing with your tax affairs seamless. A lot of clients start by coming into our office stressed and overwhelmed, not knowing where to start. Using your current position and needs, we plan a step-by-step approach to keep you on top of your affairs and the relationship between you and HMRC harmonious. Once you are officially on board with us, we will have access to your HMRC record and, with our dedicated agent lines to HMRC, we’ll be able to speak to them on your behalf. This way, you are free from having to call them yourself and wait longer than we do for a call handler. You can also have any issues or queries explained to you in an easy to understand way by our friendly team. If you receive any letters that from HMRC and you don’t understand anything, we will be able to take a look for you and explain what it’s all about.

Any fee you pay Taxfile is tax deductible, so will be put on your tax return and result in a reduction of tax.

Our up-to-date knowledge of the tax system will give you peace of mind, alleviate any anxiety you may have and make the whole experience very different to how a lot of people find it when they are not using a team like ours. We know the best way to approach a tax situation that, without our experience and knowledge, could otherwise result in a lot more time and money being spent unnecessarily. From something as small as missing a tax return deadline, it can spiral into something a lot bigger, potentially including penalties, late payment interest, debt collection agencies being involved and so on. We inform all our clients of upcoming deadlines, for their particular tax situation, and let them know what needs doing and when, avoiding this situation and many more.

Unlike a lot of other companies, our tax experts and accountants are approachable, accessible and happy to help. We’re a unique tax advisor and accountancy practice like no other, with offices in Tulse Hill, Dulwich and Devon. We can help with any tax-related issues, including bookkeeping, filling in a tax return, limited company accounts, help accounting for property lettings tax refunds and anything accountancy-related. Call Taxfile on 020 8761 8000, book a free 20-minute appointment with us (remote or in-person options available) or simply email us your tax-related query here.

This post was brought to you by Julie at Taxfile.

Tax “Payment Plans” are ENDING – Act NOW if you Owe Tax!

Tax Debt “Payment Plans” are Ending - Act NOW if you Owe Tax!

Are you late paying your tax? Do you owe unpaid tax for the last financial year, or earlier? Are you struggling to pay it?

Taxfile has recently been helping some of our customers with tax debts from 2019/20 and earlier. In particular, we’re helping them to arrange payment plans with HMRC as part of their ‘Time to Pay‘ scheme. This spreads the cost of those tax debts instead of paying them off in one go. This is really useful to those who are struggling financially following the pandemic. The new payment plans are only available until 1 April 2021, though, so really you should apply by 31 March 2021. Our advice is to act now if you are in a position to take advantage of the payment plans while they’re still — just about — available.

The benefits of arranging a tax payment plan now

Agreeing a payment plan with HMRC will help avoid the 5% late payment penalty that’s usually charged on outstanding tax not paid by the deadline. And, of course, spreading the cost helps those who might otherwise struggle to get together the full amount in one transaction. The HMRC interest rate seems relatively low too.

How Tax Payment Plans have gone so far

What we’ve found so far is that Read more

Act NOW & get 5% Off 2019-20 Self-Assessment Tax Return Fees

Act NOW & get 5% Off 2019-20 Self-Assessment Tax Return Fees

Act NOW & get 5% Off 2019-20 Self-Assessment Tax Return Fees

Have you contacted us about your 2019-20 Self Assessment tax return yet?

If not, please get in touch early this month (November). You’ll save 5% or more¹ by acting right away. You’ll also avoid the coming bottleneck if you act now. So, please get in touch:

We’ll then confirm the next steps.

1. If you supply everything in time for us to submit your tax return by 30 November 2020, you’ll save 5% off our standard tax return fees. You’ll save even more compared to the higher prices that we’ll need to impose closer to the self-assessment deadline. Our prices will also increase very soon to cover weekend working and overtime to cater for those who leave it to the last minute. Please bear in mind that the pandemic lock-down will make things even harder than usual, so please act now and plan ahead.

2. Worried about COVID? There’s no need! We can do ‘virtual’ meetings instead, for example by telephone, Zoom, Teams, WhatsApp, Google Hangouts, Skype, Facetime or whatever suits you best. So, we don’t even need to meet face-to-face. Just give us a call on 020 8761 8000 to discuss your preferences. We’re here to help!

Taxfile are accountants and tax advisors in South London and the South West, with offices in Tulse Hill, Dulwich, Battersea & Devon.

Small Trader? Make the Most of These 2 Allowances!

Small Trader? Make the Most of These 2 Allowances!

Small trader? Make the most of these 2 allowances!

Small traders with very modest incomes are currently eligible for a couple of very useful allowances. Both of these could save them money — and some paperwork:

1. Tax-Free Allowance for small traders

If you receive income of no more than £1000 per annum (before expenses) from property or trading income, you don’t need to tell HMRC, you don’t need to pay tax and usually you don’t need to do a self-assessment tax return. If you have both types of income and each earns you no more than £1000 gross per annum, you are usually eligible for the tax-free allowance in BOTH cases! There are exceptions, of course, but these are the general guidelines. Income from property or land speaks for itself, while ‘trading‘ would include things like self-employment, hiring out personal equipment or services like gardening, window cleaning or babysitting. Partnerships are not eligible.

2. Trading Income Allowance

If you are paying tax but have expenses below £1000 per annum, you could reduce the tax by claiming for ‘Trading Income Allowance’ instead of claiming for the actual expenses themselves. In effect, it’s like claiming for £1000 worth of expenses rather than the lower amount of expenses that you’ve incurred in reality. This aspect is all explained in greater detail, with a simple example, in our previous Trading Income Allowance article here.

It’s important to know, though, that you cannot claim both the Read more

Income Tax – Second Payment on Account Deferral

The self-assessment tax line usually follows the process outlined in the image below, with 31st July signalling the last day you can make your second payment on account before interest would be charged.

However, due to COVID-19, the 2nd payment on account can now be deferred till 31/01/2021.  This means that the amount needs to be paid sometime between now and the end of January, when you will be making the outstanding payment for your 19/20 tax return (if applicable), along with the first payment on account towards your 20/21 tax return.

You can choose to make the payment as normal if you want to but if you choose to to make the payment(s) over time, there is nothing you need to do.  HMRC has just extended the deadline and there is no need to call them or tell us.  If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact our expert tax agents on 020 8761 8000.

Wandsworth Council chooses Taxfile for its Tax Return Support Scheme

In an extraordinary measure to help its community, Wandsworth council has set up a Tax Return Support Scheme for those needing to do a 2018/19 tax return in order to qualify for the Self-employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS).

In response to COVID-19, SEISS will provide direct cash grants worth 80% of trading profits up to a maximum of £2,500 per month for self-employed individuals with profits of less than £50,000 per annum.  To be eligible for this scheme, you will need to have submitted your tax returns for 2018-19 by the extended deadline of Thursday 23 April.

To assist the community captured by Wandsworth council, the scheme is to help members submit tax returns when they otherwise might not have been in a position to do so.

At Taxfile we are delighted to be considered as one of their ‘local accountants’ who will advise and assist residents to complete their 2018/19 tax returns.   This service is provided by Wandsworth council for FREE, as the council covers the cost.

The submissions need to be sent to HMRC by no later than 23/04/20, so the council has placed a cut-off date 17/04/2020 to take advantage of their free support.

To be eligible for Wandsworth council’s Tax return Support Scheme you must;

 

  • Be a Wandsworth resident
  • Be self-employed (sole trader, freelancer or CIS contractor)
  • Have a Unique Tax Reference number (UTR)
  • Have made a profit of less than £50,000 or less in the 2018/19 tax year
  • Not yet have submitted your 2018/19 tax return
  • Not be a director of your own limited company

[UPDATE: Please note that the Wandsworth council’s scheme has now ended].

If you would like any advice, we offer a free 20-minute consultation, please call us on 020 8761 8000.

 

Over 400 tax returns submitted

We Submitted Over 400 Tax Returns in January!

Over 400 tax returns submitted

Taxfile prepared and submitted more than 400 Self-Assessment tax returns for clients during January. That’s about a hundred a week and goes to show just how busy it gets for us during January, the busiest month in our accounting calendar.

Did you submit your tax return on time?

The deadline for submission of your tax return (and payment of any tax due) was 31st January at midnight. Did you manage to submit yours in time? If not, you’re already into the ‘penalty’ period where HMRC basically fine you for being late. The penalty comes in the form of an initial £100 fine but that increases, potentially very significantly, as you get later and later with your tax return submission. If you look at the table below, it’s safe to say that you can end up owing a thousand pounds or more if you bury your head in the sand and are 3 months late, or more.  If you continue to leave your tax payment and tax return submission outstanding for six months or more, the penalty is £1300 as a minimum – perhaps more (it depends upon how much tax you owe).

Late return penalties by HMRC

Is your tax return & tax payment late? Taxfile can help!

If you are late submitting your tax return or paying tax and don’t know how to straighten things out, don’t Read more