Confused about your tax code?

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A tax code is usually made up of one letter and several numbers, for instance 161L or K567 . A tax code is used by your employer or pension provider to calculate the amount of tax to deduct from your pay or pension. If you have the wrong tax code you could end up paying too much or too little tax.
The letters in your tax code have different meanings:
• L- for those tax payers that are eligible for the basic personal allowance or those that are on the emergency code.
• T-if there are any other items HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) needs to review in your tax code.
• P- for persons aged 65 to 74 and eligible for the full personal allowance.
• V-for persons aged 65 to 74, eligible for the full personal allowance and the full married couple’s allowance (for those born before 6 April 1935 and aged under 75) and estimated to be liable at the basic rate of tax.
• Y-for persons aged 75 or over and eligible for the full personal allowance.

If your tax code has two letters but no number, it normally indicates that you have two or more sources of income and that all of your allowances have been applied to the tax code and income from your main job:
•BR-Is used when all your income is taxed at the basic rate – currently 22 per cent (most commonly used for a second job)
•D0-Is used when all your income is taxed at the higher rate of tax – currently 40 per cent (most commonly used for a second job)
•NT-Is used when no tax is to be taken from your income or pension.

Your employer will use an emergency tax code when you start a new job and your pay is above the PAYE threshold or when you declare on your P46 that this is your only job. Also your employer will use the emergency tax code if you don’t give him/her a P45 when starting a new job.
Taxfile in South London can help you sort out your tax code and make sure you pay the right amount of tax.
If you have paid too much tax under the PAYE code , Taxfile‘s tax accountants in Tulse Hill you will get in touch with the Inland Revenue and request a refund on your behalf.

IHT: Transfer of unused nil-rate band

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The Pre-Budget 2007 Report published on Tuesday 9th October announced various changes, one of them referring to the inheritance tax (IHT).
Previously, married couples could transfer an unlimited sum to each other when one died without paying inheritance tax. But when the survivor died, their estate was then taxed at 40% on anything exceeding £300,000.
Couples can now transfer their allowances to each other. When the first person dies, they can transfer their allowance to the second person. When the survivor dies, their beneficiaries can add the two allowances together.
In other words, the change in IHT is concerned with ”the transfer of any unused nil rate band allowance on a person’s death to the estate of their surviving spouse or civil partner.”
It is important to remember that there is a ”permitted period”which is the time limit within which a claim must be made by the personal representative. This is two years from the death of the survivor spouse. If the claim is not be made within the time limit, than a claim may be made by any other person who could be liable to the inheritance tax.
By 2010, the combined tax-free allowance for couples will rise to £700,000.Experts emphasise the need to keep good records, especially where the spouse who dies first does not use the whole of their IHT allowance.
Although this is a great news for married couples or those in civil-partnerships these changes will not help unmarried or non-civil partnership couples, or siblings who share homes.
If you would like to know more details about the way IHT works, you can visit Taxfile’s accountants in South London.

Introduction to Stamp Duty & Stamp Duty Land Tax

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Stamp Duty is a type of tax you pay when you buy land or shares. You pay a Stamp Duty Land Tax when you buy property and Stamp Duty Reserve Tax when you buy shares.
You pay Stamp Duty Land Tax on such properties like houses, flats , other buildings and land. There is a threshold of 125,000 which is tax free. If the land or property is up to 250,000 than you pay a rate of 1% Stamp Duty Land Tax. From 250,001 to 500,000 there is a 2% tax rate and a rate of 4% for am amount exceeding 500,001.
If you want to buy a property which is designated by the government as a disadvantaged property than you do not have to pay any Duty Land Tax for an amount of 150,000 or less.
You pay Stamp Reserve tax when you buy shares. There is a tax rate of 0.5% of the value of the shares.
Stamp duty is payable when the shares are transferred to you using a stock transfer form and Stamp Duty Reserve Tax (SDRT) when the shares re transferred to you electronically,also known as paperless transactions, without using a stock transfer form.
When you buy shares from a stockbroker the transaction is usually completed electronically through the electronic settlement and registration system known as CREST. CREST automatically deducts the Stamp Duty Reserve Tax and sends it to the HMRC. If you do not pay for shares using CREST than you have to pay the stamp duty tax to Inland Revenue yourself.
You do not have to pay UK Duty Stamp or SDRT if you buy foreign shares. There will probably be foreign taxes involved that you need to carefully consider.
When buying either properties or shares, carefully tax planning must be considered. Taxfile’s tax accountants in South London always make sure you never pay more than your minimum tax liability.

Casual labour / subcontracting

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It is not widely known that you must establish someone’s status when you pay them any money for helping you with their labour.The trick or tip is to get them to supply their unique tax reference number. They should invoice you for their services . If they don’t offer an invoice, it’s best to issue a self billing invoice for them to sign at the time you hand over the money.
Lots of people will offer their services to you if you have work which needs doing. In some industries it’s well regulated such as within the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS).
Most labour suppliers will be registered as self employed or a partnership and frequently these days as a limited company.
Each of them will have its own unique tax reference number (UTR).
They are not obliged to put this on their invoice to you.
You must request it if you fall into the classification termed by the government as a contractor or subcontractor.
There is a useful helpline for Construction Industry Scheme if you are not sure about your position and always try to get professional tax advice from companies like Taxfile in South London where their tax accountants make sure to sort out all your tax affairs.
If for example you are doing up a buy to let then you do not necessarily have to register just for this one activity, just make sure you follow the invoicing guidelines as above.
It may seem a lot to ask of the person doing the work for you but these days you just can’t be sure of how the government will react if they discover you have paid someone without adequate proof that they are registered to pay tax on their own profits.
For more information on the new CIS you can refer back to our blog post dated 25th August 2007 entitled ”What is the Construction Industry Scheme?”

Your personal tax allowance

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Everyone who lives in the UK is entitled to a personal allowance. This is the amount of income you can receive each year without having to pay tax on it. Depending on your circumstances, you may also be able to claim certain other allowances.
There are three levels of personal allowance for 2007/2008 tax year:
•Basic rate, which is 5225 (with no income limit)
•age 65 to 74, which is 7550 (with an income limit of 20900)
•age 75 and over 7690 ( with an income limit of 20900).
It is important to bear in mind that if your income is over the income limit, the age related allowance reduces by half of the amount (£1 for every £2) you have over that limit, until the basic rate allowance is reached (you’ll always get the basic allowance, whatever the level of your income).
If you become 65 or 75 during the year to 5 April 2008, you are entitled to the allowance for that age group.

So if, for example, you are 69 and have an income of £22,000( £1100 over the limit) your age-related allowance would reduce by £550 to £7,000.

If HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) knows your age you should get the personal allowance automatically. But bear in mind they won’t know your age unless you’ve told them or shown your date of birth on a tax return or claim form. If you haven’t done this already and you are 65 or over you need to contact your Tax Office.
If you want to claim a tax refund because you didn’t use your personal allowance (or for any other reason), you need to do so within five years from the 31 January following the end of the tax year concerned. Taxfile in South London can help you claim the overpaid tax . Their tax advisers deal with the Inland Revenue on your behalf , taking the strain off you at a taxing time, making sure that you never pay more than your minimum tax liability, whether this be income tax, capital gains tax (CGT) or inheritance tax(IHT).

What is the Construction Industry Scheme?

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The Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) sets out the rules for how payments to subcontractors for construction work must be handled by contractors.

A contractor is a business or other concern that pays subcontractors for construction work. A subcontractor on the other hand is a business that carries out construction work for a contractor.
Under the Scheme, all payments made from contractors to subcontractors must take account of the subcontractor’s tax status as determined by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). This may require the contractors to make a deduction, which they then pay to HMRC.

As of 6 April 2007 the new Construction Industry Scheme replaced the previous scheme. The main changes in the scheme are the following:

• There are no more CIS cards, certificates or vouchers.

• Contractors have the responsibility to ‘verify’ new subcontractors by contacting HMRC.
•Subcontractors are still paid either net or gross, depending on their own circumstances, but it is HMRC who tell the contractor during verification which treatment to use.
•There is a higher rate tax deduction of 30% if a subcontractor has not registered with HMRC.

• The standard rate of deduction for those registered with the Inland Revenue is 20% .
• There are no more CIS annual returns. Now contractors must make a return every month to HMRC, showing payments made to all subcontractors. Returns must be made using official forms. Photocopies are not acceptable.
• Contractors must declare on their return that none of the workers listed on the return are employees. This is called a Status declaration.
•Nil returns must be made when there are no payments in any month. These can be made over the telephone as well as over the Internet or on paper. If made by paper, this must be on an official form. Photocopies will not be accepted. There will be financial penalties for failure to submit a return (including nil returns).

For most of subcontractors, the new CIS is still a puzzle. For this reason, the tax accountants at Taxfile in South London can unveil the mystery behind it. You can pop in to see one of our tax advisers in our office in South London, just two minutes away from Tulse Hill station or you can visit us on www.taxfile.co.uk.

Hi, let me introduce myself! I’m Taxfile and this is what I do:

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• I deal with the Inland Revenue on your behalf taking the strain off you at a taxing time!

• I have over 10 years experience in helping individuals as well as businesses prepare their tax returns and accounts for the tax office.

• I can help you register as self-employed, guide you with your property lettings, set up a limited company or sort out your National Insurance.

• Also, I can assess your eligibility for tax credits ( Pension, Child,Working)or help you register as an employer. You might also need help with your payroll and your book-keeping.• If you need to register for VAT or you have a tax enquiry, I am here for your assistance.

So whether you’re a cab driver or a bricklayer, a painter or a landlord, I can help you with your tax return. I pride myself on providing a personal service at very reasonable rates. Visit www.taxfile.co.uk and judge for yourself!

Tax problem? You name it, I solve it!