If you've recently lost your job and are wondering how tax refunds on redundancy payments work and are considering claiming back tax you may have overpaid, you've come to the right place. Being made redundant is a challenging time, both emotionally and financially. Amongst the many adjustments, understanding your tax position might feel like an unwelcome extra burden. However, here at Taxfile, we know that many individuals who experience redundancy are actually due a tax refund or tax rebate. So, we're here to cut through the jargon and help you get back what you're owed.

The post Tax Refunds After Redundancy: Claiming Your Cash Back – A Taxfile Guide appeared first on Taxfile.

Have you ever thought about your pension? It might seem far away, but it's super important to start thinking about it now! One of the key things that helps build your future pension is your National Insurance (NI) contributions. In today's post, we explain an important deadline that you won't want to miss out on if you have gaps in your NI contributions and would like to potentially boost your state pension.

The post Don’t Miss Out! Your Future Pension Needs YOU! – Check Your NI Contributions by April 5th, 2025 appeared first on Taxfile.

[Updated February 2025]: If you missed the 31 January deadline to submit your self-assessment tax return, you are now into the penalty stage. HMRC applies an automatic £100 penalty to those who are anywhere from 1 day to 3 months late. Further penalties are then added if you take even longer to comply. It's even worse if you haven't paid the tax owed to HMRC by 31 January because you'll then owe interest on that too.

Our Advice if You’re Late

If you are late submitting your tax return and/or paying the tax owed, our advice is to:

1. submit your tax return without delay;
2. pay as much tax as you can as soon as possible*.
   By doing both, you'll minimise the penalty and interest payable to HMRC.

* Payment of any historic tax for 2023/24 and prior years is best dealt with by the last day of February at the latest. Any amount that remains due for 2023/24 is considered late thereafter and will attract an automatic HMRC charge of 5%.

The post Missed the Tax Return Deadline? What Happens Now? appeared first on Taxfile.

[As at 31 January 2025]: The 31st January is THE FINAL DEADLINE by which you need to file your Self Assessment tax return with HMRC. If you miss that deadline (11.59pm on 31st), you risk a £100 HMRC fine right away plus other significant penalties thereafter. Interest will also be charged from 1 February if tax is not paid by midnight on 31 January (rules apply).

Time is running out, 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 and we'll make filling in and submitting your tax return simple!

The post 31 January Was the Tax Return Deadline! appeared first on Taxfile.

If you're self-employed in the UK, you need to file a self-assessment tax return each year. It's not only the self-employed, though. If you are on a higher income* or receive untaxed income from property rental, savings, investments, or dividends, you also have to submit a return. Getting all the fields filled in properly and the figures right can sometimes be difficult, though. That's where professional help will be worth its weight in gold. But what information will your accountant or tax advisor need from you? That's what today's post is all about, and we'll explain exactly what information you'll need to supply.

^{* (Those earning more than £100,000 currently, or over £150,000 from next year).}

The post Information You Need to Supply for Professional Help with Your Tax Return appeared first on Taxfile.

October 2024's Autumn Budget delivered a significant blow to investors with the announcement of increased Capital Gains Tax (CGT) rates. Today, we explore the new rates, how they will affect the sale of assets, and how investors can mitigate their effects.

The post Capital Gains Tax Hike: A Blow to Investors appeared first on Taxfile.

Are you a sole trader or in a partnership? 

Do you have different accounting dates from the standard 6th of April to the 5th of Apri?

If you answered YES to both questions, some IMPORTANT changes will apply for the tax year 2023-24.

The concept of the basis period determines the time frame used to calculate taxable profits or losses for self-employed individuals, partnerships, and some trusts.  It marks a departure from the traditional "current year" basis, where business profits were taxed based on the accounting period ending within the tax year. Instead, it introduces a "tax year" basis, aligning taxable profits with the UK's standard tax year, running from 6 April to 5 April.

The post Understanding Basis Period Reform for Self-Assessment Tax in the UK appeared first on Taxfile.

Value Added Tax (VAT), a consumption tax levied on most goods and services in the UK, plays a significant role in the nation's economy. Whether you're a sole trader, limited company business owner or simply a curious consumer, understanding VAT is crucial for navigating the UK's tax system effectively. Today's comprehensive guide explains what it is, the various VAT rates, when you need to be registered for the tax, VAT schemes, and more.

The post Navigating the VAT Landscape in the UK: A Comprehensive Guide appeared first on Taxfile.

[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!

[av_buttonrow alignment='center' button_spacing='5' button_spacing_unit='px' alb_description='' id='' custom_class='' template_class='' av_uid='av-2y1ep2' sc_version='1.0' admin_preview_bg='']
[av_buttonrow_item label='020 8761 8000' icon_select='yes' icon='ue854' font='entypo-fontello' link='manually,tel:02087618000' link_target='' size='medium' label_display='' title_attr='' color_options='color_options_advanced' color='theme-color' custom_bg='#444444' custom_font='#ffffff' btn_color_bg='custom' btn_custom_grad_direction='vertical' btn_custom_grad_1='#000000' btn_custom_grad_2='#ffffff' btn_custom_grad_3='' btn_custom_grad_opacity='0.7' btn_custom_bg='#febe10' btn_color_bg_hover='custom' btn_custom_bg_hover='#edb009' btn_color_font='black' btn_custom_font='#ffffff' btn_color_font_hover='white' btn_custom_font_hover='#ffffff' border='none' border_width='' border_width_sync='true' border_color='' border_radius='20' border_radius_sync='true' box_shadow='none' box_shadow_style='3px,3px,2px,2px' box_shadow_color='' hover_opacity='' sonar_effect_effect='' sonar_effect_color='' sonar_effect_duration='1' sonar_effect_scale='' sonar_effect_opac='0.5' av_uid='av-kya0175q' sc_version='1.0']
[av_buttonrow_item label='Book Appointment' icon_select='yes' icon='ue85b' font='entypo-fontello' link='manually,https://taxfile.appointy.com/' link_target='_blank' size='medium' label_display='' title_attr='' color_options='color_options_advanced' color='theme-color' custom_bg='#444444' custom_font='#ffffff' btn_color_bg='custom' btn_custom_grad_direction='vertical' btn_custom_grad_1='#000000' btn_custom_grad_2='#ffffff' btn_custom_grad_3='' btn_custom_grad_opacity='0.7' btn_custom_bg='#febe10' btn_color_bg_hover='custom' btn_custom_bg_hover='#edb009' btn_color_font='black' btn_custom_font='#ffffff' btn_color_font_hover='white' btn_custom_font_hover='#ffffff' border='none' border_width='' border_width_sync='true' border_color='' border_radius='20' border_radius_sync='true' box_shadow='none' box_shadow_style='3px,3px,2px,2px' box_shadow_color='' hover_opacity='' sonar_effect_effect='' sonar_effect_color='' sonar_effect_duration='1' sonar_effect_scale='' sonar_effect_opac='0.5' av_uid='av-kya0175q' sc_version='1.0']
[av_buttonrow_item label='Get Started Here' icon_select='yes' icon='ue897' font='entypo-fontello' link='manually,https://www.taxfile.co.uk/tax-returns/' link_target='' size='medium' label_display='' title_attr='' color_options='color_options_advanced' color='theme-color' custom_bg='#444444' custom_font='#ffffff' btn_color_bg='custom' btn_custom_grad_direction='vertical' btn_custom_grad_1='#000000' btn_custom_grad_2='#ffffff' btn_custom_grad_3='' btn_custom_grad_opacity='0.7' btn_custom_bg='#febe10' btn_color_bg_hover='custom' btn_custom_bg_hover='#edb009' btn_color_font='black' btn_custom_font='#ffffff' btn_color_font_hover='white' btn_custom_font_hover='#ffffff' border='none' border_width='' border_width_sync='true' border_color='' border_radius='20' border_radius_sync='true' box_shadow='none' box_shadow_style='3px,3px,2px,2px' box_shadow_color='' hover_opacity='' sonar_effect_effect='' sonar_effect_color='' sonar_effect_duration='1' sonar_effect_scale='' sonar_effect_opac='0.5' av_uid='av-kya0175q' sc_version='1.0']
[/av_buttonrow]

The post 31st January was the Self Assessment Tax Return Deadline! appeared first on Taxfile.

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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FyysHPtvFU

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

The post Key Takeaways from the Spring Statement 2022 appeared first on Taxfile.