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Latest e-Newsletter Confirms Important Updates

Latest News on Gov. Grants, Support, Loans, Deadlines & More

Latest e-Newsletter Confirms Important Updates

Don’t miss our latest newsletter. Published just this week, it includes several updates on the latest Government support for small businesses during the pandemic, including:

  • a possible 4th SEISS grant coming for the self-employed and …
  • extensions of both the Job Retention Scheme (‘furlough’) ….
  • and Bounce-Back Loan Scheme.
  • There’s also a useful link where you can check what help may be available to you using a simple but genius interactive interface.

The newsletter also includes imminent deadlines that may affect you and news about a significant VAT change that will affect the entire Construction Sector.

Have you submitted your Self-Assessment tax return for the year 2019-20? It’s due in a few days! Learn more in the newsletter or get the ball rolling here.

Have you paid any tax you owe for the same period? It’s now overdue if not. Also see the newsletter for more information contact us using the yellow buttons below.

Learn much more about all these topics and more in our latest e-Newsletter, which can be viewed here. For help with any tax or accounting related issue, simply contact us and we’ll be happy to help. Choose an option below …

Don't miss THIS on your self-assessment tax return!

Don’t Miss THIS on your Tax Return! (Checklist)

Don't miss THIS on your self-assessment tax return! (Checklist)

The standard Self-Assessment Tax Return includes all the usual areas that you’d expect to have to confirm to HMRC. These include the obvious things like personal details, information about income for the period in question, any assets, dividends, interest received, pensions and so on.

However, there are a number of additional areas that you need to check and confirm before the return is submitted and filed with HMRC. It’s not an exhaustive list, but things people sometimes miss and that you need to check you have allowed for (if applicable) include:

  • Employment Income — have you confirmed any employment income? Have you supplied Taxfile, if we’re your tax agent or accountant, with copies of P60’s and P11D’s. Did you have any employment expenses?
  • Self-Employment Income or Partnership Income — have you confirmed any self-employed or partnership income and relevant expenses? Have you supplied all CIS vouchers, invoices, cash income etc. if applicable?
  • UK Land & Property Income — have you confirmed any rental income and relevant expenses for each property you perhaps rent out?
  • Foreign Income — did you receive any foreign income? Have you confirmed it?
  • Trust Income — did you receive any trust income or are you treated as having received any trust income?
  • Capital Gains — have you sold any assets or investments which may be subject to capital gains tax e.g. a rental house, stocks and shares etc?
  • Residence — were you, for all or part of the year, not resident, not ‘ordinarily resident’ or not ‘domiciled’ in the UK?
  • Investment Income — have you confirmed any bank/building society interest, dividends, etc?
  • Pension Income — are you in receipt of any? It needs confirming if so.
  • Any other income received that doesn’t fit into any of the above e.g. Job Seekers Allowance, Tax Credits? Child Benefit is an important one, especially if one parent is earning £50k or more. Marriage Allowance is another.
  • Do you have a pension that you pay into? If so, how much did you pay for the period in question?
  • Have you given any money to charity? Higher rate taxpayers can usually get extra tax relief on this.
  • Do you have a student loan?
  • Are you subject to the High Income Benefit Charge?
  • Do you use a service company?
  • Have you been paying your National Insurance?
  • Have you been keeping good records?

Taxfile will always prompt you to check for things like these if you’re our customer, before we submit your tax return on your behalf. As we say above, though, the list is not an exhaustive one, so there may be other information we need, depending upon your individual situation. The list of what HMRC requires each year also Read more

Further Delays on the Roll-Out of the Domestic Reverse Charge for the Building & Construction Services.

The domestic reverse-charge is a major change to the way VAT is collected by HMRC in the building and construction industry reporting under the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS).

It was being introduced to combat VAT fraud in the sector and the initial roll-out on 1st October 2019 was delayed due to a combination of the sector being ill-prepared for the change and Brexit. The date was moved forward 12-months to 1st October 2020 but due to COVID-19 the start date has been further advanced to 1st March 2021.

At Taxfile, we will start contacting our VAT clients working under the CIS, in preparation for the 1st March 2021 start date.

If you would like to know how to prepare your business for this, you will need to: Read more

Watch out for scam emails, texts & calls

Watch Out – Fraudsters Are About!

Watch out for scam emails, texts & calls

Have you noticed a significant increase in the number of scam calls, phishing emails and dodgy texts to your mobile in recent weeks? We certainly have. Some of Taxfile’s customers have been asking if any are genuine, so we thought we’d send out this warning

If you receive a call, email or text from HMRC asking for your personal or financial details, it’s simple: DO NOT to give ANY information away via text, email or to someone calling you by telephone. They could be anyone! Your information will be used against you if it gets into the wrong hands — and that could potentially cost you a LOT of money. So if they call, text or email you out of the blue:

  • don’t confirm your date of birth,
  • don’t confirm your National Insurance Number,
  • don’t tell them your your mother’s Maiden name,
  • don’t confirm your Unique Taxpayer Reference (‘UTR’) or any other piece of personal or financial information,
  • … even if they say it’s urgent (most fraudsters will say it is, so as to panic you into divulging your information).

Even one bit of data given away can be dangerous these days. ‘Social Engineering’ scams can use one bit of information as a starting point to eventually build a more complete picture of your sensitive data. Once they have enough pieces of the jigsaw, they can potentially take over your identity, empty your bank account or go on a spending spree with a credit or debit card issued in your name. People have lost thousands! So, the message is to be careful not to give anything away via email, SMS/text or to someone who has telephoned you out of the blue.

If HMRC do send you a genuine email, text your mobile or call you, they will never ask for personal information, financial information or payment details. It may help you to check here to see a list of genuine communications that HMRC has recently sent.

If you’re going to give HMRC information and want to be sure it’s genuine, you need to Read more

Tax Returns for Self-Employed Londoners - Special Offer

Tax Returns for Self-Employed Londoners – Special Offer!

Tax returns for self-employed Londoners - Special Offer!
Are you self-employed? Are you late filing your 2018/19 Self-Assessment tax return? If so, now is the time to get Taxfile to sort it out for you.

There are 4 important reasons why you should file your tax return now:

1. Save money, with our special offer!

For a very limited time, we are offering to do 2018-19 Self-Assessment tax returns for self-employed Londoners for just £199 + VAT (our usual pricing is from £277 + VAT). That’s a saving of nearly £94 including VAT.

2. Stay eligible for Government Help during the lock-down

Self-employed people who are struggling financially during the coronavirus lock-down may be eligible for financial help from the Government. This is in the form of their recently announced Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (‘SEISS’). However, to remain eligible, you must have filed your 2018/19 Self-Assessment tax return by 23 April. If you miss that deadline, you will no longer be eligible for that Government assistance.

3. Avoid severe fines from HMRC for being so late

The original deadline for submission of your 2018/19 Self-Assessment tax return was actually 31 January 2020. So, if you didn’t already file your tax return by that date, you already owe HMRC a fine of £100 minimum. That’s nothing, though, compared to the penalties they will start charging you after April. From 1 May, you will owe an additional £10 per day, every day from that date if you still haven’t filed your 2018/19 tax return. So, for example, after a week you’ll owe the original £100 plus an additional £70 as a minimum, or the £100 plus a further £140 after two weeks and so on. You may also be charged interest on top of all of that if you owed HMRC a tax payment on the original 31 January deadline and still haven’t paid it.

4. You may be due a tax rebate

Some self-employed people may be due a tax rebate. This depends upon your

CIS Tax Rebates

The Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) is where a construction contractor deducts, at source, a portion of the money due to their subcontractor. Whatever amount is deducted is then passed directly to HMRC which is then counted towards the tax and National Insurance of a subcontractor. This effectively pays the tax element in advance.

How much is deducted will depend on whether or not a subcontractor is registered under the CIS system. Unregistered subcontractors usually get a 30% deduction, while the registered ones get a deduction at the standard rate of 20%. This is one of the reasons that, by the end of the financial year, the amount deducted at source often ends up being overpaid.

But a bigger reason is the fact that the deductions did not factor in the personal allowance that every taxpayer in the UK is entitled to. The personal allowance for the tax year 2018-2019 was £11,850. Because of this overpayment, many subcontractors in the construction industry are due a tax refund.

You can also claim extensively for any work related expenses such as; accountant fees, travel, telephone, tools, clothing, etc.

It is a complex process and to ensure you get the maximum tax rebate let Taxfile help you.  

View our CIS Tax Refund Newsletter HERE

Taxfile's May 2018 e-newsletter

May Newsletter – New Battersea Branch, Easy CIS Tax Refunds, Avoid £10 Daily Fines & More

Taxfile's May 2018 e-newsletter

Our informative May e-Newsletter is now ready to view online. It includes exciting news of our new branch opening in Battersea along with important tax and accountancy-related news that might affect you. Here is a quick summary of the newsletter’s contents:

  • The first article announces the opening of our new Battersea Branch in London SW8. New and existing customers are welcome to pop in and say hello and to get expert help with your tax affairs and accountancy requirements. Learn more about the opening of the Battersea branch, and the core services on offer, here or click the big button below to read the newsletter.
  • If you work on one of the many Battersea construction sites in or around SW8, we can help you reclaim overpaid tax and much more … see the newsletter for more details – click the big button below.
  • If you’re a sub-contractor working in the construction industry scheme (‘CIS’), you’re almost certainly due a tax refund (learn why here). Taxfile are experts at getting tax rebates from HMRC, so come and see us and we’ll get you the maximum refund possible. Read the newsletter (click the big button below) to learn how we make your tax refund application fast and hassle-free.
  • We can help limited company contractors too! We’re tax and accountancy experts so we can help you register as a limited company or register for CIS if you’re not already set up, we’ll help you with the monthly tasks demanded of you by HMRC including accounts preparation, confirmation statements, corporation tax handling, CIS set-off rebate, National Insurance (NI), VAT, bookkeeping, payroll and much more. We’ll save you time and will make operating the Construction Industry Scheme a breeze. Click the pink newsletter button below for more details.
  • If you introduce a family member, friend or colleague to Taxfile, you will get a discount off your next tax return if they sign up as a new paying customer with us. Click the button for details.
  • Taxfile recently printed some brightly coloured postcards to promote our new Battersea office and our tax-related services. Simply get in contact if you’d like some of these postcards to hand out to colleagues. If you write your full name on the back and use it to refer a colleague, it might even save you money! Click the button for more details.
  • Our team are multi-lingual and always happy to help. If English is not your first language, let us know and we’ll try to match you to the most appropriate staff member.
  • If you, your friends, family or colleagues have not dealt with your old tax returns, HMRC will be adding £10 per day to the penalty from 1st May. That’s on top of the £100 fine that will have applied immediately after missing the original 31 January deadline. Let Taxfile get your tax records, tax returns and overdue tax all in order so you don’t have to pay any more in fines than you have already. Learn more here or contact your nearest branch for a consultation.
  • All Taxfile clients get free ‘Tax Enquiry Fee Protection Insurance when they file their tax return through Taxfile by the statutory deadline. So – if you’re investigated by HMRC – our fees to sort it out are covered. Click the button for more details.
Read the Newsletter

Feel free to Read more

Taxfile's new Battersea branch in London SW8

New Battersea Branch – Now Open in London SW8!

Taxfile's new Battersea branch in London SW8

Our new branch is now open in Battersea, London SW8. You’ll find it very convenient if you work nearby — we’re at Cloisters Business Centre, near Battersea Park Station, just off Battersea Park Road (A3205). You can park easily too – just pull into the business centre and you’ll find us opposite the church, on the ground floor with the brown door (unit 4). Come and see us there too if you’re an existing client and find Battersea more convenient than our Tulse Hill and Dulwich Village offices.

During April & May, the Battersea branch is open from 11am right through to 7pm from Monday to Thursday — so you don’t need to take a day off work to come and see us. On Fridays we’re open 11am to 3pm by appointment and Faiz will be a familiar face to many that day.

The new Battersea branch will especially suit construction workers in the building industry, which is very active in this location. Contractors who have set up as limited companies will find our CIS work, payroll and bookkeeping services very useful, affordable and convenient. Meanwhile, sub-contractors will like the fact that we’re experts at getting workers tax refunds and rebates, particularly if they’ve been working within the Construction Industry Scheme (‘CIS’). We claim thousands back from HMRC on their behalf every year.

Call 020 7821 9444 for a free 20 minute consultation at the Battersea branch, or 020 8761 8000 for Tulse Hill, Dulwich and all other branches.

Taxfile’s Battersea branch is at Studio 4, Cloisters House, Cloisters Business Centre, Battersea Park Road, London SW8 4BG. Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 11am-7pm (& Fridays 11am-3pm by appointment). Visit our new, stand-alone Battersea branch website for more details.

CIS tax refunds and returns - help now available across the UK

Help with CIS Tax Returns & Refunds Across the UK

CIS tax refunds and returns - help now available across the UK

As well as having 2 London based teams dealing with CIS returns and refunds, we’ve now introduced the same service for clients who are further afield in the UK. If you are a CIS contractor or sub-contractor we now have tax help available in the South West, the North East, the North West and, of course, our existing services in London and the South East of England.

More specifically, we can help you if you are:

  • in Cornwall/Devon (within a 30 mile radius of the Plymouth PL12 post code),
  • in Yorkshire in the North East (within a 50 mile radius of S72 post code area),
  • in the Carlisle region in the North of England,
  • in or around Exeter, Topsham, & Plymouth in Devon,
  • Of course, that’s on top of the existing bases in Tulse Hill and Dulwich in South London,

So if you’re near any of these areas and need professional help with any aspect of accounting and tax, particularly for construction industry CIS tax returns and refunds, do get in touch.

In the first instance, call us on 0208 761 8000 to arrange an appointment with your nearest Taxfile representative, book an appointment online or use the contact form below to send us a message about your particular tax situation or accountancy needs. We’ll make paperwork and claiming any tax refund easy! Read more

TAX HELP! Your 1-stop tax shop

Taxfile: Your One-Stop Tax & Accountancy Shop

TAX HELP! Your 1-stop tax shop

Taxfile has over 100 years of combined tax and accounting experience. It’s incredible to think that the key personnel have administered over 30,000 tax submissions in the past 20 years! Beginning way back in 1994 (and continuing as Guy Bridger Limited from 1997), we originally started business offering only CIS sub-contractor returns but quickly developed the service to help the self-employed, local businesses and higher rate taxpayers with their tax computations. Along the way we added tax and accounting services for taxi drivers, cab drivers, landlords and more. We also offer Capital Gains tax expertise and tax investigation help and, more recently, professional help with disclosures, written tax advice and tax planning for things like inheritance.

We have exceptional accounting experience in all key tax and accounting areas including:

Taxfile helps individuals as well as businesses. Our customers are very varied, turning over anything from £10,000 to over £1 million a year. A few are high wealth individuals who no longer need to work but still need to account for their taxes etc. Some customers have retired, others operate small businesses and some don’t even live in the UK but may have assets here. So, whatever your income, assets or situation, the message is that if you need ANY tax-related help, you’ve found the right place in Taxfile.

Taxfile also has the back-up and expertise of professional bodies on tap (so nothing is too complicated for us) and also has excellent relations with the tax authorities — we’re very well trusted by HMRC. Guy even helps in the local employment zone, which aims to improve business in the Tulse Hill and West Norwood area. So, Taxfile is very much part of the local community, particularly in South London (but expanding to other areas too — keep an eye on this blog for forthcoming information about that in the very near future).

Whatever help you need with tax and accountancy-related matters, call Taxfile on 0208 761 8000 and we’ll be delighted to help you. Alternatively, Read more