If you have lived abroad for six or months or more in a year, you are classed as a “non-resident landlord”, and the income you receive from renting out your home whilst abroad is taxable in the UK. This needs to be declared to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), but you do not necessarily need to file a tax return. Non-resident landlords can choose to Read more…

Last year saw a raft of changes come into effect at Companies House. Amongst the measures introduced was the requirement for companies to maintain a register of Persons of Significant Control (PSCs). New rules, which came into effect on 26 June 2017 mean that companies need to report all changes to their PSC information as they take place and will no longer be able to Read more…

While most of us invest a lot of time and thought about how to improve our finances, we do not tend to spend quite as much time looking at how our finances can improve our lives. But research is showing that not all wealth is equal, with some spending having a greater impact on happiness than other spending. Here are our top five ways to Read more…

Around 800,000 small businesses are yet to enrol into the Government’s flagship pension scheme, new figures have revealed. The Pensions Regulator, which published the report, said nearly eight million employees are now saving into a workplace pension, but thousands of employers remain non-compliant. Launched in October 2012, “auto-enrolment” requires all employers – no matter if you have one employee or one thousand – to set Read more…

According to the gov.uk guidance, a director must register for self-assessment (SA) and send a personal SA tax return to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) each year. However, this isn’t always the case. There are exemptions to this rule, one of which was recently highlighted at a tax tribunal. Mohammed Salem Kadhem has been a director of a property company since 21 May 2014. He’s Read more…

Recent reports have shed light on some of the most unusual cases where self-assessment taxpayers have managed to successfully appeal late filing and late payment penalties issued by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). In one instance, a taxpayer named Magdalena Trzcińska successfully appealed a late filing penalty thanks to a well looked-after ‘signed for’ Post Office slip, according to reports. Ms Trzcińska had submitted her Read more…

Future Trading Conditions It has become apparent during the last few weeks, that government policy prior to the general election has been dependant not only on the government having a working majority in parliament but on extraneous factors, such as terrorist attacks and fatal fires in a high rise block of flats. Therefore, the best laid plans will twist and turn for no other reason Read more…

A new additional nil-rate band of £100,000 for Inheritance Tax (IHT) on main residences, when bequeathed to a direct descendent, came into effect at the start of the new tax year in April 2017. In 2018, 2019 and 2020, this will rise to £125,000, £150,000 and £175,000 respectively, before rising in line with Consumer Prices Index (CPI) in subsequent years. The change affects estates worth Read more…

Last month more than 200,000 computers in 150 countries were infected during the WannaCry ransomware attack, including the systems of a number of NHS trusts. This cyber-attack caused mass hysteria and crippled a number of businesses and organisations – often highlighting the vulnerability of some of the world’s largest IT systems. Through their actions the hackers are believed to have extorted just £60,000 worth of Read more…

With inflation hovering around 2.7 per cent, many businesses are facing a period of higher costs and reduced consumer spending – a trend which could see average pay rises this year hit just one per cent, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). In its latest report, the CIPD said that this is the lowest figure for the last three years and Read more…