Small businesses are the lifeblood of the UK economy, but with rapid inflation and other economic headwinds making trade difficult, they can struggle to access support. There is a wide range of important tax reliefs available to SMEs, which could provide some much-needed financial assistance. Employment Allowance claims This scheme allows eligible businesses to reduce […]

Changes to charges and penalties applied to late submission of VAT returns will kick in from January next year. For the VAT period starting on or after 1 January 2023, new penalties will replace the default surcharge for returns submitted or paid late. Any VAT returns received late will also be subject to late submission

New legislation allows HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to recover Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) grants that have been overclaimed. Those who fall foul of the legislation could face interest charges, financial penalties and even be named and shamed. If a business overclaimed a CJRS grant and has not repaid it, it needs to inform the tax

A leading business organisation has highlighted the problems faced by the industry after new figures show a steep rise in business costs. According to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), producer input price inflation stands at a record-high 18.6% and the consumer prices index at 9%. It says the disparity between the two

Research from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) shows that successful applications for finance among members have dropped to the lowest level on record. Conversely, figures from the Bank of England show the annual growth rate of lending to big corporates has increased significantly since the start of the year. It has led to the

The ‘biggest change to rent law in a generation’ will be delivered with the Renters Reform Bill (the Bill). The Government says it says it will improve the lives of millions of renters by driving up standards in the private and social rented sector, delivering on the Government’s mission to level up the country. Levelling

From 6 July 2022, the Primary Threshold (PT) for National insurance will increase to £12,570. This is the threshold at which employees begin paying National Insurance contributions (NICs). This will bring the rate in line with the current rate of personal allowances for income tax and means those earning below this amount each year will

From 1 September, the Trust Registration Service (TRS) expansion means more trusts will need to register with HM Revenue & Customs. Introduced five years ago, the TRS makes the beneficial ownership of assets held in trust more transparent. While many trusts have already signed up to the TRS, the expanding service remit now includes more

When HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC’s) current guidance on the tax treatment of tips and troncs was first published back in 2014, tips and troncs were paid almost exclusively in cash or through card transactions. Of course, in the eight years since, things have changed dramatically and payments are frequently made via app-based platforms, whether

According to Small Business, we have seen a surge in new company formations over recent years as entrepreneurs develop innovative business ideas and bring them to market.  On top of this, many workers are scaling up their “side hustles” operations to deal with customer and client demand. Many businesses initially rely solely on the founder. However, there