New regulations coming in this April
April changes. Since 2004, regulations affecting businesses have been scheduled for introduction on only two dates in the year, April 6 and October 1 - known as the “common commencement dates”. What’s new for this April?
Health and safety. April 6 sees the introduction of the Control of Noise at Work regulations (CNWR) (see Year 7, issue 4, page 8). These tighten up the legal requirements in relation to noise by lowering the acceptable noise levels in the workplace. As a rule of thumb, if you struggle to hear someone talking two metres away, you’ll need to reduce the noise level.
Tax. From April 6, the personal allowance (i.e. the annual income you can receive without paying tax) will be £5,035. So if you currently receive a minimal salary equal to this allowance with the remainder as dividends, you’ll need to increase the amount you pay yourself to £419 a month.
Payroll. The standard rates of Statutory Maternity Pay are to be increased to £108.85 per week (or 90% of the person’s average weekly earnings if that is less than £108.85). These increased rates will apply from Sunday April 2 as SMP payment weeks typically begin on a Sunday. So, if you have any staff receiving maternity pay, make sure you start paying them the correct rate.
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