2018 -
October
LOANS - 31.10.2018
Relocating home using your company’s cash
In some circumstances a business can pay the home relocation costs of employees or directors tax and NI free. This can include providing low or interest-free loans. What are the conditions for this exemption and how long can it apply?
NATIONAL INSURANCE - 31.10.2018
Dodging NI trouble for directors
Special NI rules apply to a director’s salary etc. Usually your payroll software can handle these, but errors can occur when a director is appointed or resigns. What can you do to ensure neither your company nor the director overpays NI?
BENEFITS - 31.10.2018
Are benefits in kind from overseas taxable?
You’re a shareholder in a company located outside the UK. As a perk you get to use the company owned flat, not only for business trips but also for the occasional holiday. Will you have to pay tax on this perk?
VAT - 31.10.2018
Selling goods if there’s been private use
You’re selling a van which has been used for your business and for private journeys by one of your employees. How much VAT, if any, should you charge the buyer?
PROFIT EXTRACTION - 31.10.2018
Should you or your company pay your nanny?
You want to employ a nanny. Normally this would mean registering with HMRC as an employer, with all that this entails. Could you instead add them to your company’s payroll? If so, what would the tax, NI and other consequences be?
SELF-ASSESSMENT - 31.10.2018
HMRC to re-open tax calculations
In April 2016 changes to the tax rules resulted in errors in HMRC’s self-assessment calculations. It now says that it intends to revisit some of these. Will you be affected and will you have more tax to pay?
WEB SERVICES - SOCIAL NETWORKS - 30.10.2018
Working more efficiently with Facebook
Do you use Facebook for yourself, your association or your company? Here are some tips and tricks to make even better use of this highly popular social network site.
BUSINESS - TRAINING - 30.10.2018
Planning staffing needs for 2019
With Brexit looming, it’s time to review staffing and training plans, whatever the outcome. We look at online help to get you ready for 2019.
SECURITY - IPHONE - 30.10.2018
Protect your iPhone (or iPad) in case of theft
iPhones and iPads are becoming increasingly expensive devices. How can you configure your iPhone so that nobody can access your data in case of loss or theft?
TELEPHONY - SMARTPHONES - 30.10.2018
Fingerprint sensors: more versatile than you think
More and more smartphones are equipped with a fingerprint sensor. How do you make good use of this functionality and how do you improve fingerprint recognition on your device?
BUSINESS - WEB SERVICES - 30.10.2018
Keep track of your deadlines
As a businessperson or entrepreneur, you will probably have all kinds of assignments or other projects running at the same time. Which tools and apps help you keep track of all your deadlines?
COMPUTER - MOBILE - 30.10.2018
Work more efficiently with apps on your Chromebook
Chromebooks - laptops equipped with Google’s Chrome OS operating system - are cheap (from around £200), light and portable. However, you can’t install Windows programs on them. Which Chrome apps can we recommend?
SOFTWARE - OFFICE - 30.10.2018
What’s new in Office 2019?
Microsoft has launched Office 2019. Users of Office 365, however, have already had access to the new functions in Word, Excel and PowerPoint in their automatic updates.
SEARCHING - IMAGES - 30.10.2018
Find suitable photos
Perhaps you’re looking for suitable images for your website, company brochure or product presentation. How do you find photos or images with the matching compositions or colours?
E-MAIL - E-MAIL SOFTWARE - 30.10.2018
The best free desktop e-mail apps
If you are a regular e-mail user and work with multiple accounts, you will definitely benefit from having a good desktop e-mail application. What are the best free applications at the moment?
PERSONAL WEBSITE - MISCELLANEOUS - 30.10.2018
Generate extra income via “affiliate marketing”
By letting other companies advertise on your website - affiliate marketing - you can generate extra income. How do you do this and what should you pay attention to?
VAT - 30.10.2018
Partial exemption - how to maximise VAT recovery
If your business sells goods or services some of which are VAT exempt and others not, the VAT it can reclaim on purchases is restricted. What steps should you take to maximise the VAT recovery?
CONTRACTS - 30.10.2018
What is tortious liability for breach of contract?
A company’s director and its sole funder have been found liable in an “economic torts” claim after winding their company up to avoid paying its contractor. What is economic tort and what can you learn from this case?
TAX - 30.10.2018
Company shares - get your money back tax free
When you started your company you used your own cash to fund it. Several years later the company has built up its own funds. Can you now take back some of your original stake without paying tax on it?
LEGAL COMPLIANCE - 30.10.2018
Ethnicity pay gap reports
The government is considering forcing certain companies to publish ethnicity pay gap reports. Should you be worried about this proposal?
PRODUCTIVITY - 30.10.2018
Staff working too much?
You’ve noticed staff staying late and working through lunch. From a business perspective this sounds perfect, but should you really sit back and enjoy running a committed team or delve into the reasons why?
CONTRACTS - 30.10.2018
Contracts: is it safe to use the word “shall”?
Commercial contracts often say that one or both parties “shall” do something, for example, “A shall pay B within 30 days of its invoice”. According to the Court of Appeal, is the word “shall” legally binding?
INSURANCE - 30.10.2018
How to cut the cost of motor cover
Car insurance for your business is undoubtedly a major expense. But did you know that the way you describe what your staff do for a living can have an impact on the premium paid. What should you do?
ENQUIRIES - 29.10.2018
What can you do if the enquiry is going nowhere?
An enquiry into your client’s tax return will usually end with a closure notice, but on occasion they can seem to drag on endlessly without progress. If this happens to one of your clients what can you do to help?
PRIVATE RESIDENCE RELIEF - 29.10.2018
Advice on off-plan gains must change
Anyone purchasing an off-plan main residence was relieved when the First-tier Tribunal upheld a private residence relief (PRR) claim in 2017. Now the Upper Tribunal has overturned that decision. What’s the impact?
CAPITAL ALLOWANCES - 29.10.2018
Is it too late to claim allowances for older years?
You have just taken on a new client who says that his previous accountant has missed claiming the annual investment allowance previously. He’s asked you to prepare a claim for overpayment relief, but is this the right way to proceed?
ENTREPRENEURS’ RELIEF - 29.10.2018
Securing CGT relief on an unincorporated business sale
Entrepreneurs’ relief doesn’t just apply to sales of company shares, but the provisions concerning sole trades and partnership interests are less well known. Why are disposals of part of a business particularly tricky and how can you help clients secure relief?
PENSION CONTRIBUTIONS - 29.10.2018
Managing the pensions annual allowance taper
Clients who are classed as higher earners may find that they can make fewer tax-relievable pension contributions due to rules that taper their annual allowance. What can you advise them to help cushion any potential blow?
CORPORATION TAX - 29.10.2018
Understanding the corporate interest restriction rules
The corporate interest restriction limits the amount of interest and other finance costs your company clients can deduct for tax purposes. It doesn’t apply if these costs are below £2 million, but why could clients with smaller costs still benefit from your advice here?
AIR POLLUTION - 24.10.2018
Biomass pollution fine
A business in Northampton has been ordered to pay a fine and compensation after it admitted breaching an abatement notice demanding that it stops fumes from its biomass boiler. What can be learned from this case?
POLLUTION INCIDENT RESPONSE PLAN - 24.10.2018
Responding well to a spillage
If a pollution incident occurs, preparation is key to minimising the damage caused. Use our template document to develop your procedures and prepare your staff.
HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES - 24.10.2018
Take care buying weedkillers
Super-strength herbicides that should only be used by professionals are available online to anyone. What are the risks associated with their use and what do you need to watch out for?
PLASTIC - 24.10.2018
Plastic - a material risk to your business
A report published by an environmental law firm suggests that companies face “serious material business risks for their involvement in creating plastic waste”. What could this mean for you?
FIRE - 24.10.2018
Waste fires are too prevalent says agency
The Environment Agency is concerned that fires at waste sites, especially vehicle recycling facilities, are occurring more frequently. What must waste operators do to contain the risk?
ENFORCEMENT - 24.10.2018
More online enforcement to come
The government is seeking to make its environmental enforcement operations slicker and more effective. What do you need to prepare for?
ENVIRONMENTAL PERMITS - 24.10.2018
Dust blighted neighbourhood
A company and its director have found themselves in court after increased volumes of waste led to a breach of an environmental permit and multiple complaints from local residents. What happened?
TAX - 24.10.2018
More changes to the taxation of termination payments
On 6 April 2019 the law relating to the taxation of termination payments will change. From that date, you’ll have to pay employers’ NI on any part of the payment that exceeds £30,000. What does this mean in practical terms?
DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDINGS - 24.10.2018
Cancer diagnosis during disciplinary proceedings
An employee is being disciplined for poor performance and you’re part-way through the procedure. However, they’ve just told you that they’ve been diagnosed with cancer. Can you continue with the process or not?
UNFAIR DISMISSAL - 24.10.2018
Unfairly dismissed for calling boss “a tw@t”
The tribunal has ruled that an employee who was sacked for calling his boss “a tw@t” was unfairly dismissed and awarded him £19,000. What did the employer do wrong in the dismissal procedure?
CONTRACTS - 24.10.2018
Employment contracts: the implied duty of fidelity
There are several terms that are automatically implied into every employment contract even if they aren’t written down. One of these implied terms is the employee’s duty of fidelity to the employer. What does this mean?
DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION - 24.10.2018
Liability for undisclosed disabilities?
If an employee fails to disclose their disability to you, can they later claim that they’ve been directly discriminated against? What’s the latest from the Employment Appeal Tribunal?
HOLIDAYS - 24.10.2018
Allowing employees to buy extra holiday
You offer all your employees the same amount of holiday but one member of staff says this isn’t enough. They’ve asked if they can buy some additional days from you. If you agree, are there any benefits for you in this arrangement?
WORK AND PARENTS - 24.10.2018
New duty to publish family friendly policies?
In October 2018 it was reported that the government is considering forcing employers to publish their parental leave and pay policies. How likely is this to happen and will you be affected?
FOOD HYGIENE - 24.10.2018
Food labelling requirements
As has been widely reported, Pret a Manger came in for serious criticism following the death of a young girl who’d eaten one of their products. Was the company at fault?
HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES - 24.10.2018
Child suffered chemical burns
A local authority has been fined after a child was injured by a corrosive substance which had been used in an external area. What should have been done to avoid this situation?
PUBLIC LIABILITY - 24.10.2018
Do you need to protect visitors?
A spectator suffered a serious eye injury when she was struck by a golf ball while attending the Ryder Cup in Paris. What can be learned from this incident?
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH - 24.10.2018
How to improve staff wellbeing
The charity Mind and London School of Economics have published studies into workplace wellbeing, the prevalence of poor mental health at work and the impact of management support. What were the findings?
DRIVING - 24.10.2018
Safe driving: from the front
A poll which looked at dodgy behaviour at the wheel has identified a particular group of staff as the worst offenders. Who are they and what do researchers say needs to happen?
ASBESTOS - 24.10.2018
Council fined for asbestos exposure
A council has been fined £200,000 after asbestos materials were discovered in a poor condition in a primary school. The school was under the control of a third party at the time, so why was the local authority at fault?
SEASONAL ISSUES - 24.10.2018
Preparing for winter
Each year businesses undergo challenges when winter arrives. Workers complain of being cold, vehicles get stuck, equipment breaks down, etc. What should you do to prepare?
RESIGNATIONS - 23.10.2018
Employee’s notice wasn’t to terminate her employment
The Employment Appeal Tribunal has held that an employee’s written notice related to an expected internal change of jobs and wasn’t notice of resignation from her employment. When is it now safe to accept a resignation?
CONTRACTS - 23.10.2018
What holiday provisions do you need?
The law requires you to include terms and conditions relating to holidays, public holidays and holiday pay in the written statement of employment particulars. What provisions should you include in a holidays clause or holidays policy?
DISMISSAL - 23.10.2018
What are dismissals for “some other substantial reason”?
Some other substantial reason is one of the five potentially fair reasons for dismissal and it’s generally a catch-all for dismissals that aren’t within the scope of the other four potentially fair reasons. What does it cover and how can you ensure it’s a fair dismissal?
PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT - 23.10.2018
Prepare early for the winter weather
As the UK braces itself for what some commentators expect to be the coldest winter for ten years, what can you do now to prepare for the inevitable disruption to your business?
RECRUITMENT - 23.10.2018
Are you ready for T Levels?
T Levels will start to be taught in England and Wales from September 2020. What are they and when can you expect to see them on a job applicant’s CV?
OVERPAYMENTS - 22.10.2018
Overpaid an employee - get it back?
Even in the best run payroll departments mistakes sometimes happen, and staff are paid more than they’re entitled to. But can you get the money back if you’ve made such an error?
PAYE COMPLIANCE - 22.10.2018
P45s - what to look out for
You might not see P45s as often as you used to for new starters but they still play a vital role in the PAYE process. What must you look out for to help ensure your payroll runs smoothly?
RTI REPORTING - 22.10.2018
Getting the FPS right
With accurate RTI data vital not just for tax and NI purposes but state benefits too, what and who do you have to report?
CHILDCARE - 22.10.2018
Goodbye childcare vouchers, hello TFC
Since 4 October 2018 no employees can start to receive tax-exempt childcare support from you as their employer. Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) has replaced the old regime; what do you need to know about it?
TAX CODES - 22.10.2018
How to challenge a tax code
Since the introduction of dynamic coding in July 2017 taxpayers (your employees) are seeing their tax codes change much more frequently. What advice can you give about challenging them?
COMPANIES - 16.10.2018
The great divide - demerging your business
Your company operates a few different trades each with unique requirements. You therefore want to split the company to simplify matters. The trouble is this can trigger hefty tax bills. How can you legitimately avoid them?
INCOME TAX - 16.10.2018
Welsh income tax rate announced
From 6 April 2019 the Welsh government will have powers to amend the rate of income tax; it can already alter land transaction taxes. What changes are in store and who will they affect?
VAT - 16.10.2018
VAT efficiency for private use of business assets
When you buy equipment for your business and expect to use it for private purposes there are two methods for working out the amount of VAT you can reclaim. Which is the most tax efficient?
CAPITAL GAINS TAX - 16.10.2018
Selling your home - two calculation traps
If you’ve used part of your home for business you might have to pay capital gains tax when you sell it. Calculating this isn’t as simple as it sounds and costly mistakes are often made. How can you avoid these?
REMUNERATION PLANNING - 16.10.2018
What’s the best time to draw your salary?
As a director of a small company you can more or less say how and when you would like your salary paid. The trouble is your total income varies each year which makes it tricky to decide what salary to take. Is there a way around this?
INHERITANCE TAX - BUSINESS PROPERTY RELIEF - 16.10.2018
Is there inheritance tax relief for rental businesses?
A taxpayer has defied the odds and successfully argued at the tax tribunal that a furnished holiday letting business qualifies for inheritance tax relief. Does the decision mean your own letting business is more likely to qualify?
CAPITAL ALLOWANCES - 16.10.2018
The AIA and multiple accounting dates
Your company is planning significant purchases of new equipment. The trouble is it’s part of a group which can affect the amount of annual investment allowance (AIA) it can claim. How can you be sure not to exceed the maximum?
WEB SERVICES - ONLINE OFFICE - 12.10.2018
Working better with Office Online
Oddly enough, Office Online, the web version of Microsoft Office, is not widely known. Still, it can come in handy to create documents in your browser or via an app. How can you use Office Online more efficiently?
SOFTWARE - SECURITY - 12.10.2018
Recovery tools in Windows
Even a stable system like Windows 10 can run into problems. For assistance, you do not need to directly go and check out Internet forums or use external tools: Windows itself contains a number of good tools to recover corrupt files.
TRAINING - LANGUAGES - 12.10.2018
Learning languages with an app
Do you sometimes do business with foreign customers or suppliers and would you like to be able to address them in their own language? Which apps help you to master foreign languages? We’ve tested five of them for you.
SOFTWARE - BROWSER - 12.10.2018
Manage your bookmark overload
You may have collected such a long and unmanageable series of bookmarks for your favourite sites in your web browser that you no longer see the wood for the trees. How can you better manage them?
WEB SERVICES - VIDEO - 12.10.2018
Live video streaming: how and why?
As a shop owner or an entrepreneur, you have various platforms at your disposal which let you stream video in real time. How do you set about this, and why should you do this in the first place?
SOFTWARE - IOS - 12.10.2018
iOS 12 on your iPhone or iPad?
In addition to its new iPhones, Apple has launched version 12 of iOS, a version that it claims can be installed on older iPhones and iPads. What does it have to offer?
SOFTWARE - MISCELLANEOUS - 12.10.2018
Useful programs for a USB stick
USB sticks are cheap and safe devices to store files. However, you can use such a stick to store programs so as to have them to hand at all times. Here’s our selection of useful programs for your USB stick.
Security - CYBER SECURITY - 12.10.2018
Protection against cybercrime
Surveys continue to demonstrate that SMEs are not sufficiently protected against the dangers of cybercrime. We’ve looked at ways to stay safe.
