The deadline for filing the self-assessment tax return for 2018/19 is 31 January 2020. This is also the date by which any outstanding tax for 2018/19 must be paid and, where payments need to be made on account, the date by which the first payment on account of the 2019/20 liability must be made. What…
Penalties for late self-assessment returns
The normal due date for a self-assessment return where filed online is 31 January after the end of the tax year to which it relates. This means that self-assessment tax returns for 2017/18 should have been filed online by midnight on 31 January 2019, and self-assessment returns for 2018/19 must be filed online by midnight…
Reducing your payments on account
Under the self-assessment system, a taxpayer is required to make payments on account – advance payments towards the eventual tax and National Insurance liability – where the previous year’s self-assessment bill was £1,000 or more, unless more than 80% of the tax liability is deducted at source, for example, under PAYE. The self-assessment return for…
Amending your tax return
The deadline for filing the 2017/18 self-assessment tax return of 31 January 2019 has now passed. You filed your return on time and paid the tax that you thought was due, but you know realise that you have made a mistake. Is it too late to correct it, and if not, how do you go…
Thinking of buying a doer upper as a buy-to-let? Get tax relief on the interest
Interest relief for renovation or development costs Often, when a property is purchased there is work to be done before it can be let out or sold. Where this work is financed by a mortgage or other loan, the way in which and the extent to which relief is available for the interest costs depends…
Salary Vs Dividends: how to be tax efficient for 2019/20
A popular profits extraction strategy for personal and family companies is to extract a small salary, taking further profits as dividends. Where this strategy is pursued for 2019/20, what level should be the salary be set at to ensure the strategy remain tax efficient? Salary As well as being tax effective, taking a small salary…
Is tax payable on tips?
The question of whether tips and gratuities are taxable and subject to National Insurance Contributions (NICs) often results in a lively debate. Broadly, their treatment will depend on how they are paid to the recipient. Cash tips handed to an employee, or say, left on the table at a restaurant and retained by the employee,…
Landlords, dont make these tax mistakes
The following example explores some mistakes that landlords may make when working out their tax liability. Harry and Sally are married. They live in a Devon village. For many years, Harry worked in Cardiff during the week, travelling home at weekends. The couple owned a flat in Cardiff which Harry lived in during the week….
Expenses that Landlords can deduct
Landlords must pay tax on any profit from their property rental business (although income from property of less than £1,000 a year can be ignored). In working out the profits, expenses are deducted from rental income. To ensure that the landlord does not pay more tax than is necessary, it is important to deduct all…
Make keeping better business records your New Year’s resolution
To ensure that you pay the correct amount of tax and file correct tax returns with HMRC, it is vital that you keep complete and accurate records. This applies regardless of whether you are running a business as a sole trader or in partnership or operating a limited company. Business records for the self-employed The…