The big story in this Spring Statement was the announcement that the Government will increase both the Primary Threshold and Lower Profits Limit of National Insurance to bring them in line with the income tax personal allowance of £12,570.The Primary Threshold and Lower Profits Limit are the points at which both employees and the self-employed start paying National Insurance.Speculation had mounted in recent weeks that the Chancellor would cancel the proposed increase in National … [Read more...]
Trade body for Recruitment Professionals responds to the Spring Statement
Responding to the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak’s Spring Statement, Tania Bowers, Global Public Policy Director at the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo), comments:“The news that the National Insurance Contribution (NICs) threshold has been raised to ensure both the employed and self-employed can earn £12,570 without paying NICs from July is not what we expected or have called for. APSCo wrote to the Chancellor earlier this year calling for a delay to the NICs contribution … [Read more...]
Tax Year Allowances 2022-2023
Please see below updates for this coming April. There is still some debate around delaying the NI increase, I think we are all keeping our fingers crossed that this is delayed or cancelled.Tax AllowancesTax codes will not be changing, if you are currently on a 1257L tax code, this will remain the same for 2022. This means you can earn up to £242 per week or £1,048 per month before paying tax.National Living WageThe national living wage, minimum wage and for those aged 23 and … [Read more...]
Will the proposed increase to National Insurance, to cover the social care levy, have a drastic impact on the economy?
The plan is to increase National Insurance by 1.25% for employers and the same percentage for employees totaling an increase of 2.5%.With the cost of living rising since early 2021, December reached the highest recorded level in decades this is not a welcomed increase.Yesterday, The House of Commons called for the Government to replace the proposed National Insurance increase with taxes on the wealth of the richest. This motion has been signed by 21 members and no amendments have been … [Read more...]
Government confirm £20 Universal Credit uplift will end
Despite some MPs appealing to the Government to make the £20 universal credit uplift permanent, they have announced that this will indeed be stopped.The scheme will now officially end on 6th October, however, the exact date money will stop being paid will be dependent on when someone receives their universal credit allowance.For some, this will mean the last payment they receive at the higher rate will be the end of September, only a matter of days. With this news and the announcement of … [Read more...]
PM announces rise in National Insurance tax
Boris Johnson has announced a UK-wide “health and social care levy” to support reforms of the care sector and NHS funding in England. The new scheme will start as a 1.25% rise in National Insurance from April 2022. However, then become a separate tax on earned income from April 2023.The plan was today signed off by ministers at a cabinet meeting, despite earlier disputes from Tory MPs.The PM has said the aim is to raise a total of £36 billion over the next few years for frontline … [Read more...]
Know your IR35 status
Does your payroll include self-employed workers, contractors or consultants? A small piece of legislation is set to have a large impact on businesses. Understanding your IR35 status may save you from back paying unpaid tax. From the 6th April, 2021, all public authorities and medium to large sized businesses will be responsible for deciding the employment status of workers. Failure to comply could result in hefty workers tax and National Insurance shortfalls becoming the employer’s … [Read more...]
Moving back to a trusted umbrella service from an expensive PSC provider!
Following changes for off payroll working in the Public Sector, many contractors may have found themselves assessed as working inside IR35. Many end clients do not want the hassle of deciding each individual case and so have placed a blanket ban on all contractors. Many of these contractors cease operating through their own limited company, and opt instead for umbrella employment as their agency and end client have suggested. For a contractor working inside IR35 this is usually the better … [Read more...]
U-turn on Class 4 NICs
The Chancellor, Richard Hammond, has announced a U-turn on the proposed rise in national Insurance rates for the self-employed.In the Spring Budget it was announced that as of 6th April 2018, Class 4 NICs would be increasing to 10% from the current 9% in place, with a further increase to 11% the following year.In a letter to Tory MPs, the Chancellor revealed that he has “decided not to proceed” with the planned rise in NICs for self-employed workers, despite only announcing the measure … [Read more...]
IR35 Reform of Intermediaries Legislation: Public Authorities
HMRC has published an update on it's Off-payroll working in the public sector: reform of intermediaries legislation page to include further information for public authorities. Gov.co.uk states under Public Authorities: "For the purpose of this reform, a public authority means a public authority as defined for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.This definition covers government departments and their executive agencies, many … [Read more...]