Two further arrests have been made in connection with fraud relating to the CJRS for the sum of £70,000. An accountant from Romford and a Company Director from Walthamstow have both been arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation and money laundering.Both individuals have since been released under investigation, but devices and business records have been retained by police.This is not the first arrest made in connection with suspected fraud, back in July arrests were made in … [Read more...]
CRJS Government Guidance Update
The government have issued guidance to help employers repay HMRC if they have over claimed through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.We have put together some key points to assist employers with repayments in line with the guidance supplied by HMRC.If you have uploaded a claim in error and want to delete it, you must delete the claim via the online service within 72 hours. If you have made an error in a claim that has resulted in an over claimed amount you must pay this back to … [Read more...]
What you need to know about staff returning to work post Covid-19
Following The Prime Ministers announcement regarding the further easing of lockdown, measures will need to be in place to start planning for staff to return to work.The initial response to the pandemic was to enforce lockdown and for employees to work from home where possible. Meaning a large portion of the UK working from home. Steps had to be put in place to accommodate the changes to many businesses and ensure staff received support during lockdown to protect their wellbeing.Many HR … [Read more...]
EU Settlement scheme update – 1-year left to apply
The 30th June 2020 marked the 1-year countdown for the EU settlement scheme application deadline. Already 3.6 million applications have been submitted and more than 3.3 million applications have been granted.EEA citizens and their family members who have been granted pre-settlement or settled status have secured their rights in UK Law, ensuring that they will have the evidence they need to continue living and working in the UK.The lastest detailed official Statistics show that the … [Read more...]
Returning NHS workers targeted by tax avoidance promoters
Individuals who are returning to the National Health Service (NHS) to help to respond to the outbreak of COVID-19 have been targeted by immoral promoters of tax avoidance schemes. HMRC is advising affected individuals to be wary of signing up to these schemes.The schemes on offer all have common features, but they may be described in different ways. One consistent element will be that the scheme attempts to disguise the true level of earnings, which should be subject to Income Tax and … [Read more...]
Budget 2020
With Coronavirus (COVID-19) taking up almost all media activity recently, it would have been very easy to have missed the Chancellors first Budget to parliament yesterday.In his first Budget, Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled a £12bn package to help the country through the coronavirus outbreak.£5bn emergency response fund to support the NHS and other public services in England All those advised to self-isolate will be entitled to statutory sick pay, even if they have not presented … [Read more...]
Why recruitment agencies are outsourcing their payroll?
It has never been a better time to be a freelance contract worker within the UK, growing numbers of agencies are becoming more and more reactive to the countries growing demand for a more flexible workforce.We have seen over a 40% growth in our business each year for the past 2 years, which is a clear sign of a change in which hirers are addressing their recruitment needs. With growth, comes further burdens to continue to grow unless processes are in place to support these … [Read more...]
What do you look for when you review your PSL?
Many agencies follow compliance processes they have internally to review the PSL of umbrella companies. However, do you really know what your workers are being charged and understand the payslip and calculations behind the figures?With the key information document, being issued to contractors from April 2020 by recruitment agencies now would be the time to check what is actually being deducted.We review payslips from competitors on a regular basis from contractors who are not happy with … [Read more...]
Tax avoidance schemes aimed at contractors and agency workers
HMRC is aware of schemes that claim to increase your take-home pay by paying less Income Tax and National Insurance contributions. These schemes do not work and by using them you may be taking part in tax avoidance. How these schemes work Most umbrella arrangements operate within the tax rules, and correctly deduct tax and National Insurance contributions from all your earnings using PAYE.Some promoters of tax avoidance schemes set up umbrella companies and use them to convert income into … [Read more...]
Are you calculating holiday pay at 12.07%? If so, you need to read this!
The position regarding holiday entitlement for workers with varying work patterns (particularly those who don’t work every week) was considered by the Court of Appeal in the recent case of Harpur Trust v BrazelMs Brazel is a clarinet and saxophone teacher, she worked at schools providing individual lessons to pupils. Her average working week was between 10 – 15 hours and paid by the hour and did not work during the school holidays. She was required to take her holiday entitlement during the … [Read more...]