You are having an office clear out and are keen to get rid of the company’s old payroll records. Is it true that you only need to keep three years’ worth?  Head of Payroll Joanne Gibson provides the answer below. The PAYE Regulations require employers to keep their “PAYE records” for a period of not...

You are about to take on some temporary workers over the next couple of months. But what do you need to do to ensure that the tax and NI bill is kept to a minimum? Head of Payroll Joanne Gibson takes a closer look. When HMRC introduced real time information reporting for payroll data, the...

HMRC has issued new guidance to employers about the tax and NI which is payable on tips. It explains the position when customers choose to tip electronically. The most common form of electronic tipping is already explained in the existing E24 guidance. Where customers pay by card, Apple Pay and so on, and add a...

Several of your employees have been affected by the recent NI rate increase. As their employer, they have asked if there is anything that you can do to increase their pay packages. Could salary sacrifice be an unexpected solution? Brona MacDougall provides the answer. The tax advantages of some salary sacrifice schemes for employees, for...

The 2022 Spring Statement increased the NI threshold, however the way this has been done is not straightforward. How does the change affect small company’s profit extraction planning for 2022/23? Head of Payroll Joanne Gibson provides detailed advice. The Chancellor committed to this rise on the basis that health and social care needs to be...

Lots of employees don’t understand how their tax code is made up and they are likely to come to you when they have a question or a problem. What do you need to know to help them? Head of Payroll Joanne Gibson advises. When do codes change? There are several fixed occasions annually when tax...

The government aims to raise £12billion by introducing a new 1.25% levy on both earned income and on employers’ wage bills to raise funds for the NHS and adult social care. From April 2022, the new Health and Social Care Levy (HSCL) comes into effect. It might be called a levy, but the HSCL is...

Of course all businesses want to keep costs down and having a robust system in place for checking employee expense claims should be part of that regime. But what are the requirements to meet HMRC’s standards? Our Head of Payroll, Joanne Gibson advises. Self-policing expenses policy Generally, HMRC isn’t concerned about the amount that you...

The Pensions Regulator is concerned that employers may have ignored vital routines and compliance activities during the pandemic. What are the key areas to focus on now? In the early days of the pandemic The Pensions Regulator (TPR) relaxed its compliance stance, recognising the pressure businesses were under, but it’s now a return to business...

The government has introduced an NI exemption to encourage employers to take on former military personnel. If this is something you’d like to support, what are the key considerations? Head of Payroll Joanne Gibson advises. Overview The government made a commitment at the last election to better support veterans in their transition to civilian employment....