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....

REVERSE CHARGE FOR BUILDERS Q. I am a builder, and my cash flow has been badly hit by the new reverse charge rules. This is largely because I am no longer being paid VAT by my builder clients to use as working capital until my quarterly VAT return is due. Is it possible to issue...

From 1st July 2021, employers must now pay part of employees’ furlough wages as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) starts to wind down. What do you need to know? Head of Payroll Joanne Gibson advises. For claim periods ending on or before 30 June 2021 you could claim (from the CJRS) 80% of an...

On budget day (or 3 March 2021 for those of you who didn’t have this in the diary) the Chancellor confirmed that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) will now run until 30 September 2021. Up to and including 30 June 2021 you can claim, and must pay the employee, 80% of their reference pay...

The government has just announced the national living wage (NLW) and national minimum wage (NMW) rates which will come into force from April 2021. What are they? The NLW will increase by 2.2% from £8.72 to £8.91 per hour. For the first time it will cover those aged 23 and 24. Here are the rates...

HMRC will be seeking to recover all wrongly claimed furlough payment grants. However, employers who have made innocent mistakes in their claims have been given time to rectify their errors. When must you act by? Lauren Herbert provides the very latest advice. Thousands of employers applied for furlough payment grants under the Coronavirus Job Retention...

HMRC recently published guidance on the definition and application of ‘exceptional circumstances’ to the COVID 19 pandemic when reviewing residence issues. This brought some hope, but since this there has been no mention of any softening of the approach to Seafarer’s Earnings Deduction claims. Seafarer’s are potentially significantly affected by COVID, as many of them...

Coronavirus Job Retention Bonus The government will introduce a one-off payment of £1,000 to UK employers for every furloughed employee who remains continuously employed through to the end of January 2021. Employees must earn above the Lower Earnings Limit (£520 per month) on average between the end of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and...