Category: Investment

Massive changes under discussion for the tax of Property Investors!!

woman in white shirt showing frustration

First we had the OTS Property Income Review dated 25th October 2022, since then the Policy Paper has been issued (1st November 2022) so it looks like we will see the adoption of at least some of the recommendations in Autumn Statement on 17th November 2022.

Key findings and priority recommendations

Furnished holiday lettings

  • Short-term rentals meeting the conditions fall into the furnished holiday lettings regime. This regime provides more favourable tax treatment than the main property income rules, with more tax relief for costs, including interest, and potentially a reduced Capital Gains Tax bill on disposal.
  • The OTS recommends that the government consider whether there is continuing benefit to the UK in having a separate tax regime for furnished holiday lettings.
  • If the furnished holiday lettings regime is abolished the OTS recommends that the government consider whether certain property letting activities subject to Income Tax should be treated as trading and whether it would be appropriate to introduce a statutory ‘brightline’ test to define when a property trading business is being carried on.
  • If the regime is retained, the introduction of a private use restriction may allow for relaxation of other requirements to enter the regime, making it simpler to understand and predict whether one is in scope.
  • Should the government conclude that the furnished holiday lettings regime be retained, the OTS recommends that the government then consider:
    • removing the current distortion of allowing the regime for properties in the European Economic Area, either by permitting worldwide properties to qualify, or by limiting the regime to UK properties
    • restricting the regime to properties used for commercial letting by removing the potential for personal occupation. This would permit a simpler approach to defining the regime

Repairs, replacements, and improvements

  • A long-standing area of complexity for taxation of property is whether costs are allowable straight away as repairs and replacements, or represent capital expenditure as improvements and should be disallowed for Income Tax.
  • The OTS recommends that HMRC should enhance the guidance in respect of the boundary between repairs and improvements to include clear examples of common situations, perhaps using flow-charts to lead towards case-by-case answers.
  • The OTS recommends that the government consider introducing a broader immediate Income Tax relief for all property costs – other than where work is part of the capital cost of the building, such as the initial fit-out of properties bought in a dilapidated state or structural work such as extensions to the property.

Jointly owned property

  • HMRC data indicates that almost half (1.5 million) of all taxpayers renting out property do so jointly, mainly with a spouse or civil partner, or with others.
  • Those not married nor in civil partnership will by default declare the split of income based on beneficial ownership, but can instead choose any other split they like without any form of election.
  • Conversely, spouses and civil partners, (providing they are living together) default to equal 50:50 shares for property other than furnished holiday lets, and respondents made very clear that the process to instead use a split based on beneficial ownership (using form 17) is complex and burdensome even for advisers, and taxpayers themselves are normally unaware of the need. This creates an unnecessary complexity and burden, and potentially accidental non-compliance.
  • The OTS recommends that the government should consider removing the anachronistic 50:50 rule for spouses and civil partners and aligning treatment to that of other joint owners and to the position for spouses under Capital Gains Tax and Inheritance Tax. To prevent abuse, the default beneficial ownership position should not be capable of being displaced.
  • The government may also wish to consider removing the ability for joint owners to decide on a split other than beneficial ownership.

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax

  • From April 2024, landlords in scope of Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax will need to keep digital records and file updates quarterly using compatible software. There was a very high level of concern common to all respondents about how the rules would apply to landlords.
  • The OTS recommends that HMRC should establish a system to deal with MTD for Income Tax for jointly owned properties, for example by making a jointly owned property the MTD filing entity.
  • Landlords may rely on multiple parties to provide information and potentially to support submitting reports.
  • HMRC needs to be able to authorise MTD for Income Tax filing agents alongside tax agents. This is needed because letting agents and bookkeepers will maintain digital records and may support quarterly submissions on behalf of some landlords. Specific professional standards and responsibilities will be needed for MTD for Income Tax filing agents.
  • The gross rental limit for being required to adopt MTD for Income Tax has been set at £10,000. The evidence suggests that a landlord with such low gross rentals will have a modest net profit, if any. The OTS acknowledges that, although there would be an Exchequer impact on raising the threshold, this could be outweighed by lower customer costs, higher levels of compliance and better taxpayer and agent engagement.
  • The OTS recommends that HMRC give consideration to increasing the minimum gross income threshold for MTD for Income Tax for landlords above £10,000, at least for the medium term.
  • As is clear from the points above there are unresolved complexities within MTD for Income Tax.
  • The OTS recommends that MTD for Income Tax should not apply to landlords until these major points have been dealt with by HMRC and by a range of software providers. Time will be needed to test new systems before adoption.

These changes are huge, if implemented there will be widespread confusion about how to report property income, this is already a complex area of tax, most of these changes will probably mean property owners end up paying more tax!

steve@bicknells.net

Have you remortgaged? will that restrict the recovery of interest beyond the Section 24 rules?

Many Buy To Let properties were purchased in individual names, that was norm before, then from 2017/18 we saw the introduction of clause 24 (section 24).

Essentially Section 24 removes Interest from the property expenses and gives you tax relief (finance allowance) at 20% (basic rate). So Higher rate tax payers will pay more tax.

Historically, its been common for BTL owners to regularly remortgage and with draw capital, basically cashing in on house price rises.

But what many owners seem to have overlooked is that if the mortgage exceeds the original property value (including SDLT and related costs) plus any improvement costs, then the mortgage interest is further restricted.

Increasing a mortgage

If you increase your mortgage loan on your buy-to-let property you may be able to treat interest on the additional loan as a revenue expense, as long as the additional loan is wholly and exclusively for the purposes of the letting business.

Interest on any additional borrowing above the capital value of the property when it was brought into your letting business is not tax deductible.

If the mortgage is for a residential property then the restrictions on interest from April 2017 will apply.

Examples of how to work out Income Tax when you rent out a property – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

steve@bicknells.net

What is Class 2 National Insurance and do Landlords need to pay it?

You make Class 2 National Insurance contributions if you’re self-employed to qualify for benefits like the State Pension.

Most people pay the contributions as part of their Self Assessment tax bill.

You pay Class 2 if your profits are £6,515 or more a year

ClassRate for tax year 2021 to 2022
Class 2£3.05 a week

So for the whole year that’s £158.60

Are you running a business?

You have to pay Class 2 National Insurance if your profits are £6,515 a year or more and what you do counts as running a business, for example if all the following apply:

  • being a landlord is your main job
  • you rent out more than one property
  • you’re buying new properties to rent out

If your profits are under £6,515, you can make voluntary Class 2 National Insurance payments, for example to make sure you get the full State Pension.

You do not pay National Insurance if you’re not running a business – even if you do work like arranging repairs, advertising for tenants and arranging tenancy agreements.

As soon as you reach state pension age, you stop paying Class 2 NIC if you carry on working. You only have to pay them on any earnings that were due to be paid to you before you reached state pension age.

In addition Companies who own properties don’t pay national insurance, national insurance is only paid by employees and the self employed.

Class 2 NI would also not apply if you use a letting agent to collect the rents – average fees would be 15%, even if it is a relative or your own company as then your role will only a passive investment role.

The key case on this topic is Rashid v Garcia (Status Inspector) (2002) Sp C 348

Decision released 11 December 2002.

National Insurance – Class 2 contributions – Self-employed earner – Landlord – Taxpayer had income from letting property – Claim for incapacity benefit – class 2 National Insurance contributions paid to qualify for benefit – Revenue took view that property rental activities did not entitle taxpayer to pay class 2 contributions as he was not carrying on business – Benefit refused – Whether taxpayer was self-employed earner carrying on business – Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992, s. 2, 122.

The taxpayer had four properties income £10,942.

It was estimated that the taxpayer spent two to four hours per week on managing the properties and members of his family acting on his behalf spent 16 to 24 hours per week. The Special Commissioner considered this was insufficient activity to constitute a business so no Class 2 NI was due.

Back in 2015 HMRC did try to get Landlords to pay Class 2 as explained in our blog Should Landlords pay Class 2 NI? – Steve J Bicknell Tel 01202 025252

HMRC Examples NIM23800

Samantha lets out a property that she inherited following the death of her great aunt. This will not constitute a business.

Bob owns ten properties which are let out to students. He works full time as a landlord and is continually seeking to increase the number of properties he owns for letting. Bob is running a business for NICs purposes.

Claire owns multiple properties that are let. She spends around half her working time carrying out duties as a landlord and is not looking to increase the number of properties she owns. If the only duties that Claire undertakes are those normally associated with being a landlord, then this would not constitute a business.

Hasan purchases properties using “buy to let” mortgages. He places all letting duties in the hands of a property letting agent who acts as landlord on his behalf. If the only duties that the property letting agent undertakes for Hasan are those normally associated with being a landlord, then this would not constitute a business.

steve@bicknells.net

What is a Family Investment Company/SMART Company? What do HMRC think about them?

Companies can have multiple classes of shares and the shares can have different rights. These rights cover:

  • Voting
  • Capital Growth
  • Income via Dividends

This can be of particular benefit to families.

Family Investment Companies (FICs), sometimes called Smart Companies, are particularly useful for Inheritance Tax (IHT) and have been used for over a decade as an estate planning tool.

In its simplest form parents lend money to the company and the company is owned by their adult children, but FIC’s can be structured to go beyond that with different assets and share classes.

They are a great alternative to partnerships which are taxed at income tax rates allowing faster growth as Corporation Tax starts at 19% (25% top rate) and income tax can be as high as 45%.

Capital Gains Tax is paid at Corporation Tax Rates (19%/25%) and they don’t suffer from 10 year anniversary or exit charges that are applied to Trusts.

The only slight downside is that extracting profits from a company will incur tax for the individual.

Over a period of time the income and capital shares will be moved to younger members of the family and the older members will retain the voting rights.

HMRC Family Investment Companies Unit

HMRC have been investigating FICs since 2019 and have now stopped, their findings are published in the meeting minutes 13th May 2021

In the research we undertook there was no evidence to suggest that there was a correlation between those who establish a FIC structure and non-compliant behaviours. As with any analysis of a taxpaying population, the same broad range of tax-compliance behaviours were observed, with no evidence to suggest those using FICs were more inclined towards avoidance.


Tax risks related to FICs
The key findings in relation to the tax risks associated with FICs are outlined below:
• The use of FICs appears to be a planning strategy, often with the primary objective generational wealth transfer and mitigation of Inheritance Tax.
• There is some diversity in the way that a FIC is structured and managed, creating tax risks and compliance activity across a variety of tax regimes, including Inheritance Tax, Capital Gains Tax, Stamp Duty Land Tax and Corporation Tax.


Conclusions
The team have been subsumed into WMBC and FICs are now looked at as business as usual rather than having a dedicated team

steve@bicknells.net

If you don’t charge a market property rent what expenses can you claim?

There may be times when a property owner decides not to charge a market rent or lets the property rent free. This will mean you will be restricted on the amount of expenses you can claim.

PIM2130 Properties not let at a commercial rent

Expenses incurred by a customer on a property occupied rent free by, for example, a relative are likely to be incurred for personal or philanthropic purposes – to provide that person with a home. The same applies where the property is let at less than a commercial rate or isn’t let on commercial terms.

Unless the landlord charges a full market rent for a property (and imposes normal market lease conditions) it is unlikely that the expenses of the property are incurred wholly and exclusively for business purposes (PIM2010). So, strictly, they can’t be deducted in arriving at rental business profits. However, if the customer lets a property below the market rate (as opposed to providing it rent-free), they can deduct the expenses of that property up to the rent they get from it. This means that the uncommercially let property produces neither a profit nor a loss, but the excess expenses cannot be carried forward to be used in a later year.

A relative or friend may ‘house sit’ between normal lettings on commercial terms. Provided the property is genuinely available for commercial letting and the landlord is actively seeking tenants they can deduct the expenditure incurred on that property in the normal way. 

PIM2010 – Property Income Manual – HMRC internal manual – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) states

Wholly and exclusively rule                        

Most of the trading expenses rules are applied to property income (see PIM1100 onwards). This includes the ‘wholly and exclusively’ rule which says that expenses cannot be deducted unless they are incurred wholly and exclusively for business purposes.

Dual purpose expenditure

Strictly, if an expense is not wholly and exclusively for the purposes of the property business, it may not be deducted. In practice, though, some dual purpose expenses include an obvious part which is for the purposes of the business. We usually allow the deduction of a proportion of expenses like that. 

In summary – rent free or less than market value

  • Its unlikely that the expenses will be incurred wholly and exclusively for business purposes
  • Expenses not incurred for business expenses are excluded or restricted
  • Where a property is let below market rate, you can only deduct expenses up to the value of the rent received
  • You can not use rent free or less market rent to produce a loss for tax purposes. Any excess losses can not be offset against other rental profits or carried forward.

What about Covid?

  • Tenants should continue to pay rent and abide by all other terms of their tenancy agreement to the best of their ability. The government has made a strong package of financial support available to tenants, and where they can pay the rent as normal, they should do. Tenants who are unable to do so should speak to their landlord at the earliest opportunity.
  • In many, if not most cases, the COVID-19 outbreak will not affect tenants’ ability to pay rent. If a tenant’s ability to pay will be affected, it’s important that they have an early conversation with their landlord. Rent levels agreed in the tenancy agreement remain legally due and tenants should discuss with their landlord if they are in difficulty.

Guidance for landlords and tenants – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

steve@bicknells.net

Is it a Repair, Replacement (RDI) or Improvement?

This is probably one of the most difficult cost types to define and is extremely confusing for property investors.

The guidance never seems to quite fit with the work undertaken.

Its an issue for accountants too, often the investor lists all the costs rather than the projects so you end up with lots of entries like B&Q and have to try to reshuffle them into projects like a new kitchen.

HMRC has a tool kit Capital v Revenue which gives some guidance.

In general investors want costs to be repairs (which can be deducted from profit and save tax now) where as HMRC would probably prefer improvements (which are held back and used the Capital Gains Computation when the property is sold).

In this blog I will try to give some further help aimed at owners of Buy to Let properties, the rules apply both to individual investors and those who invest via a company.

Pre-Letting Costs

The general rule is that if you buy a run down property that needs work doing on it before it can be let then that work is an improvement (capital cost).

However, if you had a letter from an letting agent saying it was lettable in its purchase condition then the works could be a repair (revenue).

If substantial work is needed, its best to discuss this with your accountant before the work is done to determine its status as an Improvement or Repair.

The important point is the property needs to in fit state to let before the alterations, refurbishment, repairs are carried out if you want the costs to be repairs.

Here is HMRC’s Guidance from PIM2030

Repairs after a property is acquired

Repairs to reinstate a worn or dilapidated asset are usually deductible as revenue expenditure. The mere fact that the customer bought the asset not long before the repairs are made does not in itself make the repair a capital expense. But a change of ownership combined with one or more additional factors may mean the expenditure is capital. Examples of such factors are:

  • A property acquired that wasn’t in a fit state for use in the business until the repairs had been carried out or that couldn’t continue to be let without repairs being made shortly after acquisition.
  • The price paid for the property was substantially reduced because of its dilapidated state. A deduction isn’t denied where the purchase price merely reflects the reduced value of the asset due to normal wear and tear (for example, between normal exterior painting cycles). This is so even if the customer makes the repairs just after they acquire the asset.
  • The customer makes an agreement that commits them to reinstate the property to a good state of repair.

Repairs

HMRC have agreed “A replacement of a part of the “entirety” with the nearest modern equivalent is allowable as a repair for tax purposes.” (Tax Bulletin 59)

Examples

  • Replacing single glazed windows with double glazed windows
  • Replacing guttering with a new modern guttering
  • Replacing lead pipes with copper or plastic pipes
  • Replacing wooden beams with steel girders

What about Kitchens?

The following refurbishment works would be repairs

  • Stripping out
  • Replacing Base Units
  • Replacing Wall Units
  • Replacing Work Tops
  • Re-tiling
  • Floor repairs
  • Plastering
  • Wiring

Provided you are replacing with a similar standard kitchen

But if you add storage or equipment these items would be capital improvements.

There are also special rules relating to expenditure on specified parts of buildings called
‘integral features’. The following are integral features:


• an electrical system (including a lighting system)
• a cold water system
• a space or water heating system, a powered system of ventilation, air cooling or air
purification, and any floor or ceiling comprised in such a system
• a lift, an escalator or a moving walkway
• external solar shading.


Under these rules if expenditure on an integral feature represents the whole, or more than 50%,
of the cost of replacing the integral feature, then the whole of the expenditure is to be treated as
capital expenditure

Replacement of Domestic Items (RDI)

Since 2016 Replacement of Domestic Items Relief has replaced the Wear and Tear Allowance. The rules are in PIM3210.

Note – RDI is not given for the purchase of new items that are not replacements

In order for relief to be given, 4 conditions must be met:

Condition A – the individual or company looking to claim the relief must carry on a property business that includes the letting of a dwelling-house(s).

Condition B – an old domestic item that has been provided for use in the dwelling-house is replaced with the purchase of a new domestic item. The new item must be provided for the exclusive use of the lessee in that dwelling-house and the old item must no longer be available for use by the lessee.

Condition C – The expenditure on the new item must not prohibited by the wholly and exclusive rule (see BIM37000) but would otherwise be prohibited by the capital expenditure rule (see BIM35000).

Condition D – Capital Allowances must not have been claimed in respect of the expenditure on the new domestic item.

If the 4 conditions are met, then a deduction for the expenditure on the new item can be claimed.

However, a deduction is not allowed if:

  • The dwelling-house in question is, in full or part, a furnished holiday letting (special rules apply to FHL’s)
  • Rent-a-Room receipts have been received in respect of the dwelling-house in question and Rent-a-Room relief has been claimed in relation to those receipts.

If the new item is of broadly the same quality/standard as the old item and doesn’t represent an improvement then the deduction is the cost of the new item. Note that for these purposes, just because an item is brand new does not make it an improvement over an item which has been in use for several years and suffered general wear and tear. For example, a brand new budget washing machine costing circa £200 is not an improvement over a 5 year old washing machine that cost around £200 at the time of purchase (or slightly less, taking into account inflation).

RDI will be given for ‘domestic items’ such as:

  • Moveable furniture such as beds and free-standing wardrobes.
  • Furnishings such as carpets, curtains and linen.
  • Household appliances such as televisions, fridges and freezers.
  • Kitchenware such as crockery and cutlery

Improvements

If an alteration increases the market value of the building, changes its function, or extends the life of the whole building then its an improvement.

We also noted under pre-letting that work to make a property lettable could be an improvement.

PIM2030 states

But there is usually no improvement if trivial increases in performance or capacity arise solely from the replacement of old materials with newer but broadly equivalent materials. For example, the replacement of pipes or storage tanks of imperial measure with the closest metric equivalent may result in slightly increased diameter or capacity but the cost is still revenue expenditure.

Where a significant improvement arises from the change of materials, the whole of the cost is capital expenditure. This includes things like redecoration after the main work has been done (redecoration would ordinarily be a revenue expense). The entire cost is capital expenditure, including the expense of making good any damage to decorations.

Alterations to a building may be so extensive as to amount to the reconstruction of the property. This will be capital expenditure and it can’t be deducted as an ordinary revenue business expense. 

steve@bicknells.net

When you get married does your Buy to Let become jointly owned?

If a married couple or civil partners buy an investment property HMRC the rules are

TSEM9812 – Property held jointly by married couples or civil partners: Overview: two main rules

There are two rules about property held jointly by married couples and civil partners:

  • the ‘50/50 rule’ (ITA/S836) whereby most income from jointly held property is treated as split equally between the two spouses or civil partners for income tax purposes; the 50/50 rule applies unless there is a valid declaration on form 17; sections TSEM9814-9840 contain the details;
  • the ‘form 17 rule’, whereby, if the true income split is different from 50/50, the couple can opt to be taxed on that basis for income tax purposes (ITA/S837); sections TSEM9842-9878 contain the details.

When you get married there are tax changes

Marriage Allowance

Marriage Allowance lets you transfer £1,260 of your Personal Allowance to your husband, wife or civil partner.

This reduces their tax by up to £252 in the tax year (6 April to 5 April the next year).

Capital Gains Tax

If you and your spouse or civil partner are living together, any transfer of an asset between you is treated as giving rise to neither a gain nor a loss to the person transferring it. Any amount actually paid is ignored. If the person receiving the asset later disposes of it, they will be treated as if they had paid an amount equal to the total of your costs.

Inheritance Tax

In addition to the CGT exemption for gifts between spouses, a similar relief exists for inheritance tax (“IHT”) purposes in most cases, so that assets can be gifted from one spouse to another without triggering an IHT charge.

Plus unused Nil Rate bands can be transferred on death.

What about Investment Property?

The short answer is that it does not automatically become jointly owned on marriage, but at least you can transfer part of the ownership without incurring capital gains tax.

steve@bicknells.net

How can you get tax relief on a payment of £500k to a SSAS

Small Self Administered Pensions (SSAS) are common for owner managed businesses.

In general a company can pay up to £40k per year into a SSAS for a employee and if the allowances haven’t been used there is 3 year carry forward option, which could mean up to £120k.

However, where a SSAS has multiple members a company could contribute £500k and get full tax relief. This known as an indirect payment.

Corporation Tax relief on the indirect contribution is available in the year it’s made.  It needs to meet the “wholly and exclusively for the purpose of trade” test. 

If the contribution exceeds £500,000 (up to a maximum of £2 million), the relief must be spread over future years.

Here are the HMRC rules https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/pensions-tax-manual/ptm043400

Speak to you SSAS provider for advice and further details

steve@bicknells.net

If my company pays me interest will it be taxed?

Companies often borrow from their directors, especially property companies as 100% loan to value loans may not be available from lenders.

If the company pays interest on the loan it will have to register with HMRC and prepare CT61 returns

Click to access ct61-notes-2010.pdf

The CT61 requires the company to deduct 20% tax on the interest.

The Director may be entitled to the interest tax free

Personal Savings Allowance

You may also get up to £1,000 of interest tax-free depending on which Income Tax band you’re in. This is your Personal Savings Allowance.

Income Tax band Tax-free savings income
Basic rate £1,000
Higher rate £500
Additional rate £0

Savings covered by your allowance

Your allowance applies to interest from:

  • bank and building society accounts
  • savings and credit union accounts
  • unit trusts, investment trusts and open-ended investment companies
  • peer-to-peer lending

So the Personal Savings Allowance should cover Directors Loans as explained in accountingweb

https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/tax/business-tax/paying-interest-to-the-director

If you are lending to your company you should make sure that its at a market rate and you may want to consider your security for the loan.

You could opt for a charge at Companies House but at the very least you should have a loan agreement.

steve@bicknells.net

How does a property investor or partnership ask HMRC for incorporation clearance?

Woman working with documents, Tablet pc and notebook. Property management Concept.

It doesn’t matter whether you have a partnership, an LLP or just have properties in your own name, provided you play an active role in managing your properties you could qualify for Section 162 Incorporation Tax Relief which will allow you to roll/hold over the capital gain into shares in your new company.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/incorporation-relief-hs276-self-assessment-helpsheet/hs276-incorporation-relief-2015

If you, either as an individual or in partnership, incorporate a business by transferring the business, together with all the assets of the business, in exchange wholly or partly for shares, you can defer some or all of the gain arising from the disposal of the ‘old assets’ (the business and the assets of the business) until such time as you dispose of the ‘new assets’ (the shares).

This relief is given automatically by Section 162 Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 provided the various requirements are met.

The key problem area is that Property Investment is generally not considered to be a Trade but because of the uncertainty created by recent legal cases you are able to ask HMRC for a Non-Statutory Clearance. This is effectively written approval from HMRC.

An example of playing an active role (and therefore having a Trade/Business) came up in EM Ramsay v HMRC [2013] UKUT 0226 (TCC)

Mrs Ramsey carried out the following activities

  1. Mr & Mrs Ramsey personally met potential tenants
  2. Mrs Ramsey check the quarterly electric bills
  3. Mrs Ramsey arranged insurance
  4. Mrs Ramsey arranged and attended to maintenance issues (drains)
  5. Mrs Ramsey and her son maintained the garages and cleared rubbish
  6. Mrs Ramsey dealt with post
  7. Mrs Ramsey dealt with fire regulation issues
  8. Mrs Ramsey arranged for a fence to be erected
  9. Mrs Ramsey created a flower bed
  10. Shrubs were pruned and leaves swept
  11. The parking area was cleared of weeds
  12. The flag stones were bleached
  13. Communal areas were vacuumed
  14. Security checks were carried out
  15. She took rubbish to tip
  16. She cleaned vacant flats
  17. she helped elderly tenants with utilities

This work equated to at least 20 hours per week and Mrs Ramsey had no other employment.

It is because she did the work herself that her property investment was considered a ‘Business’ and eligible for Incorporation Tax Relief.

How do you request a Non-Statutory Clearance from HMRC?

You can ask HMRC for further guidance or advice if you:

  • have fully considered the relevant guidance and/or contacted the relevant helpline
  • have not been able to find the information you need
  • remain uncertain about HMRC’s interpretation of tax legislation

HMRC will then set out their advice in writing.

Annex A of HMRC explains the information required

Click to access annex-a.pdf

steve@bicknells.net