Category: Investment

Why taking a dividend now, could save tax – Dividend Tax Calculator

Dividend Calculator 2

When you take dividends has never been more critical due to changes in the Summer Budget 2015, so if you have distributable reserves you might want to take more dividends this tax year, try the Dividend Calculator above to see how much difference it could make.

Dividend tax rates before April 2016

Tax band Effective dividend tax rate
Basic rate (20%) (and non-taxpayers) 0%
Higher rate (40%) 25%
Additional rate (45%) 30.56%

 

This will change from April 2016, see the table below

Dividend tax rates after April 2016

Tax band Effective dividend tax rate
Tax Free £5,000 0%
Basic Rate Tax Payers (20%) 7.5%
Higher Rate Tax Payers (40%) 32.5%
 Additional Rate Tax Payers (45%)  38.1%

 

The new rules are easier to follow, the 10% tax credit in the current rules is hard for most people to follow.

There is a Dividend Allowance factsheet which helps to explain how dividend tax will be calculated.

But be warned!

While these rates remain below the main rates of income tax, those who receive significant dividend income – for example due to very large shareholdings (typically more than £140,000) or as a result of receiving significant dividends through a closed company – will pay more.

So far we don’t know how much more!

steve@bicknells.net

Can my Pension buy shares in my company?

Entrepreneur startup business model

A pension scheme can buy quoted or unquoted shares in a company based either in the UK or overseas.

An occupational pension scheme can buy shares in one or more of the employers participating in the scheme as long as both the following conditions are met:

  • the total value of the scheme funds invested is less then 20% of the net value of the pension scheme funds
  • the amount invested by the scheme in the shares of any one employer participating in the scheme is less than 5% of net value of the pension scheme funds

Any investment larger than this will be an unauthorised payment and both the scheme employer and scheme administrator will have to pay a tax charge on the amount above the limit.

https://www.gov.uk/pension-trustees-investments-and-tax

So in theory, yes, it is possible, but in reality its likely to fail because:

  1. An independent ‘Arms Length’ valuation will be required, for an unquoted small business or start up this is extremely difficult as establishing a market value for the shares will be difficult and often a start up will have losses in the first few years
  2. The HMRC’s rules which govern all registered pension schemes (in particular the sections covering both taxable property and tangible moveable property) dictate that the combined shareholding in the unquoted company held between the pension fund, the member personally and any other connected persons must never exceed 19%, otherwise there would be enormous tax consequences for all concerned
  3. The company concerned must not (and never should be in the future) controlled by the trustees of the pension fund in conjunction with connected parties

If the business needs the money to buy commercial premises for its trade it would be easier for the pension scheme (SSAS) to lend the money, a SSAS can lend up to 50% of net scheme assets as explained in in this fact sheet from Curtis Banks

If you are over 55, you could also consider drawing down funds from your pension, the first 25% will be tax free.

steve@bicknells.net

5 reasons why you need a Property Investment Company!

Student house

There are many reasons why using a company to invest in residential property is good idea and Summer Budget 2015 made companies an even more attractive option.

1. Restriction of Mortgage Interest Tax Relief

Currently this is just a ‘Policy Paper’ but the plan is to restrict individuals on claiming mortgage interest as a cost against their property investment income, for individuals it will work as follows

2017/18 75% of the interest can be claimed in full and 25% will get relief at 20%

2018/19 50% of the interest can be claimed in full and 50% will get relief at 20%

2019/20 25% of the interest can be claimed in full and 75% will get relief at 20%

2020/21 100% will get only 20% relief

For a 20% tax payer that’s fine but for higher rate taxpayer its a disaster that will lead to them paying a lot more tax

These rules will not apply to Companies, Companies will continue to claim full relief.

This link shows some worked examples – Mortgages for Business

Most investors will have multiple properties and high levels of borrowing.

Furnished Holiday Lets are excluded from the restriction – Official Policy

2. Corporation Tax Rates

The current rate of Corporation Tax is 20% but its falling year on year and by 2020 it will be 18%.

Not only that, its the same rate no matter how many companies you have, previously when there were multiple Corporation Rate if you had associated companies the small companies rate was reduce in a marginal rate calculation.

Individual tax rates are

Basic rate                             20% Up to £31,785
Higher rate                            40% £31,786 to £150,000
Additional rate 45% Over £150,001

3. Capital Gains Tax

Capital Gains Tax is at 20% in companies (falling to 18% by 2020) and companies are allowed to apply HMRC Indexation Allowance to offset the effect of inflation.

Capital gain - company

Individuals get an annual allowance of £11,100 and basic rate tax payers pay 18% with higher rate tax payers paying a massive 28% with no indexation.

There are special rules for UK Companies owned by Non UK Residents.

There is no rollover relief for companies or individuals investing in Residential Property because investment isn’t a trading activity.

4. Stamp Duty

Stamp Duty (SDLT) on selling Shares is 0.5%.

Example – So £1,995 × 0.5% = £9.97. This is rounded up to the nearest £5, which means you pay £10 Stamp Duty.

Stamp Duty on Property Sales is calculated as follows

• No stamp duty will be paid on the first £125,000 of a property
• 2% will be paid on the portion up to £250,000
• 5% is paid for the portion up to £925,000
• 10% is paid on the portion up to £1.5m
• 12% is paid on anything above that

HMRC have a calculator, here is link

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/tools/sdlt/land-and-property.htm

But you should also consider ATED (Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings) – more details in this blog – http://stevejbicknell.com/2014/09/12/more-tax-on-companies-owning-high-value-residential-property/

SDLT is charged at 15% on residential properties costing more than £500,000 bought by certain corporate bodies (or ‘non-natural persons’). These include:

  • companies
  • partnerships including companies
  • collective investment schemes

The 15% rate doesn’t apply to property bought by trustees of a settlement or bought by a company to be used for:

  • a property rental business
  • property developers and trader
  • property made available to the public
  • financial institutions acquiring property in the course of lending
  • property occupied by employees
  • farmhouses

The standard residential rate of SDLT applies in these cases. These exclusions are subject to specific conditions.

If 6 or more properties form part of a single transaction the rules, rates and thresholds for non-residential properties apply.

5. Inheritance Tax (IHT) and Potentially Exempt Transfers planning

One of the big benefits of Shares is that its easy to split ownership.

Potentially Exempt Transfers (PET’s) allow you to give away shares provided you survive more that 7 years after the transfer, shares make PETs easy and simple.

When you give away shares it will potentially trigger a capital gain but you will be able to use your personal capital gains allowance of £11,100 to offset this gain.

steve@bicknells.net

Is a Company the best way forward for Buy to Lets?

Mosaïque de logements

The Summer Budget made this decision even more complicated!

First landlords have a lot to consider..

  1. Transferring their portfolio will probably incur Stamp Duty and Capital Gains
  2. Mortgages can be harder to find and more expensive for companies
  3. Share ownership options and objectives
  4. Company Admin, Accounts and Tax
  5. Capital Gains Allowances, ATED and IHT

But one key advantage is explained by Adrian Benosiglio, real estate tax partner at Baker Tilly (www.yourmoney.com)

For example, Mr Jones (a 45% taxpayer) has a house with net rental income of £100,000 and mortgage interest of £90,000. Currently he would pay £4,500 income tax on profits of £10,000.

From April 2020, he’ll pay £27,000* income tax. This is calculated by applying his marginal rate of tax to his rental income (£100,000 x 45%) which gives a tax liability of £45,000 and offsetting this with tax relief claimed on the mortgage interest at the lower amount of 20% (90,000 x 20%) which would give tax relief of £18,000. This would leave Mr Jones with a tax bill of £27,000 (£45,000 less £18,000). The end result would be an overall annual loss after tax of £17,000, with insufficient cash flow to make repayments on his loan.

A company is not affected by these measures and therefore would receive full mortgage interest relief. Additionally, corporation tax is charged at 20% and is due to fall to 18% in 2020. Using the above example, a company would pay £2,000 currently and £1,800 from 2020; leaving sufficient funds to make repayments.

Complicated isn’t it!

steve@bicknells.net

More Tax for Landlords

Mosaïque de logements

The Summer Budget 2015 was not great news for Landlords!

The 10% Wear & Tear allowance will end in April 2016 and landlords will only be able to claim for actual expenditure, this could have a ‘cap’ and restrictions, we await the full details. Many landlords will be disappointed at the loss of this useful tax relief.

From April 2017 tax relief on interest will be restricted so that by 2020 it will not be an allowable expense against profit but will attract 20% tax relief.

steve@bicknells.net

Will automatic planning consent lead to more homes?

Group of construction workers. House renovation.

Housing and home ownership are a top priority in the UK and last week new proposals were announced in the Productivity Plan (see page 11 section 9)

The UK has been incapable of building enough homes to keep up with growing demand. This harms productivity and restricts labour market flexibility, and it frustrates the ambitions of thousands of people who would like to own their own home. The government will:
  • introduce a new zonal system which will effectively give automatic permission on suitable brownfield sites
  • take tougher action to ensure that local authorities are using their powers to get local plans in place and make homes available for local people, intervening to arrange for local plans to be written where necessary
  • bring forward proposals for stronger, fairer compulsory purchase powers, and devolution of major new planning powers to the Mayors of London and Manchester
  • extend the Right to Buy to housing association tenants, and deliver 200,000 Starter Homes for first time buyers
  • restrict tax relief to ensure all individual landlords get the same level of tax relief for their finance costs

Automatic planning consent on Brownfield sites, when approved, follows a number of other important incentives such as the Starter Homes initiative 20% discount.

The 20% discount is achieved by waiving local authority fees for homebuilders of at least £45,000 per dwelling on brownfield sites.

At the heart of the Starter Homes initiative is a change to the planning system. This will allow house builders to develop under-used or unviable brownfield land and free them from planning costs and levies. In return, they will be able to offer homes at a minimum 20% discount exclusively to first time buyers, under the age of forty.  Under the proposals, developers offering Starter Homes would be exempt from those Section 106 charges and Community Infrastructure Levy charges. The homes could then not be re-sold at market value for a fixed period – making sure that the savings are passed onto homebuyers.Gov.uk

To qualify first time buyers must be under the age of 40 and living in England.

Also the Help to Buy ISA for first time buyers where they could qualify for a £3,000 bonus

Help to Buy ISA

There is also the Help to Scheme where home buyers may only need a 5% deposit

With a Help to Buy: equity loan the Government lends you up to 20% of the cost of your new-build home, so you’ll only need a 5% cash deposit and a 75% mortgage to make up the rest.

You won’t be charged loan fees on the 20% loan for the first five years of owning your home.

– See more at: http://www.helptobuy.org.uk/equity-loan/equity-loans#sthash.Vna08ZpX.dpuf

steve@bicknells.net

When is a tax deduction allowed on property acquisition?

A donut store, bakery, fish and chips store and a pet shop

Acquisition costs need to split into capital and revenue expenses.

“Several tests have been developed through case law to ascertain whether expenditure is revenue or capital in nature. The ‘enduring benefit’ test, which originated from Atherton v British Insulated & Helsby Cables Ltd [1925] 10 TC 155, is one such test.

“In this case, that expenditure incurred with a view to providing the business with an ‘enduring benefit’ was not allowable as a trading expense. ‘Enduring benefit’ means that the expense will benefit the business not just in the year in which it is incurred, but also in the years that follow. [Taxation]

Capital Expenses

  • Legal costs for the property purchase
  • Property Acquisition Cost

Capital expenses are only recovered as part of the capital gains calculation when they are added to the purchase cost to reduce the overall gain.

Revenue Expenses

  • Mortgage arrangement fees
  • Legal fees on arranging loans
  • Lenders normally include valuation fees in their charges

Revenue expenses are charged to the P&L and are deductible against income tax/corporation tax.

When loan costs are material they would normally be amortised over the period of the loan in order to apply the matching principle of accounting.

You cannot deduct:

  • Expenses incurred in connection with the first letting or subletting of a property for more than a year. These include legal expenses such as the cost of drawing up a lease, agents’ and surveyors’ fees and commission.
  • Any costs of agreeing and paying a premium on renewal of a lease.
  • Fees for planning permission or registration of title on property purchase.

HMRC Guidance

steve@bicknells.net

How do Help to Buy ISA’s work?

Help to Buy ISA

 

Top 10 facts and rules…

  1. Its only available to ‘First Time Buyers’
  2. ‘First Time Buyers’ can only have one Help to Buy ISA with one provider
  3. You can pay in £1,000 when you open the account and then save a maximum of £200 per month
  4. The maximum government bonus is £3,000 (but you can lower amounts of bonus if you have less than £12,000)
  5. The scheme will run for 4 years from the date it opens (Autumn 2015)
  6. Couples can have a Help to Buy ISA each which means if they don’t want to wait 4 years could save £12,000 in 25 months where as a single saver would need 55 months
  7. Unlike ISA’s where you open one per year, the Help to Buy ISA will continue for 4 years
  8. You can withdraw funds but if its not to buy a home then you won’t get the bonus
  9. More than 100,000 homes have now been bought with government backed schemes
  10. You will be able to get them at banks and building societies

Money Saving Expert has some useful Q&A including this one….

A first-time buyer is someone who does not and has never owned an interest in a residential property, either inside or outside the UK.

Many people have said “I owned a property previously but now rent”, “I have a shared ownership property” or “I have inherited a property” can I still open a Help to Buy ISA? And the answer is NO – you have to be a first-time buyer to open one.

steve@bicknells.net

Will cashing in your annuity lead to a better pension?

This is exactly how I pictured the partners lounge

The chancellor George Osborn has announce that he plans to allow pensioners to cash in their annuities.

Before the pension reforms….

Individuals saved into a pension during their working life and so built up a pension pot.

At some point during the first years of retirement, they used the money to buy an annuity from an insurance company.

This is a transaction that occurs once, and only once.

An annuity is an annual retirement income that is paid to them for the rest of their life.

BBC

From April 2016 the proposal is to allow pensioners to swap an annuity for a fixed lump sum.

But will pensioners be able to find investments which are better than the annuity they currently have?

steve@bicknells.net

Is my website a fixed asset?

WWW Website

HMRC use the Analogy of a shop window….

The cost of a web site is analogous to that of a shop window. The cost of constructing the window is capital; the cost of changing the display from time to time is revenue. (BIM35870)

UITF Abstract 29

Set out 4 key areas of cost:

  1. Planning – P&L
  2. Application and infrastructure development – Tangible Fixed Asset
  3. Design costs – P&L
  4. Content costs – P&L

HMRC also have some useful information on software in CA23410

CAA01/S71

Computer software qualifies for PMAs if it is not already plant.

Computer software is not defined in the capital allowance legislation. You should treat computer programs of any type and data of any kind as computer software. Computer programs range from operating systems like Windows to games like Solitaire. There may be no physical asset because software is sometimes transferred by electronic means, for example it may be downloaded over the Internet. Software acquired that way is also plant.

A person may acquire a right to use or otherwise deal with computer software. If so, the right and the software to which it relates are plant. Treat the person as owning the plant while the person is entitled to the right.

 

Capital Allowances and the Annual Investment Allowance can be claimed against Plant including software.

steve@bicknells.net