Tag: tax

Spreading your tax costs with Time To Pay

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) expects you to pay your taxes on time. But if you’re finding it difficult to pay in full, HMRC can be approached to allow a Time to Pay arrangement.

A Time to Pay arrangement will allow you to pay your debt off in pre-agreed installments, reducing the impact of a large tax bill – and helping you manage your debt and cashflow.

How does Time to Pay work?

If you need to request a Time to Pay arrangement for self-assessment tax, Employer’s PAYE and VAT, these can often be made online using a ‘self-service’ system.

Where you owe other types of tax, or where the conditions for online applications are not met, you’ll need to contact HMRC to discuss your situation.

  • The easiest (although not always the quickest) way to discuss your Time to Pay request is by telephone to 0300 200 3835.
  • HMRC agents will want to know about all taxes you owe, not just the one(s) where you want to spread payment. They will also ask for details of your income and outgoings, and any savings or assets that may be able to be used to reduce the amount owed.
  • Presuming that you agree to a payment plan with HMRC during the call, they will usually want to set up a Direct Debit straight away.

Making use of the self-serve Time to Pay system

If you don’t have any existing payment plans or debts with HMRC, the ‘self-serve’ system may be more straightforward, provided that the applicable tax returns have already been filed. The conditions and amounts vary depending on the particular tax.

For example:

  • Self-Assessment: You must apply no more than 60 days after the payment deadline and owe no more than £30,000.
  • Employer’s PAYE: You must be within 35 days of the deadline, owe no more than £15,000 and have no outstanding penalties. The maximum period over which the amount due can be spread is six months.
  • VAT: For VAT, you need to apply within 28 days of the due date and owe no more than £20,000. You can’t apply for a Time to Pay arrangement through the self-serve scheme if you use either the cash accounting or annual accounting schemes.

The self-serve option for Time to Pay does make the process easier, but remember that HMRC isn’t obliged to offer you the option of settling your taxes owed via installments.

If you fail to pay your taxes, HMRC can take recovery action in the County Court, and apply for the taxpayer to be put into liquidation or made bankrupt where appropriate.

Talk to us about making Time to Pay work for you

One of the best ways to avoid getting into difficulties with your tax liabilities is to work more closely with your accountant. As your tax adviser, we’ll produce regular forecasts so that any financial stresses can be foreseen well in advance.

Where unexpected circumstances do arise, putting a suitable payment plan in place with HMRC is the most sensible way to manage this situation. Ignoring your tax problems won’t make them go away and burying your head in the sand can lead to serious penalties and legal action.

Get in touch to talk about Time to Pay.

Steve@bicknells.net

How does Principle Private Residence Relief Work? (CGT)

signages for real property selling

As a UK accountant, one of the most common tax reliefs that clients ask about is Principle Private Residence Relief (PPR). This relief can be a significant tax saver for those selling their homes, but it is essential to understand the rules and regulations surrounding it.

What is PPR?

Firstly, PPR allows you to sell your main residence without incurring capital gains tax (CGT). However, if you have let out part of your home, it can affect your entitlement to PPR.

Tax when you sell your home: If you let out your home – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

If you rent out your home, then you will not be able to claim PPR for the period it is let. However, relief may still be available for the period you lived in the property and for the final 9 months of ownership.

a house for rent placard
Photo by Ivan Samkov on Pexels.com

How is PPR calculated if you let the property?

To calculate the PPR tax reduction for the let period, you will need to apportion the gain between the period it was your main residence and the period it was rented out. The amount of tax relief will be calculated based on the proportion of time the property was your main residence.

For example, if you lived in the property for five years, and then rented it out for two years, there would be seven years of ownership. The tax relief would apply for five years, but the remaining two years would be subject to CGT with an adjustment for the 9 month period.

How do you calculate the Gain?

Calculating the capital gain can be a complex process and may be affected by several factors such as the purchase and sale price, any home improvements made during ownership, and the length of ownership. It is recommended to seek specialist advice from a tax professional to ensure all factors are considered in the calculation.

person holding orange and white iphone case
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

How is the Gain taxed and reported?

The rates of CGT vary depending on the individual’s income tax rate. Currently, basic rate taxpayers will pay CGT at a rate of 18%, and higher rate taxpayers will pay at a rate of 28% on gains above the tax-free allowance of £12,300 (2022/23), £6,000 (2023/24), £3,000 (2024/25).

This blog explains how CGT is reported to HMRC How and when do you report capital gains tax on residential property disposals? – Steve J Bicknell Tel 01202 025252

How can you use Form 17?

Its worth seeking advice before the sale of any property as there could be ways to reduce the CGT for example couples can use Form 17 to change the ownership Declare beneficial interests in joint property and income – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and make best use of their tax allowances.

Working away and conculsion

If you work away from home, you can still claim PPR if the property remains your primary residence. However, if you buy another property to live in, this may affect your eligibility for PPR.

In conclusion, PPR can be a valuable tax relief for those selling their main residence. However, if you have let out your property, this may affect your entitlement to PPR. It is essential to understand the rules and regulations surrounding PPR and seek specialist advice when necessary.

Charity News Update

Download a free copy from our website we have 9 pages of guidance covering

  • The Cost of Living Crisis
  • Charity Law Reform
  • Annual Return Changes
  • Use of Social Media
  • The risk from Cyber Crime
  • Accountancy and Tax update
  • Fundraising update
  • VAT update

Plus lots of other great advice for Charities.

steve@bicknells.net

How and when do you report capital gains tax on residential property disposals?

real estate agent holding a signage

As a property owner in the UK, it is important to understand the capital gains tax (CGT) rules and regulations. CGT is a tax on the profit made when you sell or dispose of an asset, such as a property. In this blog, we will cover the 60-day reporting rule, how to calculate capital gains, how to report capital gains, how to get a reference, and how to appoint an agent.

The 60-day reporting rule

From 27 October 2021 (before that it was 30 days from 6 April 2020) the reporting deadline was re-set at 60 days and requires UK residents to report and pay CGT on the sale of a residential property within 60 days of completion. Failure to report within this timeframe can result in penalties and interest charges. Non-UK residents are also required to report and pay CGT within 60 days of completion, unlike UK residents they need to report under the CGT rules even if they made a loss or had no tax to pay.

Companies are not required to report under the 60 day rules.

The rules apply to:

  • Individuals
  • Trusts
  • Personal Representatives
  • Partnerships
  • LLPs
  • Joint Property Owners
  • Non UK Residents

Calculating capital gains

To calculate your capital gains, you need to subtract the cost of the property from the sale price. The cost of the property includes the purchase price, any fees or expenses incurred during the purchase, and any improvements made to the property. You can also deduct certain expenses, such as estate agent fees and legal fees, from the sale price. Once you have calculated your capital gains, you need to work out how much tax you owe. The amount of tax you pay depends on your income and the amount of capital gains you have made. The current CGT rates for residential property are 18% for basic rate taxpayers and 28% for higher rate taxpayers.

There is an annual exempt amount for individuals

  • 2022/23 £12,300
  • 2023/24 £6,000
  • 2024/25 £3,000

For Trusts the amounts above are halved

If the UK Resident lived in the property they could qualify for Private Residence Relief HS283 Private Residence Relief (2023) – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

If there is no gain then UK Residents don’t need to report under the 60 day rules. Non UK Residents need to report even if its a loss.

Reporting capital gains

UK Residents need to use Report and pay your Capital Gains Tax: If you sold a property in the UK on or after 6 April 2020 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Even if they want an Agent to report for them they at least need to start the process and get an X reference to pass to their Agent/Accountant. The Agent can use the X reference in the Agent Gateway to generate a link for the client to accept to appoint them as Agent.

You only need one X reference/Property Account even if you have multiple property disposals.

The gain also need to be reported on the their Self Assessment Return showing the tax already paid.

Non UK Residents need to use HMRC: Structured Email (tax.service.gov.uk)

Problem Areas

Personal Representatives – Trusts can’t create accounts – the executors register and tick to report for someone else

Estimates – if the estimates are unreasonably low, HMRC will put in their own figures and charge interest

Overpayments – need to go back and change the figures

steve@bicknells.net

What is a Non Dom?

city view at london

Non-Dom status is a term used to describe individuals who are not domiciled in the United Kingdom for tax purposes. This means that they are not considered to be permanent residents of the UK and are therefore not subject to UK tax on their foreign income and gains, unless they choose to be.

The UK residency status test is used to determine an individual’s residency status for tax purposes. The test takes into account a number of factors, including the number of days spent in the UK, the individual’s ties to the UK, and their intentions for the future. If an individual spends more than 183 days in the UK in a tax year, or has significant ties to the UK, they will be considered a UK resident for tax purposes.

You might find this blog helpful Where should you pay tax? (Statutory Residence Test) – Steve J Bicknell Tel 01202 025252

If an individual is a Non-Dom and chooses to be taxed on the remittance basis, they will only be taxed on their UK income and gains, as well as any foreign income and gains that they bring into the UK. This means that they can avoid paying tax on their foreign income and gains that are kept outside of the UK.

However, there is a 7-year charge for Non-Doms who have been resident in the UK for 7 out of the previous 9 tax years. This charge is designed to discourage individuals from using Non-Dom status as a way to avoid paying UK tax on their foreign income and gains. The charge is currently set at £30,000 per year, but may be higher for individuals who have been resident in the UK for longer periods of time.

In conclusion, Non-Dom status can be a useful tool for individuals who have significant foreign income and gains, but it is important to understand the UK residency status test and the potential tax implications of choosing to be taxed on the remittance basis. The 7-year charge for Non-Doms is also an important consideration for those who are considering using Non-Dom status as a way to avoid paying UK tax. It is always advisable to seek professional advice before making any decisions regarding tax planning.

steve@bicknells.net

Residential Property Capital Gains Overpayment Madness

By now I am sure you are familiar with the rules

From 27 October 2021, you must report and pay within 60 days of completion of conveyance.

For example, if you complete the disposal on 1 November you must report and pay your Capital Gains Tax by 31 December.

If the completion date was between 6 April 2020 and 26 October 2021 you must report and pay within 30 days of completion of conveyance.

You may have to pay interest and a penalty if you do not report and pay on time.

Tell HMRC about Capital Gains Tax on UK property or land if you’re not a UK resident – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

You report the gains using this link Report and pay your Capital Gains Tax: If you have other capital gains to report – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

If you need a tax agent to help you you have to start the process get and X reference, give that to you tax agent/accountant, they then sent the client a link to become their agent.

You also have to report the information again on your self assessment return.

What happens if you over pay the CGT?

You would think that doing the self assessment would generate a refund, but thats not the case, very frustrating!

The only way to recover or offset the overpaid CGT is to follow a new workaround shared by HMRC at the end of June.

The workaround suggests either:

(a) amending the UK Property Return before submitting the self-assessment return for the year to recover the overpayment that way; or

(b) submitting the self-assessment return and then calling HMRC to ask for a manual transfer to be made of the payments showing on the property account against the self-assessment account so it can then be offset against the total self-assessment bill.

Offsetting overpaid CGT against income tax | ICAEW

CGT Overpayment – Refund request – Community Forum – GOV.UK (hmrc.gov.uk)

CG10450 – Overpayment relief – HMRC internal manual – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

steve@bicknells.net

The UK Autumn Statement 2022

Its official, we are going to be worse off due to inflation at over 10%, energy costs capped at £2500 going up to £3000, interest rates going up. To find out more about the tax changes in the Autumn Statement download our free report.

Click here to download

When does the Corporate Bodies 15% SDLT Rate Apply?

modern building against sky

Most people aren’t aware of the 15% which can apply to corporate property purchases over £500k and expect to pay the rates below (these are the rates with the extra 3%)

Property or lease premium or transfer valueSDLT rate
Up to £125,0003%
The next £125,000 (the portion from £125,001 to £250,000)5%
The next £675,000 (the portion from £250,001 to £925,000)8%
The next £575,000 (the portion from £925,001 to £1.5 million)13%
The remaining amount (the portion above £1.5 million)15%

Stamp Duty Land Tax (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

These bodies may also need to pay Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings.

Relief from the 15% higher rate charge

The 15% rate does not apply to property bought by a company that is acting as a trustee of a settlement or bought by a company to be used for:

  • a property rental business
  • property developers and traders

FA03/S55/SCH4A: property rental businesses FA03/SCH4A/PARA5

Where the acquisition of a chargeable interest is exclusively for the purpose of exploitation as a source of rents or other receipts in the course of a qualifying property rental business, the 15% higher rate charge will not apply to the transaction. Instead, SDLT will be charged at the higher rates (the ones with the extra 3% in the table above) – see SDLTM09835 for more information on companies and the higher rates.

To qualify as a qualifying property rental business, the business must meet two conditions:-

  • it must be a property rental business as defined in Chapter 2 of Part 4, CTA 2009 (excluding the condition that the profits are chargeable to corporation tax – see PIM1020 onwards for more information), and
  • it must be carried on a commercial basis and with a view to a profit.

https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/stamp-duty-land-tax-manual/sdltm09555

This relief may be withdrawn in certain circumstances:-

https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/stamp-duty-land-tax-manual/sdltm09660

So thankfully most companies won’t have to pay 15% but this has been a source of confusion for some clients.

steve@bicknells.net

Don’t buy a holiday let in a company if you want stay in it!

interior of contemporary house on lake on cloudy day

Generally companies are great because corporation tax rates are lower than income tax rates, however, for Holiday Lets company ownership can be a problem if you have personal use for the following reasons (of course if you don’t want to stay there these don’t apply):

ATED

ATED is an annual tax payable mainly by companies that own UK residential property valued at more than £500,000.

You’ll need to complete an ATED return if your property:

  • is a dwelling — find out the meaning of ‘dwelling’ in the next section
  • is in the UK
  • was valued at more than:
    • £2 million (for returns from 2013 to 2014 onwards)
    • £1 million (for returns from 2015 to 2016 onwards)
    • £500,000 (for returns from 2016 to 2017 onwards)
  • is owned completely or partly by a:
    • company
    • partnership where any of the partners is a company
    • ­collective investment scheme — for example a unit trust or an open ended investment vehicle

Chargeable amounts for 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023

Property valueAnnual charge
More than £500,000 up to £1 million£3,800
More than £1 million up to £2 million£7,700
More than £2 million up to £5 million£26,050
More than £5 million up to £10 million£60,900
More than £10 million up to £20 million£122,250
More than £20 million£244,750

Benefit in Kind

Here is an example from HMRC

A UK company purchases a flat in a French ski resort for £200,000. It is agreed that a market rental for the property would be £500 per week during the 6 month skiing season and £100 per week during the rest of the year. A husband and wife who are both directors of the company use the flat for holidays with their children for 3 weeks during the ski season and one week in the rest of the year. Their children are neither employees nor directors of the company. The employer advises that the sole reason the property was bought was as a holiday home for the husband and wife. It has only been used by them as a holiday home.

We would argue in this case that provided is equivalent to available for use. Assuming that the flat was habitable for the whole of the year we would seek a benefit under Part 3 Chapter 5 measured on availability for the whole of the year. The employer may argue that the husband and wife work full time and that this prevents them using the flat for more than the 4 weeks in the year of actual use and so they are effectively only provided with it for 4 weeks. We do not accept that argument.

If the cost of the accommodation exceeds £75,000, then the amount of the cash equivalent would be calculated in accordance with Section 106 ITEPA 2003 (see EIM11472). As the annual value is based on the open market rental, under ESC A91 the cash equivalent of the benefit is restricted to step 1 of Section 106. This would mean that the cash equivalent for the tax year would be £15,600 (£500 x 26 + £100 x 26). Under Section 108 that would be split between the husband and wife in whatever way was just and reasonable, presumably half each in this case (see EIM11472).

The amount of the benefit under section 106 is:

•Step 1 – the cash equivalent as if section 105 ITEPA 2003 applied (see EIM11431)

•Step 2 – ORI × (C – £75,000) (this amount is called the additional yearly rent), where:

•C is the cost of providing the living accommodation (see point three above) and

•ORI is the official rate of interest

•Step 3 – calculate the rent that would have been payable if the property had been let for the taxable period at that additional yearly rent (see EIM11428 for taxable period)

•Step 4 – add together the amounts calculated under step 1 and step 3. From this total subtract any excess rent paid by the employee. The answer is the amount of the benefit.

FLM Indicator have a calculator to work this out if you need it.

What would be the tax if its personally owned?

If the property is owned personally then a SA105 Box 10 Private Use Adjustment is made, this excludes a % of the property costs for the period of private use. If you only stay there for a short period its going to be a much lower cost.

steve@bicknells.net