HLAS

Mike Holdstock of Hessle – based accountancy practice Harris Lacey and Swain celebrated, in June, his 60th year work anniversary as an accountant. He reminisces `Fresh out of school, I went to the Youth Employment Offices in Hull City Centre (my mother insisted on coming with me) and the choices were offices, shops and factories` `There was a position for a junior audit clerk at Hird Major & Co in George Street, one of the few combined accountants and insurance brokers in the area at that time, and, after a successful interview (also attended by my mother!) I began work [...]

The cost of living increase means it’s never been more important for your employees to claim tax relief on work-related expenses. HMRC want to encourage employees to claim money they are entitled to using the HMRC online service. You can support HMRC and your employees by passing on the useful messages below using your internal newsletters, websites, meetings, notice boards and other communication routes. Message to employees Some employees can get tax relief on expenses their employer has not reimbursed them for. This includes things like: uniforms and work clothing equipment purchases professional fees and subscriptions using their own vehicles [...]

As an employer, you have automatic enrolment responsibilities. The Pensions Regulator (TPR) writes to you as an employer to keep you up to date with the automatic enrolment tasks you need to complete and when they need to be completed, so it’s important that they hold your latest contact details. Due to the pandemic or other reasons, your working situation may have changed. For example, you may have changed offices or are now mainly working from home. You should ensure The Pensions Regulator has the most up-to-date contact information for you (postal address and email) so you can receive the [...]

If you make PAYE payments to HMRC, you should check that your payment reference number is correct every time. If you use an incorrect reference number, your payment may not be recognised. This can lead to penalties and charges being issued even if you paid on time, and you will need to call HMRC to correct any error. A payment reference number is specific to the type of tax and the accounting period for which you are making a payment. The characters in your payment reference number tell HMRC where to allocate your payments, which helps them process your payments as quickly [...]

In the Spring Statement 2022, the UK Government announced an increase in National Insurance thresholds affecting the 2022 to 2023 tax year. We want to take the opportunity to remind our clients that the threshold changes will take effect from 6 July 2022, meaning employees will pay National Insurance contributions on less of their income. The primary threshold from 6 July 2022 to 5 April 2023 will be £242 per week and £1,048 per month, equivalent to £12,570 per year (increased from £9,880 per year). See the guidance Rates and thresholds for employers 2022 to 2023, ‘Class 1 National Insurance thresholds’ for further [...]

Innovation has generally been recognised as essential for value creation, both for individual companies and for the UK economy as a whole. The development of new ideas, processes and technologies and their flow across different sectors is a significant driver of economic growth and productivity. Recently, innovation has also been identified as crucial to the transition of the economy away from fossil fuels and carbon-intensive business activities. There are many factors that affect whether and how businesses innovate, for example, the availability of skills and capital, and government policy measures such as tax incentives. However, none are more important than [...]

Businesses registered in the UK can apply for loans for innovative projects with strong commercial potential to significantly improve the UK economy. Innovate UK is offering up to £25 million in loans to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Loans are for highly innovative late-stage research and development (R&D) projects with the best potential for the future. There should be a clear route to commercialisation and economic impact. Your project must lead to new products, processes or services that are significantly ahead of others currently available or propose an innovative use of existing products, processes or services. It can also [...]

The UK government has closed the plug-in car grant scheme to new orders. This follows a  public evaluation report highlighting that while the grant was vital in building the early market for electric vehicles, it has since been having less of an effect on demand. Other existing price incentives, such as company car tax, continue to have an important impact. The report also found the plug-in van market will benefit from grant incentives more to support businesses and their fleets in making the switch. To continue the UK government’s drive towards net zero, £300 million in grant funding will now [...]

The Government has set out plans to drive innovation and harness pioneering technology in farming as part of its Food Strategy, in the hopes to back farmers by helping to increase domestic production. Currently, the UK only produces 15% of tomatoes supplied domestically. However, new generation technology, such as sustainable and efficient glasshouses, has opened up new opportunities for British producers which will help to reduce reliance on overseas production. The plans include incentives for industry and investment in research to support farmers and boost home-grown fruit and vegetable production, and in turn, create new job opportunities. £270 million will [...]

Companies House have recordings of webinar presentations that you can watch whenever suits your schedule. The webinars cover a range of topics, including: starting a limited company and your responsibilities to Companies House and HMRC. how intellectual property such as patents, trademarks and copyrights can affect your business. guidance on starting a community interest company (CIC). how to register company mortgages and other charges at Companies House. how to restore a company to the register. See: Companies House webinars - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)