HLAS

April claims Employers can now submit CJRS claims for periods in April. These must be made by Friday 14 May. You can claim before, during or after you process your payroll. If you can, it’s best to make a claim once you are sure of the exact number of hours your employees will work so you do not have to amend your claim later. If you haven’t submitted your claim for March, but believe that you have a reasonable excuse for missing the 14 April deadline, check if you can make a late claim by searching 'claim for wages' on [...]

EU Parliament committee backs Brexit trade deal The European Union Parliament committees have backed the new Brexit trade deal between the 27-nation bloc and the UK pushing it onward to the full legislature for a final vote expected later this month. Northern Ireland The news in recent weeks has been dominated by the Northern Ireland (NI) border discussions. Last month a meeting of the EU-UK body overseeing the NI Brexit arrangements and aimed at resolving issues with the Irish sea border has had mixed reactions amongst NI politicians. No change was reported in extending the request by the UK to [...]

This government has introduced a mortgage guarantee scheme. The scheme is open to new 95% mortgages until 31 December 2022, with participating lenders offering 95% mortgages under the government guarantee from 19 April 2021. The idea is to support a new generation in realising home ownership. The scheme will increase the availability of 95% Loan-to-value mortgage products, enabling more households to access mortgages without the need for large deposits. See:  The mortgage guarantee scheme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

As the lockdown gradually eases, the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) indicators for the UK economy and society show some positive news about the reopening of the economy. Estimates for UK seated diner reservations on 12 April 2021 were at 79% of their level seen on the equivalent Monday of 2019. This is the first time the level has exceeded 2% since before the announcement of the latest lockdown in England on 4 January 2021 and coincides with the easing of hospitality restrictions in England on 12 April 2021. Total UK online job adverts on 9 April 2021 equalled [...]

What you need to know about charity accounts Charities are spectacularly selfless. Though it’s tough to think of them as businesses, that’s what they are! And like any business, they must follow the accounting framework set out by the government’s charity commission to ensure their income, assets, and tax is recorded and observed. Here are 5 ways you can prepare your charity commission accounts, with or without the help of charity accountants: 1. Join the HMRC charity registration Any charitable organisation can register their details with HM Revenue and Customs’ charity registration https://www.gov.uk/charity-recognition-hmrc By doing so, it means your charity [...]

The advantages of using QuickBooks, and how QuickBooks can help your business At Harris Lacey and Swain, we are constantly thinking of ways to make life easier when it comes to managing your expenses, earnings, and other business figures. In recent years, we’ve introduced QuickBooks to our clients. It’s quicker, easier, and cheaper than traditional methods of accounting. Download and Read on to learn the A-Z of QuickBooks, and why our clients couldn’t imagine coping without it.

Making Accounting Quicker, Easier and more Affordable for small businesses... Caroline Latus, Managing Director of Burst Creatives, has been a client of Harris Lacey and Swain Chartered Accountants for 4 years now. Caroline's husband recommended them after he'd received professional, friendly, and approachable service from his accountants there. He was impressed with the service received since hiring Harris Lacey and Swain to work on his multiple health business accounts; especially his personal accountant, Richard Tucker. Caroline had just launched her web design & marketing agency and needed to find an accountant she could trust to deal with her small business [...]

The Treasury normally issue a bundle of tax consultation documents on Budget Day. This year however they chose to delay the publication until 3 weeks after the Budget. We were expecting the consultation documents to include major changes to CGT and IHT, but it would appear that these have yet again been delayed. The Treasury have accepted a number of recommendations by the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) on simplifying IHT reporting. From 1 January 2022 over 90 per cent of non-taxpaying estates each year will no longer have to complete IHT forms for deaths when probate is required. The [...]