In a recent press release, HMRC underlined the benefits to smaller businesses from the increase in the VAT registration threshold and the business rates freeze.

Here’s what they said:

“Small businesses have received a boost as the VAT registration threshold is raised from £85,000 to £90,000, and £4.3 billion of business rates relief comes into force.

“Recognising the inflationary pressures facing small businesses, especially with energy bills, the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced a raft of measures to support them at Spring Budget, sticking to its plan to grow the economy and reward hard work. Raising the threshold will take 28,000 businesses out of paying VAT altogether, and ensure the UK has a higher threshold than any EU Member State and joint highest in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

“The small business multiplier for business rates will also be frozen from today for a fourth consecutive year, protecting over a million ratepayers from a 6.6% increase in their bills. The measure is part of the £4.3 billion business rates support package announced at Autumn Statement that includes the 12-month extension of the 75% relief for 230,000 Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) properties…”.

In summary, the changes will result in:

• 28,000 small businesses freed from paying VAT, encouraging them to invest and grow as the threshold is raised from £85,000 to £90,000; and
• over one million properties protected from higher bills by freezing the small business rates multiplier for a fourth consecutive year.

Most readers of our posts will recognise the acronym CGT or IHT -Capital Gains Tax or Inheritance Tax. And the myriad of other taxes that affect most UK taxpayers in or out of business:

• IT – Income Tax
• NIC – National Insurance
• VAT – Value Added Tax

But what about MTD?

What is MTD?

MTD will be recognisable by most business owners who are registered for VAT.

It stands for Making Tax Digital.

MTD for VAT purposes was introduced for businesses with a taxable turnover above the VAT registration threshold in April 2019, and since then all businesses registered for VAT are required to file their returns to HMRC using approved digital methods. In fact, all of the reputable bookkeeping software providers include the facility to file VAT returns to HMRC using the approved MTD links.

And this is the crux of the movement by HMRC to have all tax information filed electronically including personal self-assessment and corporation tax.

Eventually, pretty well all of the information presently submitted to HMRC on a formal tax return will be delivered automatically by software direct to HMRC servers.

MTD for ITSA

Which introduces yet another acronym – Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self -Assessment (MTD for ITSA).

The introduction of this filing process has been delayed for a number of years and is now due to commence for self-employed persons and landlords with an income of more than £50,000 from April 2026.

Those with income between £30,000 and £50,000 will be required to join MTD for ITSA from April 2027.

At present there is no date by which the self-employed and landlords with income under £30,000 will be drawn into this scheme.

MTD for ITSA deadlines

Before the relevant deadlines, affected traders and individuals will need to keep their records in an approved electronic format that will automatically send their returns (previously submitted on a tax return) directly from their computer to HMRC.

And this will have to be done quarterly, not annually as at present!

We are presently working our way through client lists to ensure that all affected self-employed and landlord clients are converted to using approved software in time to meet the 2026 or 2027 deadlines.

The days of delivering records in a shoe box once a year are coming to an end.

Call us now…

Digitisation of your record keeping will not only facilitate these compliance obligations, but it will also have positive benefits enabling you to better manage your finances.

If you are self-employed or an unincorporated landlord and still keep your records manually or on a spreadsheet, please get in touch. We can help you identify a cost effective software solution to have you ready and waiting for the MTD for ITSA conversion deadlines.

1 April 2024 – Due date for corporation tax due for the year ended 30 June 2023.

19 April 2024 – PAYE and NIC deductions due for month ended 5 April 2024. (If you pay your tax electronically the due date is 22 April 2024).

19 April 2024 – Filing deadline for the CIS300 monthly return for the month ended 5 April 2024.

19 April 2024 – CIS tax deducted for the month ended 5 April 2024 is payable by today.

30 April 2024 – 2022-23 tax returns filed after this date will be subject to an additional £10 per day late filing penalty for a maximum of 90 days.

1 May 2024 – Due date for corporation tax due for the year ended 30 July 2023.

19 May 2024 – PAYE and NIC deductions due for month ended 5 May 2024. (If you pay your tax electronically the due date is 22 May 2024).

19 May 2024 – Filing deadline for the CIS300 monthly return for the month ended 5 May 2024.

19 May 2024 – CIS tax deducted for the month ended 5 May 2024 is payable by today.

31 May 2024 – Ensure all employees have been given their P60s for the 2023/24 tax year.

There is still time to register for the marriage allowance before the current tax year ends on 5 April 2024. The marriage allowance applies to married couples and those in a civil partnership where a spouse or civil partner does not pay tax or does not pay tax above the basic rate threshold for Income Tax (i.e., one of the couples must currently earn less than the £12,570 personal allowance for 2023-24). HMRC has revealed that March is the most popular month for marriage allowance applications, with almost 70,000 couples applying in March last year.

The allowance works by permitting the lower earning partner to transfer up to £1,260 of their personal tax-free allowance to their spouse or civil partner. The marriage allowance can only be used when the recipient of the transfer (the higher earning partner) does not pay more than the basic 20% rate of income tax. This would usually mean that their income is between £12,571 and £50,270 during 2023-24.

For those living in Scotland this would usually mean income currently between £12,571 and £43,662.

Using the allowance, the lower earning partner can transfer up to £1,260 of their unused personal tax-free allowance to a spouse or civil partner. This could result in a saving of up to £252 for the recipient (20% of £1,260), or £21 a month for the current tax year.

If you meet the eligibility requirements and have not yet claimed the allowance, then you can backdate your claim as far back as 6 April 2019. This could result in a total tax break of up to £1,256 if you can claim for 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23 as well as the current 2023-24 tax year. If you claim now, you can backdate your claim for four years (if eligible) as well as for the current tax year.

HMRC’s online Marriage Allowance calculator can be used by couples to find out if they are eligible for the relief. An application can then be made online at GOV.UK.

There is an online service available on HMRC to check your National Insurance Contributions (NIC) record online. The service is available at https://www.gov.uk/check-national-insurance-record

In order to use this service, you will need to have a Government Gateway account. If you do not have an account, you can apply to set one up online.

By signing in to the 'Check your National Insurance record' service you will also activate your personal tax account if you have not already done so. HMRC’s personal tax account can also be used to complete a variety of tasks in real time such as claiming a tax refund, updating your address and completing your self-assessment return.

Your National Insurance record online will let you see:

• What you have paid, up to the start of the current tax year (6 April 2023).
• Any National Insurance credits you have received.
• If gaps in contributions or credits mean some years do not count towards your State Pension (they are not 'qualifying years')
• If you can pay voluntary contributions to fill any gaps and how much this will cost

In some circumstances it may be beneficial, after reviewing your records, to make voluntary NIC contributions to fill gaps in your contributions record to increase your entitlement to benefits, including the State or New State Pension. If you would like to discuss this further, please do not hesitate to be in touch.