The number of employees who think they will work beyond the age of 65 is at a record high, according to research by Canada Life Group. Out of 1,000 workers surveyed, 73% are expecting to work past the age of 65 – up from 67% in 2016. 37% who intend to work beyond 65 said…

More than half of businesses are planning to offset rising prices, according to a study by ICAEW. 53% of firms have seen input prices increase over the past year but less than half are willing to absorb the costs. Businesses cited the following reasons for rising prices: rise in raw materials (35%) cost of services…

Employers are in support of the current employment law rights as negotiations to leave the European Union continue. The CIPD asked 500 employers about the 28 areas of employment law and found the majority thought all areas were necessary. Legislation deemed important included: unfair dismissal laws (93%) the national minimum wage (87%) parental rights at…

Expenses and benefits not payrolled for the 2016/17 tax year will need to be reported to HMRC by 6 July 2017. Employers can report them by completing specific forms which are available to download on the HMRC website. There are 2 forms to complete – P11D and P11D(b).

A beginner’s guide to investing in small entities and the available tax reliefs for doing so. Starting a business is rarely glamourous. Many of the globe-straddling behemoths of the business world had low key beginnings. Both Apple and Hewlett-Packard were famously started in their founder’s garages while the mighty Samsung began life as a grocery…

A guide for employees on the tax implications of accepting common employee benefits. Most employers provide a range of benefits in kind to their employees. You may be able to choose which benefits to take up, so you should be aware of the different tax and national insurance (NI) implications of each benefit you pick.…

A guide to maintaining a healthy balance between money coming in and out of your business. If your business does not have a steady stream of money flowing into it, you will be unlikely to be a going concern in 12 months. On the other hand, every business will have regular costs that they have…

As another new tax year begins, here are some important tax dates and changes to be aware of this month.

The business rates revaluation took effect on 1 April 2017. This means that businesses in England and Wales will pay rates that reflect the changes in their local property market. The government has said that nearly 75% of businesses will see no change or a fall in their bills. Small business rate relief has permanently…

The national living wage (NLW) is now £7.50 an hour. Most workers who are aged 25 and over and not in their first year of an apprenticeship are entitled to the new rate. The national minimum wage (NMW) rates for various ages have also increased.

A fifth of SMEs have missed out on at least 1 business opportunity in the past 12 months due to a lack of finance. Research by Aldemore found that firms are missing out on an average of £77,651 a year due to missed opportunities.

Selling goods and services overseas for beginners. Internationalising your client base can be an intimidating prospect for small business owners with no experience in trading overseas. Depending on your sector and your export destinations, deciding to sell products and services abroad can increase your expenditure, consume your time, and introduce new regulatory and administrative complexities.…

A guide to the tax relief available to innovative SMEs. Research and development (R&D) tax relief for small companies provides an enhanced deduction for the costs of qualifying R&D projects.   R&D tax relief for large companies is given as an expenditure credit in the company’s profit and loss account before the tax charge is…

37% of small businesses are paying above the 1% legal minimum contribution to an employee’s workplace pension. The People’s Pension survey of 898 business owners that have already passed their staging date found that the majority (70%) said auto-enrolment was beneficial to their staff.