The keenly anticipated Help to Buy ISA finally arrived on the 1st December 2015. But who can open one and what does the account offer that other ISA’s don’t? The Help to Buy ISA (HBISA) differs from others in that it was created with just one group of investors in mind: first time home buyers....

How will the crack down on mortgage interest relief affect buy to let landlords? By Alan Marlow, JRW Chartered Accountants This year, buy to let lending has accounted for more than 15% of mortgages taken out. If you are a buy to let landlord, you will no doubt be well aware that your earnings are...

The new dividend tax regime and how it could affect you. In the Summer Budget, George Osborne announced fundamental changes to the way in which dividends are taxed. The changes will not take place until dividend receipts from 6 April 2016 but individuals who extract profits from their company as dividends may need to consider...

The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has published some guidance aimed at the 1.3 million small and micro employers who are preparing for pensions auto enrolment. The guidance aims to help employers find a good quality pension scheme. TPR research suggests one in five employers will not seek advice when choosing a pension scheme, whilst one in...

National Minimum Wage increases this month As you will know, the National Minimum Wage (NMW) is the minimum amount per hour that most workers in the UK are entitled to be paid. NMW rates increases come into effect on 1st October 2015 as follows: •    The adult rate will increase by 20 pence to £6.70...

By Joanne Gibson BA CA, Associate, JRW Chartered Accountants Putting savings away for your children’s future definitely won’t impress a young child much now – especially when they realise they can’t access that pot of money till they are 18. But as the old saying goes ‘they grow up fast’ and they most certainly do,...

After someone dies, the people looking after their affairs have to add up the value of what is left behind and take off any debts and expenses. Depending on how much is left in the person’s estate (their property, money and possessions) there might be Inheritance Tax to pay. Inheritance Tax is paid if a...

With the release of Windows 10 in July we have found that some of our clients have chosen to upgrade to the new version in order to take advantage of their upgrade offer. As with all major operating system upgrades there can be some knock-on implications for software running on these upgraded machines, particularly if...

We deal with all types and sizes of business and a question we are asked on a daily basis is ‘What type of business structure should I trade under?’ Of course this is always a vital consideration for new business start ups but because your business format is not set in stone forever, established businesses...

by Kevin D. Ferguson BA CA, Partner , JRW Chartered Accountants   In this month’s article we provide a summary of the key tax points from the Summer Budget. We have mainly concentrated on the tax measures that will directly affect individuals, employers and small businesses in 2016 and 2017. Tax rates and the personal...