Robert Johnstone investigates which ISA performs better for those saving towards a deposit for a house.   One of the surprise announcements of the last budget was that another new type of ISA will be available from next year. The ‘Lifetime ISA’ which is to be launched in 2017, will only be available to those...

In this article, Kevin Ferguson looks at how employers can now tax expenses and benefits through their payroll by adding the value of them to their taxable income (payrolling), rather than having to provide them separately. Some employers were already applying this process by using their own informal arrangements but HMRC has now streamlined the...

Mike Ellis takes a look at the new Personal Savings Allowance which offers savers up to £1,000 in savings income tax free. This is undoubtedly the biggest shake up to have happened to savings in the UK in a generation. From the 6th April 2016, basic rate taxpayers will be able to earn up to...

Alister Biggar takes a look at recent changes to current legislation which should be considered when calculating holiday pay. With the main holiday season just around the corner, we thought we would take a look at holiday pay and how it is calculated. Some recent court cases have meant that employers and employees need to...

Are you missing out on tax free mileage allowances? by John Craig MA CA The AA estimates that the true cost of running a £25,000 car for 15,000 miles per year is 61p per mile – a figure which demonstrates just how stingy HMRC’s mileage rates of 45p and 25p really are. So if you...

Discussing how the new National Living Wage will affect employers By Alan Simpson, Associate As you’ll  no doubt be aware, the National Living Wage was introduced on the 1st April 2016 for all working people aged 25 and over at a rate of £7.20 per hour. All workers aged 25 or over and not in...

With more and more people now facing an Inheritance Tax charge on their estate, good planning can protect your estate from the taxman. By Kenneth Logan, MA (Hons) CA Inheritance Tax (IHT) is paid if a person’s estate (their property, money and possessions) is worth more than £325,000 when they die. This is called the...

Is it possible to set credit limits more scientifically than purely using gut feel? by Kevin Ferguson, Partner If you’re in the process of establishing a credit control process for your business, the last element you’re probably considering is how much credit to grant customers. In this article we take a look at whether it...

Looking at the options available to you and the areas that you should focus on when selecting a workplace pension scheme for automatic enrolment. By Jim Petrie, DipPFS, JRW Financial Services Workplace Pensions is a government initiative to increase private retirement savings. Auto enrolment affects every employer in the UK, even if you only employ...

The biggest change to have happened to workplace pensions in generations. By Alan Simpson, Associate, JRW Chartered Accountants The UK Government estimates that more than seven million people are not saving enough for their retirement or not even saving for their retirement at all. Because we are all living longer and living longer in retirement...