Susan owns an unoccupied commercial property. She plans to convert it into two flats on the upper floors and a retail unit on the ground floor, which she’ll let. How much of the VAT paid on the conversion costs can she reclaim? VAT Expert John Craig explains. There is good news, even though Susan is...

To limit the number of self-assessment (SA) returns HMRC has to process it has changed the criteria for when one is required. If HMRC removes you from SA as a result, should you agree with this? Head of Tax Christiaan Hansen discusses. For 2023/24 and later tax years the self-assessment (SA) income threshold at which...

The 2023/24 tax year is of course now underway and there have been several changes which may affect you.   Head of Tax, Christiaan Hansen provides an overview of the key points, along with our recommendations and advice. Income tax The rates of income tax haven’t been increased; however, the threshold for paying the additional...

You’ve received an attachment of earnings order (AEO) instructing you to deduct payments of an outstanding debt from one of your employee’s pay. You’ve heard that not all earnings are “attachable” so what earnings does it apply to? Natasha Crockatt from our Payroll department advices below. An attachment of earnings order (AEO) is an official...

You are thinking about providing free meals to your employees to help them with the rising cost of living. You can buy in bulk and can access discounts not normally open to individual employees. But how do HMRC view this?  Naomi Swan CA, looks at this below. Food inflation While the headline rate of inflation...

All women in the UK are entitled to a total of 52 weeks of maternity leave from work – made up of 26 weeks ordinary maternity leave and 26 weeks additional maternity leave. There are two types of maternity benefits available, Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) which is paid by an employer and Maternity Allowance (MA)...

James owns a residential property which has been let for many years and he is considering selling it but will lose a large amount of the proceeds to HMRC. What are the options for reducing his capital gains tax (CGT) bill? Head of Tax Christiaan Hansen highlights some of the options available. Capital gains James...

Here is an official letter that HMRC have just sent out to their customers relating to new penalties for submitting VAT returns or paying VAT late. Apologies if you are already aware of this but it is a useful reminder if you have not yet picked up on the new regime. Particularly important if you...

Well done to Kenny Logan from our Edinburgh office who last Friday was awarded Member of the Year of the BNI Britannia group at the Charity Awards Dinner of the BNI Scotland South, East & Central region. Kenny was over the moon to receive the award: “This was voted by my fellow members so the...

We are delighted to welcome highly experienced tax expert Christiaan Hansen to the JRW team. Christian is our new Head of Tax, replacing Brona MacDougall who has gone onto pastures new a little closer to home. Although based in Hawick, Christiaan will bring his considerable tax expertise to clients across all 6 JRW offices as...