What You Should Know About Commercial Vehicles
When it comes to commercial vehicles, when is a van not a van?
If you use commercial vehicles, you’d want to urge HMRC to provide clarity and consistency on the tax treatment of commercial vehicles such as VW Kombi Vans marketed as goods vehicles. You may or may not be aware of a ruling in an important tax tribunal case involving “vans” provided to employees of Coca Cola. The court has upheld the HMRC view that certain vehicles are not goods vehicles, but motor cars for benefit in kind purposes. Consequently, the income tax and national insurance payable by you as an employee and you as an employer, is significantly higher than if the vehicles had been classified as goods vehicles.
Certain vans / commercial vehicles are exempt from income tax
In addition, there is no assessable benefit in kind, whether you use a van only for business journeys or for private use. Examples would include making a slight detour to pick up a newspaper on the way to work, or taking an old mattress or other rubbish to the tip once or twice a year.
Income tax definition of “Goods Vehicle”
So how does the income tax legislation define a “goods vehicle”? It is defined as “a vehicle of a construction primarily suited for the conveyance of goods or burden of any description…” Although the VW Kombi vans failed this test, the Tribunal held that Vauxhall Vivaro vans provided by Coca Cola did fall within the definition of goods vehicles! We understand that this case is due to be heard at the Court of Appeal. This will undoubtedly provide legal precedent over the tax treatment. Until then it gives you, as an employer, a dilemma as to how to report such vehicles on employees’ form P11d and also whether the position in earlier years should be rectified. You should note that the tribunal had to seek evidence from automotive industry experts, so how are you, as an employer, expected to interpret the rules?! What is also particularly confusing, and thus difficult for your business to deal with, is that the benefit in kind rules are not the same as the rules for capital allowances and VAT.
Capital allowances definition of “Motor Car”
The definition of a “motor car” for plant and machinery allowances purposes is a mechanically propelled vehicle except a vehicle:
- Constructed in such a way that it is primarily suited for transporting goods of any sort, or
2. Of a type which is not commonly used as a private vehicle and is not suitable for use as a private vehicle.
VAT definition of “Motor Car”
For VAT purposes, the definition of a motor car has been amended several times over the years. The current definition states: “Motor car” means any motor vehicle of a kind normally used on public roads which has three or more wheels and either:
a) Is constructed or adapted solely or mainly for the carriage of passengers; or
b) Has to the rear of the driver’s seat roofed accommodation which is fitted with side windows or which is constructed or adapted for the fitting of side windows;
There is a number of exceptions to this rule, notably vehicles constructed to carry a payload of one tonne or more. A common example would be a “double cab” pick-up such as a Mitsubishi L200 or Toyota Hilux.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you make sense out of these payment & tax rules and help your business succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
How To Organise Your Tasks More Effectively
Your Tasks Organised And Simplified
Tasks Balancing Act
The daily grind, for most of us, can feel like a constant juggling act. You attempt to balance work, household chores, bills, family – and hopefully some leisure in between if there’s any time leftover. In fact, trying to find time for things you enjoy – or for projects to improve yourself – can often feel impossible. And you could feel it’s incredibly frustrating to not move forward with things you truly value. Besides, It’s just as frustrating for you to get stuck under a tower of tasks that never seems to get any smaller…
Tasks Stats
Did you know that an online poll by the Mental Health Foundation found that “in the past year, 74% of people have felt so stressed they have been overwhelmed or unable to cope”. In addition, a report by ACAS, the workplace experts, had similar findings. You might be surprised to further know that 66% of poll respondents, had felt stressed or anxious about work over the past year – and that 35% struggled to balance home and work lives. This, in turn, encouraged us to look into a helpful and less disheartening way to improve task organisation.
Tasks Apps and Tools
One example of this is for you, to embrace online apps and tools available to you. As these can support your progress, and break an expanding task list into manageable segments. What this then does, is to prevent you from falling into the pattern of trying to complete multiple tasks simultaneously, while considering other items that may need to be started soon. This is a common mistake that can lead you to feel overwhelmed. As your effort to move forward becomes mentally taxing and prevents your progress. So, we encourage you to condense the mass of tasks you may currently be working on, into a more manageable and visually pleasing format. And to help you do that, you could use scheduling style techniques, such as Personal Kanban, and post-it note-style tools, like Trello boards. Both strategies encourage you to break down your to-do list into two main areas – which are followed by a “done” or “complete” column.
To Do / Options / Ideas
Right, so you should use this column (or two columns if you would like to separate your ideas from the general to-do list) for everything you currently have pending. Trello will allow you to organise this further, with handy coloured labels and due dates, etc. If you actually view this list alone, you can unfortunately slip back into your habit of trying to tackle as many tasks as possible, and struggle to complete tasks at a standard you’re happy with.
Doing / In progress
Carrying on, the “In Progress” list, according to the Personal Kanban, should be restricted to three tasks. Effectively allowing you to clearly focus on your tasks, and also giving you the ability to complete them, without reaching a mental block. You should resist the temptation to add any more than three, or to add tasks that should be broken down into multiple tasks. For example, if your task is to start a new business or write a new business strategy, it will obstruct your progress instantly. These need to be broken down further.
Complete / Done
Although this column may appear self-explanatory, not all your tasks are indefinitely complete. For example, self-assessment is an annual business task you complete on a yearly basis. Once you have completed it, you can then add a due date, and, once relevant, you can move the card back to the To Do column. For your other completed tasks, it’s simply rewarding to see them move over to the completed column. And enjoy the sense of satisfaction as the list grows!
We hope this simple concept can help you manage your planning and task lists.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you and your business succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Did You Know About These Tax-Free Benefits?
Tax Doesn’t Have To Be Taxing!
When it comes to tax, it’s not every day you can enjoy tax free benefits, which, incidentally, also apply to Summer activities… Here are 2 great benefits you can take advantage of right now!
A Staff Summer Party Can Be A Tax-Free Benefit
Your organisation may have an annual Christmas party for staff, but the tax rules also allow staff parties at other times of the year, which are a tax-free benefit, if certain conditions are satisfied. The exemption applies to an annual party (for example, a Christmas party. Or similar annual function (for example, a summer barbecue), provided for employees and is available to all employees. Or it is available to all employees at that location, where the employer has more than one location. If the employer provides two or more annual parties or functions, no tax charge arises in respect of the party, or parties, for which cost(s) per head do not exceed £150 in aggregate. For each function the cost per head should be calculated. The cost per head of subsequent functions should be added. If the total cost per head goes over £150, then whichever functions best utilise the £150 are exempt, the other is taxable.
Make School Holidays Easier with Tax-Free Childcare
Did you know there is a government scheme available that can help contribute towards childcare costs? Which may mean fewer of your employees will need time off at the same time this summer. Tax-Free Childcare is a scheme available to working parents, with children from 0-11 years, and many parents are not taking advantage of the scheme. HMRC has said it would welcome help from employers in changing that. So please tell your employees about Tax-Free Childcare, and how it can reduce their childcare costs. Eligible parents can get up to £2,000 per child, per year to spend on qualifying childcare (effectively a 25% top up). Note that Tax-Free Childcare isn’t just for everyday childcare costs, such as childminders and nurseries, parents can also use it to pay towards the cost of:
- After school clubs
- Summer camps
- School holiday activities
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you make sense out of tax and help your business succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
How To Manage Employees With A Side Business
25% of UK Employees Run A Side Business
Did you know that a recent study suggests that 25% of UK employees are running at least one business project alongside their day job?
What Is A Side Business?
You would define a side business as a secondary business or job that brings in, or has potential to bring in, extra income. As such, It is particularly popular among millennials, who tend to start a side project as a hobby or in order to explore a new challenge. And millennials tend to have different attitudes towards work and technology. They are also used to being able to work from anywhere, using a smartphone or a tablet.
Employees With A Side Activity Feel more Content
Did you also know that various studies have shown that employees who have a side business, report feeling happier and more content. However as a business employer, you may view a side activity as a negative distraction from your employee’s day jobs.
The truth is that many of your best employees may have a side activity and you might need to be more supportive. A side job can actually be a good thing as long as it doesn’t involve working for one of your competitors or doing anything that might damage your main business, as an employer.
Employees With A Side Job Learn New Skills With No Cost To You
Your employees could actually learn new and useful skills from running their own side activity. They can gain real-life experience, in customer service, as well as project management or budgeting that can be applied, in their day job. From your perspective as an employer, your employees are gaining new skills that can make them better at their jobs and you won’t need to pay for any training. In addition, and you may not realise this, but further research studies have found that employees who have the drive to work a side job, are more likely to be innovative, proactive, and organised. They are also more likely to come up with new ideas, which they have gained through their own new experiences. Hence benefitting you and your business two-fold.
Employees With A Side Activity Want to Remain In Full Employment
However, and you should note that, according to a well-known careers website recent survey, over 70% of employees with a side business want to remain in full time employment. They don’t want their side job to become their full time job, as it’s more of a hobby / passion that just happens to create an income.
Get Used To The Side Business Trend!
It seems that the side business trend is here to stay and if you are an employer, you need to shift your view – a side business is a positive thing. However, you should also consider adding a non-compete clause to contracts, just to ensure that there is no temptation for your employees, to side hustle in any way that could damage your business.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you and your business succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
6 Ways an App Can Support Your Business Growth
The use of smartphones has changed dramatically over the past decade: it’s gone from being merely a gadget to an increasingly used and important lifestyle and business tool. A report by Ofcom (the UK regulator for the communications services) referred to this change in our use of this technology as the ‘Smartphone obsession’. Ofcom’s Director of Market Intelligence, Ian Macrae, said: “Over the last decade, people’s lives have been transformed by the rise of the smartphone, together with better access to the internet and new services. “Whether it’s working flexibly, keeping up with current affairs or shopping online, we can do more on the move than ever before. “ The report found that 72% of adults say that their smartphone is their most important device for accessing the internet; 71% say they never turn off their phone; and 78% say they could not live without it. The amazing thing is that these figures still appear to be rising. So, most importantly for you, how can mobile phones and mobile apps support and help your business grow? We have six approaches for you to consider.
1. Access to tools and resources around the clock
In general, our demands and expectations towards finding information, and towards the length of time it should take to find it, have vastly increased. The information we need, should be readily available, and, buffering and tedious searching will often be cut short, so we can try something else. Generally, we’re always on the lookout for a better user experience. Apps provide you with the opportunity to compile your information and resources into one streamlined solution, which can be accessed whenever it is convenient for you – with no waiting time. Apps can provide solutions for all your downloadable resources, communication requests, client referrals, marketing incentives, video content, up-to-date news, software, secure content sharing, tax updates, tax calculators and so much more.
2. A new marketing and communications channel
An app can be an additional channel in your current marketing mix. Use it for targeted marketing, with geolocation tools which can filter customers according to where they are based. Your user can also set permissions and personalisations which tailor the app to be suitable to their preferred working methods. You can also send Push notifications to bespoke categories allowing only the most relevant alerts and reminders – for example, a deadline notification, an event RSVP, perhaps a special offer, or new content which is available in the app. Video content can be added to your app where your clients can access your most recent uploads with business advice, tutorials, and any other content you wish to include.
3. Gather consumer data
By fully utilising your app to streamline business processes, you can collect data on how your clients engage with the app. What content are they accessing, and how regularly do they use it? Which resources are most popular, and which resources are not used? You can then investigate what other services your clients require to get them more engaged with your service offering. Naturally, and in line with privacy regulations, this provides a directional view of your customer behaviour. In order to get more specific, you will then need to ask permission from your clients and to store their information securely, and in line with GDPR regulation.
4. A new contact and sharing solution
Today, there are plenty of quick options enabling your clients to get in touch with you, and any of them can be featured on your app. It just depends on what you would prefer. To name a few, you could take client referrals via an app module, through meeting requests, and even by video calling.
5. Optimising business workflows
Whether your business is a complex manufacturing process or whether it manages a sales pipeline, apps can provide a convenient and efficient way to optimise your business workflow. For example, consider your salesperson taking business cards, who later records your client information from them. Through an app, you could streamline this process, through an off-the-shelf CRM, or through a bespoke module which can take a photo and automatically scan the data into the system.
6. Improved user experience through Smartphone capabilities
When considering using or developing your own app for your business, consider how you can leverage the technology inherent in the smartphone device – whether that’s Bluetooth, GPS, face recognition, or voice recognition. A common example is to use your camera to interact with QR Codes. If you are a firm with stock management, this approach can be used so that you can quickly assess product details through a simple scan of the code. In addition, consider how you can use GPS tracking, for example, to indicate where your package is being delivered and the estimated time of arrival. Lastly, interactions don’t need to be limited to typing. With voice recognition, apps can take on more of an “assistant” role, which you can engage with through voice commands and instructions. In summary, whatever your business, there is an ever-growing need for the mobile workforce to have their office in their hand. Apps provide this capability, and, through bespoke development, your app can take on its own unique form and help accelerate and grow your business.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you and your business succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Freelancer: 5 Top Tips For Successful Freelancing
What does it take to be a successful freelancer?
Here are 5 top tips for keeping your freelancer work organised, healthy, and successful! Although it’s not possible to provide a one-size-fits-all plan, these tips will certainly help to keep your freelancing affairs in shape.
1. Draw up a freelancer contract
Regardless of your skillset – whether it’s graphic design, project management, or writing – every new client project needs to be issued with a contract. While, at the outset, dispute might be far from your mind, this is the go-to document that others will seek to review should any disagreement arise later. If you’re new to freelancing, then a contract template is a great place to start – to avoid you getting too preoccupied with creating the perfect contract. You can then add more information, where necessary and make improvements along the way. Even the simplest contract should include all the following key terms:
- The nature of your engagement and the services you’ve agreed to perform
- Assurances your client’s information will be kept confidentially
- How much you will be paid, and when, throughout the project
- Details of any ownership of intellectual property
- Once your work has been accepted by the client, the client also accepts full responsibility for any use of the project files moving forward
- Details of liability insurance
- Cancellation procedure for you and your client
- Membership of relevant professional bodies
2. Agree payment terms before starting a project
A big issue with freelancing is ensuring you’re paid enough, you’re paid on time – and you are actually paid. Therefore, to ensure you’re going to get paid, it’s best to agree your payment terms upfront. This is better than diving into a new project, and trying to resolve payment later. Depending on the nature of your contract under negotiation, a successful payment structure could be to request 50% upfront, and the remaining 50% upon completion – but before you deliver the completed project files. In cases where the contract is of an ongoing nature, you may wish to agree staged payments, whereby money is paid after you have passed milestones, pre-agreed in your contract. You may also want to consider regular instalments. The price you choose to charge as a freelancer should include time spent on tasks such as sourcing clients, preparing proposals, sending/managing invoices, meetings, and other items which are required to run your freelancing business. By not considering these tasks in your pricing, you run the risk of not being paid sufficiently.
3. Be prepared to say ‘no’
When in the process of agreeing the terms of your project, don’t be afraid to say ‘no’. It’s too easy to get caught up in the moment and agree to everything your client asks – because you want the project and you want a happy client. But promising too much can come with a whole array of problems. It could end with you spending too long on an increasingly unprofitable project, and risk you not being able to deliver the project in the agreed timescale.
4. Create a freelancer portfolio
Create a portfolio of projects, in which you specialise, to showcase to prospective clients. We encourage you to include projects specifically in your specialist area – rather than putting together a portfolio of everything you’ve ever worked on. If there’s a particular topic you’d like to stick to, then make sure you do. Don’t take on those projects you fear you’re going to struggle to complete, or that may take you too long to deliver. This portfolio will also ensure clients best understand the work you’re able to deliver, and the expected standard they’re going to receive. If a client’s asking for work outside of this scope, be transparent about what you are / are not able to offer them.
5. Stay on top of your finances!
As a freelancer, it’s vital to view your finances as a small business owner would. Make sure you’re on top of your numbers, and ask yourself the following:
- What is my business revenue?
- What is my monthly living expenditure?
- How many visits is my website getting each month?
- What is my most popular service?
- How much time is spent on each project, and am I providing accurate estimates?
If you’re a long-term freelancer, then you may want to consider how you’re allocating your earnings. For example, are you saving for VAT, business expenses, and making pension contributions? These are hugely important considerations in the long run. If you’re unsure how to best plan for these business costs, please contact us for more guidance, around planning for your business, and your personal financial affairs!
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you and your business succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
Your Pension 2019: What You Need To Know
What you need to know about your pension in 2019
What are the changes and news impacting pensions this year and how does it apply to you?
Doctors lobbying for Pension tax changes also impacting high income earners
Hospital doctors and GPs are currently lobbying the government to amend the pension tax rules. As the current system of restricting tax relief on contributions, means many doctors paying almost all of the extra salary back in tax, if they take on additional responsibilities or work additional shifts. What this means for you is that, this is an issue that doesn’t just affect doctors, as it also potentially restricts the tax relief available to you if you are are an individual with high income. The NHS Pension Service have alerted members of the NHS Pension Scheme, that they could receive a tax bill if their pension savings exceed limits set by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). These limits are known as the annual allowance, which is calculated each year, and the lifetime allowance, which is calculated based on overall pension savings. The normal annual pension allowance is currently £40,000 each tax year and limits the amount of pension contributions which qualify for tax relief. The limit covers the combined contributions paid by the taxpayer and their employer. A tapered annual allowance was introduced in April 2016, with the intention of reducing pension tax relief for high earners. It applies to you if you have an adjusted income of over £150,000 and threshold income in excess of £110,000. The rate of reduction in your annual allowance is by £1 for every £2 that your adjusted income exceeds £150,000, up to a maximum reduction of £30,000 at £210,000. This is a complex calculation and we can help you plan to minimise the impact of the rules, as you are taxable on the excess pension contributions over the annual limit.
Request that your pension charge is paid by your fund by 31 July
The Pension Annual Allowance tax charge depends on your marginal rate of tax. Where your income exceeds £150,000, it would be at 45%. Thus, if your pension input for 2018/19 was £40,000 and the limit is tapered to £10,000, the excess of £30,000 would incur a £13,500 tax bill on top of your normal tax liability. You can ask your pension provider to pay HMRC, out of your pension fund, if you’ve gone over your annual allowance and the additional tax is more than £2,000. The deadline is 31 July 2020 for the 2018/19 tax year.
High income child benefit charge and state pension
Last month we looked at tax planning to minimise or eliminate the high income child benefit to keep both husband and wife (or civil partners) looking after a child below the £50,000 threshold. Where your income or your partner’s exceeds £60,000, such that the whole of your child benefit is taxed, you may be tempted not to claim child benefit at all. This may, however, limit the amount of State pension and other benefits, at a later date. Under current rules, both of you must make National Insurance contributions for 35 years to receive a full State Pension. You may claim Child Benefit and choose not to receive the payments, which means you do not have to pay the charge but still receive the associated National Insurance Credits for that year and protect their State Pension entitlement. You should note that grandparents who have ceased working, and are looking after their grandchildren, may also claim NIC credits for that year, which would count towards their 35 year contribution history. Remember that you can check your National Insurance record online on the DWP website to see:
- What you’ve paid, up to the start of the current tax year (6 April 2019)
- Any National Insurance credits you’ve 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
You can check your State Pension online at any time, for a forecast of how much you could get. The service will also confirm when you will reach State Pension age, under the law as it stands. Please also be aware that the Government proposes to increase the State Pension age to 68 from 2037.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you and your business succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
3 Easy Ways To Improve Your Productivity
Improving your Productivity is easier than you may think!
According to Close Brothers, in terms of productivity – something assumed to be one of the largest challenges facing business – the UK lags behind the rest of the G7 by 16%. And, nearly half of UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) say new technology would increase overall productivity by 46%, improve staff efficiency by 50%, and help up-skill staff by 43%. In this context, only 45% of UK small business have recently invested in technology, with three out of four businesses having no plans to invest in technology. So, with this in mind, below are 3 ways to improve productivity for your business.
1. Take your Accounting to the Cloud
The filing of VAT returns online – under the UK government’s Making Tax Digital (MTD) initiative – requires ongoing management of your company accounts, from invoicing and payments to expenses and payroll. Subsequently, you have plenty of platform options to help you do this, with each platform having the relevant tools to effectively manage your accounts. However, not all solutions on the market have been finalised for Making Tax Digital. We recommend you use QuickBooks Online, with the company suggesting that by filing your VAT returns online, your company will have a better overview of cash flow in real time, and you will be able to better manage your human resources – thus freeing your time for more productive activities such as sales, marketing, and training. This is why you should know that MTD has the power to catalyse an immediate annual £6.9 billion net gain in productivity for the UK economy, or £46 billion over five years, according to Intuit QuickBooks.
2. Manage your Customer Journey through CRM
As a modern business, you need to digitise your customer relationship through CRM, customer-relationship management. This will, in turn, strengthen your understanding and management of your customers’ journey, so as to increase your revenues and reduce your costs. Whether you accomplish this by winning new customers, finding new ways to deliver more value to your existing customers, or improving efficiency and productivity, it’s crucial you have good visibility of what’s happening in your business – and effective control over your key ways to improve performance. CRM can give your business that visibility and control. In addition, CRM can provide you with improved communication and collaboration, automation of everyday tasks, and better reporting capabilities. All of these are invaluable to upping your productivity – but potentially your biggest advantage is centralisation: having all your information in one place. Lastly, make sure CRM is integrated into your cloud accounting package, to drive a more effective and integrated front office back office approach.
3. Automate and Socialise your Marketing
Did you know that automated marketing amplifies what you’re already doing in marketing? It automates all your digital channels through which you push messages out. A decade ago, this meant scheduling emails. Today, automated marketing systems have become more sophisticated and broader, handling all your online marketing campaigns whether it’s through Twitter, email or online advertising. In fact, marketing automation strengthens your customer relationships, scales your marketing campaigns, and makes it easy to integrate your lead generation efforts into your sales cycle. Through this, it enables your company to be more creative and saves you time, harnessing your hard-won marketing leads to sales, and measuring your campaign’s success. In turn, this allows your marketers to quickly and easily profile and target customers, gather business intelligence, and run email campaigns and events.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you and your business succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
Landlords: This Is What You Should Know
“Rent A Room” Relief To Continue For Air BnB Landlords
If you are a landlord renting out part of your property, you will know that you need to pay taxes on any revenue coming from property income, but that there are also tax relief measures you can take advantage of. You should know that, last year, HMRC carried out a review of rent a room relief and proposed that the availability of this generous relief would be restricted to situations where the taxpayer was resident for at least part of the time, when the “lodger” was paying rent. The scheme currently exempts you as a UK taxpayer landlord, from tax gross rents up to £7,500, where rooms within your main residence are rented out. HMRC were concerned that the relief was being “abused” by letting out the entire property using websites such as Airbnb, and living elsewhere temporarily, whilst the tenants were in the property. An example would be for you, as a landlord, to be renting out your house in South London, during Wimbledon fortnight, and potentially receiving up to £7,500 tax free. So you should note, that the Autumn Budget announced that the proposed restriction, was not now being introduced.
But Possible Changes To CGT Private Residence Relief
In addition, as a landlord, you need to be aware that the government is currently consulting on important changes to private residence relief, that are likely to be introduced from 6 April 2020. Subsequently, the two possible changes, announced in the Autumn 2018 Budget are: Firstly, to limit to just 9 months the period prior to disposal that counts as a period of deemed occupation. The second is to limit “letting relief” to periods where you as a landlord and taxpayer are in shared occupation with the tenant.
Final period exemption to be reduced
The final period exemption was for many years, three years, and was always intended to cover situations where the landlord taxpayer was “bridging” and waiting to sell their previous residence. However, 36 months was felt to be too generous and was allegedly being abused by a strategy known as “second home flipping”. As a result, the final period relief was restricted to the current 18 month period of deemed occupation a couple of years ago. The latest proposal is to restrict further to 9 months, although it will remain at 36 months for those with a disability, and those in or moving into care.
Possible Lettings Relief Changes
Lettings relief currently provides a further exemption for capital gains of up to £40,000 per property owner. The additional relief was introduced in 1980 to ensure people could let out spare rooms within their property, on a casual basis, without losing the benefit of PRR, for example where there are a number of lodgers sharing the property with the landlord / owner. In practice, lettings relief extends much further than the original policy intention, and also benefits those landlords who let out a whole dwelling that has, at some stage, been their main residence. It is those situations that the government appear to be attacking under the proposed changes. You should note that, as a landlord, if you are renting your property temporarily, whilst working elsewhere in the UK or working abroad, you are then unlikely to be affected by this change as there are alternative reliefs available under those circumstances. Please check with us if you are likely to be affected by the proposed changes as it may be worth considering disposing of your property, before the new rules are introduced from 6 April 2020.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you and your business succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
Search Engine Optimisation in 3 Easy Steps
Increase Your Web Traffic Fast Via Search Engine Optimisation!
To help drive more customers to your website, it is key you maximise the impact from search, through SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). Improved SEO enables your website to be discovered, and to rank with relevance, so that it appears at the top of the search engine results. The process of optimisation is not a one-time process – but rather one that requires maintenance, tuning, and continuous testing and monitoring. The following guide is a three-step strategy to help you achieve this.
Step 1: Target Market Business Analysis
• Setting Goals and Objectives
Before you get started, ensure that you can measure the ROI (return on investment) from any changes you implement, deciding what is the expected number of visitors you will need to your site, vs the baseline today. This is the measure that you can then track from. Get specific on the goals to determine and set measures for specific pages visited and product / services reviewed.
• Keywords
Keywords are absolutely critical for getting located. These work through setting your “meta sets”, visible text and code. It is important to examine the content keywords and search engine ranking of competitive websites to assess the impact. There are tools to help such as Semrush.com. Once you have the list, then look to prioritise the targeted search term related, to what you expect your customers to look for. Keep this more in the framing of natural language, rather than specific products you have – i.e. “looking for a parasol” rather than “name of brand parasol”. Think what you would type into a search engine. People rarely search to find a specific business – so you need to think of solving a customer problem, or meeting a customer need. Test this with your customers and amend accordingly.
• Keyword Analysis
Keyword analysis follows, and this helps to further identify a targeted list of key words and phrases. Review competitive lists, and other industry sources, as well as prioritising keywords and phrases, plurals, singulars, and misspellings.
Step 2: Content Optimisation and Submission
• Create page titles
Keyword-based titles help to establish page theme and direction for your keywords.
• Create meta tags
Meta description tags can influence click-throughs but aren’t directly used for rankings. (Google doesn’t use the keywords tag anymore).
• Place strategic search phrases on pages
Integrate selected keywords into your website source code and existing content on designated pages. Make sure to apply a suggested guideline of one to three keywords/phrases per content page, and add more pages to complete the list. Ensure that related words are used as a natural inclusion of your keywords. It helps search engines to quickly determine what your page is about. A natural approach to this works best. In the past, 100 to 300 words on a page was recommended. Many tests show that pages with 800 to 2,000 words can outperform shorter ones. In the end, the users, the marketplace, content and links will determine the popularity and ranking numbers.
• Develop new sitemaps for Google and Bing
Make it easier for search engines to index your website. Create both XML and HTML versions. An HTML version is the first step. XML sitemaps can easily be submitted via Google and Bing webmaster tools.
• Submit website to directories (limited use)
Professional search marketers don’t submit the URL to the major search engines, but it’s possible to do so. A better and faster way is to get links back to your site naturally. Links get your site indexed by the search engines. However, you should submit your URL to directories such as Yahoo! (paid), Business.com (paid), and DMOZ (free). Some may choose to include AdSense (google.com/AdSense) scripts on a new site to get their Google Media bot to visit. It will likely get your pages indexed quickly.
Step 3: Continuous Testing and Measuring
• Test and measure
Analyse search engine rankings and web traffic to determine the effectiveness of the programmes you’ve implemented, including an assessment of individual keyword performance. Test the results of changes, and keep changes tracked in an Excel spreadsheet, or whatever you’re comfortable with.
• Maintenance
Ongoing addition and modification of keywords and website content is necessary to continually improve search engine rankings, so growth doesn’t stall or decline from neglect. You also want to review your link strategy and ensure that your inbound and outbound links are relevant to your business. A blog can provide you with the necessary structure and ease of content addition that you need. Your hosting company can typically help you with the setup/installation of a blog.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you and your business succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores
Watch the video here.
What You Should Know About Commercial Vehicles
When it comes to commercial vehicles, when is a van not a van?
If you use commercial vehicles, you’d want to urge HMRC to provide clarity and consistency on the tax treatment of commercial vehicles such as VW Kombi Vans marketed as goods vehicles. You may or may not be aware of a ruling in an important tax tribunal case involving “vans” provided to employees of Coca Cola. The court has upheld the HMRC view that certain vehicles are not goods vehicles, but motor cars for benefit in kind purposes. Consequently, the income tax and national insurance payable by you as an employee and you as an employer, is significantly higher than if the vehicles had been classified as goods vehicles.
Certain vans / commercial vehicles are exempt from income tax
In addition, there is no assessable benefit in kind, whether you use a van only for business journeys or for private use. Examples would include making a slight detour to pick up a newspaper on the way to work, or taking an old mattress or other rubbish to the tip once or twice a year.
Income tax definition of “Goods Vehicle”
So how does the income tax legislation define a “goods vehicle”? It is defined as “a vehicle of a construction primarily suited for the conveyance of goods or burden of any description…” Although the VW Kombi vans failed this test, the Tribunal held that Vauxhall Vivaro vans provided by Coca Cola did fall within the definition of goods vehicles! We understand that this case is due to be heard at the Court of Appeal. This will undoubtedly provide legal precedent over the tax treatment. Until then it gives you, as an employer, a dilemma as to how to report such vehicles on employees’ form P11d and also whether the position in earlier years should be rectified. You should note that the tribunal had to seek evidence from automotive industry experts, so how are you, as an employer, expected to interpret the rules?! What is also particularly confusing, and thus difficult for your business to deal with, is that the benefit in kind rules are not the same as the rules for capital allowances and VAT.
Capital allowances definition of “Motor Car”
The definition of a “motor car” for plant and machinery allowances purposes is a mechanically propelled vehicle except a vehicle:
- Constructed in such a way that it is primarily suited for transporting goods of any sort, or
2. Of a type which is not commonly used as a private vehicle and is not suitable for use as a private vehicle.
VAT definition of “Motor Car”
For VAT purposes, the definition of a motor car has been amended several times over the years. The current definition states: “Motor car” means any motor vehicle of a kind normally used on public roads which has three or more wheels and either:
a) Is constructed or adapted solely or mainly for the carriage of passengers; or
b) Has to the rear of the driver’s seat roofed accommodation which is fitted with side windows or which is constructed or adapted for the fitting of side windows;
There is a number of exceptions to this rule, notably vehicles constructed to carry a payload of one tonne or more. A common example would be a “double cab” pick-up such as a Mitsubishi L200 or Toyota Hilux.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you make sense out of these payment & tax rules and help your business succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
How To Organise Your Tasks More Effectively
Your Tasks Organised And Simplified
Tasks Balancing Act
The daily grind, for most of us, can feel like a constant juggling act. You attempt to balance work, household chores, bills, family – and hopefully some leisure in between if there’s any time leftover. In fact, trying to find time for things you enjoy – or for projects to improve yourself – can often feel impossible. And you could feel it’s incredibly frustrating to not move forward with things you truly value. Besides, It’s just as frustrating for you to get stuck under a tower of tasks that never seems to get any smaller…
Tasks Stats
Did you know that an online poll by the Mental Health Foundation found that “in the past year, 74% of people have felt so stressed they have been overwhelmed or unable to cope”. In addition, a report by ACAS, the workplace experts, had similar findings. You might be surprised to further know that 66% of poll respondents, had felt stressed or anxious about work over the past year – and that 35% struggled to balance home and work lives. This, in turn, encouraged us to look into a helpful and less disheartening way to improve task organisation.
Tasks Apps and Tools
One example of this is for you, to embrace online apps and tools available to you. As these can support your progress, and break an expanding task list into manageable segments. What this then does, is to prevent you from falling into the pattern of trying to complete multiple tasks simultaneously, while considering other items that may need to be started soon. This is a common mistake that can lead you to feel overwhelmed. As your effort to move forward becomes mentally taxing and prevents your progress. So, we encourage you to condense the mass of tasks you may currently be working on, into a more manageable and visually pleasing format. And to help you do that, you could use scheduling style techniques, such as Personal Kanban, and post-it note-style tools, like Trello boards. Both strategies encourage you to break down your to-do list into two main areas – which are followed by a “done” or “complete” column.
To Do / Options / Ideas
Right, so you should use this column (or two columns if you would like to separate your ideas from the general to-do list) for everything you currently have pending. Trello will allow you to organise this further, with handy coloured labels and due dates, etc. If you actually view this list alone, you can unfortunately slip back into your habit of trying to tackle as many tasks as possible, and struggle to complete tasks at a standard you’re happy with.
Doing / In progress
Carrying on, the “In Progress” list, according to the Personal Kanban, should be restricted to three tasks. Effectively allowing you to clearly focus on your tasks, and also giving you the ability to complete them, without reaching a mental block. You should resist the temptation to add any more than three, or to add tasks that should be broken down into multiple tasks. For example, if your task is to start a new business or write a new business strategy, it will obstruct your progress instantly. These need to be broken down further.
Complete / Done
Although this column may appear self-explanatory, not all your tasks are indefinitely complete. For example, self-assessment is an annual business task you complete on a yearly basis. Once you have completed it, you can then add a due date, and, once relevant, you can move the card back to the To Do column. For your other completed tasks, it’s simply rewarding to see them move over to the completed column. And enjoy the sense of satisfaction as the list grows!
We hope this simple concept can help you manage your planning and task lists.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you and your business succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Did You Know About These Tax-Free Benefits?
Tax Doesn’t Have To Be Taxing!
When it comes to tax, it’s not every day you can enjoy tax free benefits, which, incidentally, also apply to Summer activities… Here are 2 great benefits you can take advantage of right now!
A Staff Summer Party Can Be A Tax-Free Benefit
Your organisation may have an annual Christmas party for staff, but the tax rules also allow staff parties at other times of the year, which are a tax-free benefit, if certain conditions are satisfied. The exemption applies to an annual party (for example, a Christmas party. Or similar annual function (for example, a summer barbecue), provided for employees and is available to all employees. Or it is available to all employees at that location, where the employer has more than one location. If the employer provides two or more annual parties or functions, no tax charge arises in respect of the party, or parties, for which cost(s) per head do not exceed £150 in aggregate. For each function the cost per head should be calculated. The cost per head of subsequent functions should be added. If the total cost per head goes over £150, then whichever functions best utilise the £150 are exempt, the other is taxable.
Make School Holidays Easier with Tax-Free Childcare
Did you know there is a government scheme available that can help contribute towards childcare costs? Which may mean fewer of your employees will need time off at the same time this summer. Tax-Free Childcare is a scheme available to working parents, with children from 0-11 years, and many parents are not taking advantage of the scheme. HMRC has said it would welcome help from employers in changing that. So please tell your employees about Tax-Free Childcare, and how it can reduce their childcare costs. Eligible parents can get up to £2,000 per child, per year to spend on qualifying childcare (effectively a 25% top up). Note that Tax-Free Childcare isn’t just for everyday childcare costs, such as childminders and nurseries, parents can also use it to pay towards the cost of:
- After school clubs
- Summer camps
- School holiday activities
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you make sense out of tax and help your business succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
How To Manage Employees With A Side Business
25% of UK Employees Run A Side Business
Did you know that a recent study suggests that 25% of UK employees are running at least one business project alongside their day job?
What Is A Side Business?
You would define a side business as a secondary business or job that brings in, or has potential to bring in, extra income. As such, It is particularly popular among millennials, who tend to start a side project as a hobby or in order to explore a new challenge. And millennials tend to have different attitudes towards work and technology. They are also used to being able to work from anywhere, using a smartphone or a tablet.
Employees With A Side Activity Feel more Content
Did you also know that various studies have shown that employees who have a side business, report feeling happier and more content. However as a business employer, you may view a side activity as a negative distraction from your employee’s day jobs.
The truth is that many of your best employees may have a side activity and you might need to be more supportive. A side job can actually be a good thing as long as it doesn’t involve working for one of your competitors or doing anything that might damage your main business, as an employer.
Employees With A Side Job Learn New Skills With No Cost To You
Your employees could actually learn new and useful skills from running their own side activity. They can gain real-life experience, in customer service, as well as project management or budgeting that can be applied, in their day job. From your perspective as an employer, your employees are gaining new skills that can make them better at their jobs and you won’t need to pay for any training. In addition, and you may not realise this, but further research studies have found that employees who have the drive to work a side job, are more likely to be innovative, proactive, and organised. They are also more likely to come up with new ideas, which they have gained through their own new experiences. Hence benefitting you and your business two-fold.
Employees With A Side Activity Want to Remain In Full Employment
However, and you should note that, according to a well-known careers website recent survey, over 70% of employees with a side business want to remain in full time employment. They don’t want their side job to become their full time job, as it’s more of a hobby / passion that just happens to create an income.
Get Used To The Side Business Trend!
It seems that the side business trend is here to stay and if you are an employer, you need to shift your view – a side business is a positive thing. However, you should also consider adding a non-compete clause to contracts, just to ensure that there is no temptation for your employees, to side hustle in any way that could damage your business.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you and your business succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
6 Ways an App Can Support Your Business Growth
The use of smartphones has changed dramatically over the past decade: it’s gone from being merely a gadget to an increasingly used and important lifestyle and business tool. A report by Ofcom (the UK regulator for the communications services) referred to this change in our use of this technology as the ‘Smartphone obsession’. Ofcom’s Director of Market Intelligence, Ian Macrae, said: “Over the last decade, people’s lives have been transformed by the rise of the smartphone, together with better access to the internet and new services. “Whether it’s working flexibly, keeping up with current affairs or shopping online, we can do more on the move than ever before. “ The report found that 72% of adults say that their smartphone is their most important device for accessing the internet; 71% say they never turn off their phone; and 78% say they could not live without it. The amazing thing is that these figures still appear to be rising. So, most importantly for you, how can mobile phones and mobile apps support and help your business grow? We have six approaches for you to consider.
1. Access to tools and resources around the clock
In general, our demands and expectations towards finding information, and towards the length of time it should take to find it, have vastly increased. The information we need, should be readily available, and, buffering and tedious searching will often be cut short, so we can try something else. Generally, we’re always on the lookout for a better user experience. Apps provide you with the opportunity to compile your information and resources into one streamlined solution, which can be accessed whenever it is convenient for you – with no waiting time. Apps can provide solutions for all your downloadable resources, communication requests, client referrals, marketing incentives, video content, up-to-date news, software, secure content sharing, tax updates, tax calculators and so much more.
2. A new marketing and communications channel
An app can be an additional channel in your current marketing mix. Use it for targeted marketing, with geolocation tools which can filter customers according to where they are based. Your user can also set permissions and personalisations which tailor the app to be suitable to their preferred working methods. You can also send Push notifications to bespoke categories allowing only the most relevant alerts and reminders – for example, a deadline notification, an event RSVP, perhaps a special offer, or new content which is available in the app. Video content can be added to your app where your clients can access your most recent uploads with business advice, tutorials, and any other content you wish to include.
3. Gather consumer data
By fully utilising your app to streamline business processes, you can collect data on how your clients engage with the app. What content are they accessing, and how regularly do they use it? Which resources are most popular, and which resources are not used? You can then investigate what other services your clients require to get them more engaged with your service offering. Naturally, and in line with privacy regulations, this provides a directional view of your customer behaviour. In order to get more specific, you will then need to ask permission from your clients and to store their information securely, and in line with GDPR regulation.
4. A new contact and sharing solution
Today, there are plenty of quick options enabling your clients to get in touch with you, and any of them can be featured on your app. It just depends on what you would prefer. To name a few, you could take client referrals via an app module, through meeting requests, and even by video calling.
5. Optimising business workflows
Whether your business is a complex manufacturing process or whether it manages a sales pipeline, apps can provide a convenient and efficient way to optimise your business workflow. For example, consider your salesperson taking business cards, who later records your client information from them. Through an app, you could streamline this process, through an off-the-shelf CRM, or through a bespoke module which can take a photo and automatically scan the data into the system.
6. Improved user experience through Smartphone capabilities
When considering using or developing your own app for your business, consider how you can leverage the technology inherent in the smartphone device – whether that’s Bluetooth, GPS, face recognition, or voice recognition. A common example is to use your camera to interact with QR Codes. If you are a firm with stock management, this approach can be used so that you can quickly assess product details through a simple scan of the code. In addition, consider how you can use GPS tracking, for example, to indicate where your package is being delivered and the estimated time of arrival. Lastly, interactions don’t need to be limited to typing. With voice recognition, apps can take on more of an “assistant” role, which you can engage with through voice commands and instructions. In summary, whatever your business, there is an ever-growing need for the mobile workforce to have their office in their hand. Apps provide this capability, and, through bespoke development, your app can take on its own unique form and help accelerate and grow your business.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you and your business succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Freelancer: 5 Top Tips For Successful Freelancing
What does it take to be a successful freelancer?
Here are 5 top tips for keeping your freelancer work organised, healthy, and successful! Although it’s not possible to provide a one-size-fits-all plan, these tips will certainly help to keep your freelancing affairs in shape.
1. Draw up a freelancer contract
Regardless of your skillset – whether it’s graphic design, project management, or writing – every new client project needs to be issued with a contract. While, at the outset, dispute might be far from your mind, this is the go-to document that others will seek to review should any disagreement arise later. If you’re new to freelancing, then a contract template is a great place to start – to avoid you getting too preoccupied with creating the perfect contract. You can then add more information, where necessary and make improvements along the way. Even the simplest contract should include all the following key terms:
- The nature of your engagement and the services you’ve agreed to perform
- Assurances your client’s information will be kept confidentially
- How much you will be paid, and when, throughout the project
- Details of any ownership of intellectual property
- Once your work has been accepted by the client, the client also accepts full responsibility for any use of the project files moving forward
- Details of liability insurance
- Cancellation procedure for you and your client
- Membership of relevant professional bodies
2. Agree payment terms before starting a project
A big issue with freelancing is ensuring you’re paid enough, you’re paid on time – and you are actually paid. Therefore, to ensure you’re going to get paid, it’s best to agree your payment terms upfront. This is better than diving into a new project, and trying to resolve payment later. Depending on the nature of your contract under negotiation, a successful payment structure could be to request 50% upfront, and the remaining 50% upon completion – but before you deliver the completed project files. In cases where the contract is of an ongoing nature, you may wish to agree staged payments, whereby money is paid after you have passed milestones, pre-agreed in your contract. You may also want to consider regular instalments. The price you choose to charge as a freelancer should include time spent on tasks such as sourcing clients, preparing proposals, sending/managing invoices, meetings, and other items which are required to run your freelancing business. By not considering these tasks in your pricing, you run the risk of not being paid sufficiently.
3. Be prepared to say ‘no’
When in the process of agreeing the terms of your project, don’t be afraid to say ‘no’. It’s too easy to get caught up in the moment and agree to everything your client asks – because you want the project and you want a happy client. But promising too much can come with a whole array of problems. It could end with you spending too long on an increasingly unprofitable project, and risk you not being able to deliver the project in the agreed timescale.
4. Create a freelancer portfolio
Create a portfolio of projects, in which you specialise, to showcase to prospective clients. We encourage you to include projects specifically in your specialist area – rather than putting together a portfolio of everything you’ve ever worked on. If there’s a particular topic you’d like to stick to, then make sure you do. Don’t take on those projects you fear you’re going to struggle to complete, or that may take you too long to deliver. This portfolio will also ensure clients best understand the work you’re able to deliver, and the expected standard they’re going to receive. If a client’s asking for work outside of this scope, be transparent about what you are / are not able to offer them.
5. Stay on top of your finances!
As a freelancer, it’s vital to view your finances as a small business owner would. Make sure you’re on top of your numbers, and ask yourself the following:
- What is my business revenue?
- What is my monthly living expenditure?
- How many visits is my website getting each month?
- What is my most popular service?
- How much time is spent on each project, and am I providing accurate estimates?
If you’re a long-term freelancer, then you may want to consider how you’re allocating your earnings. For example, are you saving for VAT, business expenses, and making pension contributions? These are hugely important considerations in the long run. If you’re unsure how to best plan for these business costs, please contact us for more guidance, around planning for your business, and your personal financial affairs!
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you and your business succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
Your Pension 2019: What You Need To Know
What you need to know about your pension in 2019
What are the changes and news impacting pensions this year and how does it apply to you?
Doctors lobbying for Pension tax changes also impacting high income earners
Hospital doctors and GPs are currently lobbying the government to amend the pension tax rules. As the current system of restricting tax relief on contributions, means many doctors paying almost all of the extra salary back in tax, if they take on additional responsibilities or work additional shifts. What this means for you is that, this is an issue that doesn’t just affect doctors, as it also potentially restricts the tax relief available to you if you are are an individual with high income. The NHS Pension Service have alerted members of the NHS Pension Scheme, that they could receive a tax bill if their pension savings exceed limits set by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). These limits are known as the annual allowance, which is calculated each year, and the lifetime allowance, which is calculated based on overall pension savings. The normal annual pension allowance is currently £40,000 each tax year and limits the amount of pension contributions which qualify for tax relief. The limit covers the combined contributions paid by the taxpayer and their employer. A tapered annual allowance was introduced in April 2016, with the intention of reducing pension tax relief for high earners. It applies to you if you have an adjusted income of over £150,000 and threshold income in excess of £110,000. The rate of reduction in your annual allowance is by £1 for every £2 that your adjusted income exceeds £150,000, up to a maximum reduction of £30,000 at £210,000. This is a complex calculation and we can help you plan to minimise the impact of the rules, as you are taxable on the excess pension contributions over the annual limit.
Request that your pension charge is paid by your fund by 31 July
The Pension Annual Allowance tax charge depends on your marginal rate of tax. Where your income exceeds £150,000, it would be at 45%. Thus, if your pension input for 2018/19 was £40,000 and the limit is tapered to £10,000, the excess of £30,000 would incur a £13,500 tax bill on top of your normal tax liability. You can ask your pension provider to pay HMRC, out of your pension fund, if you’ve gone over your annual allowance and the additional tax is more than £2,000. The deadline is 31 July 2020 for the 2018/19 tax year.
High income child benefit charge and state pension
Last month we looked at tax planning to minimise or eliminate the high income child benefit to keep both husband and wife (or civil partners) looking after a child below the £50,000 threshold. Where your income or your partner’s exceeds £60,000, such that the whole of your child benefit is taxed, you may be tempted not to claim child benefit at all. This may, however, limit the amount of State pension and other benefits, at a later date. Under current rules, both of you must make National Insurance contributions for 35 years to receive a full State Pension. You may claim Child Benefit and choose not to receive the payments, which means you do not have to pay the charge but still receive the associated National Insurance Credits for that year and protect their State Pension entitlement. You should note that grandparents who have ceased working, and are looking after their grandchildren, may also claim NIC credits for that year, which would count towards their 35 year contribution history. Remember that you can check your National Insurance record online on the DWP website to see:
- What you’ve paid, up to the start of the current tax year (6 April 2019)
- Any National Insurance credits you’ve 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
You can check your State Pension online at any time, for a forecast of how much you could get. The service will also confirm when you will reach State Pension age, under the law as it stands. Please also be aware that the Government proposes to increase the State Pension age to 68 from 2037.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you and your business succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
3 Easy Ways To Improve Your Productivity
Improving your Productivity is easier than you may think!
According to Close Brothers, in terms of productivity – something assumed to be one of the largest challenges facing business – the UK lags behind the rest of the G7 by 16%. And, nearly half of UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) say new technology would increase overall productivity by 46%, improve staff efficiency by 50%, and help up-skill staff by 43%. In this context, only 45% of UK small business have recently invested in technology, with three out of four businesses having no plans to invest in technology. So, with this in mind, below are 3 ways to improve productivity for your business.
1. Take your Accounting to the Cloud
The filing of VAT returns online – under the UK government’s Making Tax Digital (MTD) initiative – requires ongoing management of your company accounts, from invoicing and payments to expenses and payroll. Subsequently, you have plenty of platform options to help you do this, with each platform having the relevant tools to effectively manage your accounts. However, not all solutions on the market have been finalised for Making Tax Digital. We recommend you use QuickBooks Online, with the company suggesting that by filing your VAT returns online, your company will have a better overview of cash flow in real time, and you will be able to better manage your human resources – thus freeing your time for more productive activities such as sales, marketing, and training. This is why you should know that MTD has the power to catalyse an immediate annual £6.9 billion net gain in productivity for the UK economy, or £46 billion over five years, according to Intuit QuickBooks.
2. Manage your Customer Journey through CRM
As a modern business, you need to digitise your customer relationship through CRM, customer-relationship management. This will, in turn, strengthen your understanding and management of your customers’ journey, so as to increase your revenues and reduce your costs. Whether you accomplish this by winning new customers, finding new ways to deliver more value to your existing customers, or improving efficiency and productivity, it’s crucial you have good visibility of what’s happening in your business – and effective control over your key ways to improve performance. CRM can give your business that visibility and control. In addition, CRM can provide you with improved communication and collaboration, automation of everyday tasks, and better reporting capabilities. All of these are invaluable to upping your productivity – but potentially your biggest advantage is centralisation: having all your information in one place. Lastly, make sure CRM is integrated into your cloud accounting package, to drive a more effective and integrated front office back office approach.
3. Automate and Socialise your Marketing
Did you know that automated marketing amplifies what you’re already doing in marketing? It automates all your digital channels through which you push messages out. A decade ago, this meant scheduling emails. Today, automated marketing systems have become more sophisticated and broader, handling all your online marketing campaigns whether it’s through Twitter, email or online advertising. In fact, marketing automation strengthens your customer relationships, scales your marketing campaigns, and makes it easy to integrate your lead generation efforts into your sales cycle. Through this, it enables your company to be more creative and saves you time, harnessing your hard-won marketing leads to sales, and measuring your campaign’s success. In turn, this allows your marketers to quickly and easily profile and target customers, gather business intelligence, and run email campaigns and events.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you and your business succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
Landlords: This Is What You Should Know
“Rent A Room” Relief To Continue For Air BnB Landlords
If you are a landlord renting out part of your property, you will know that you need to pay taxes on any revenue coming from property income, but that there are also tax relief measures you can take advantage of. You should know that, last year, HMRC carried out a review of rent a room relief and proposed that the availability of this generous relief would be restricted to situations where the taxpayer was resident for at least part of the time, when the “lodger” was paying rent. The scheme currently exempts you as a UK taxpayer landlord, from tax gross rents up to £7,500, where rooms within your main residence are rented out. HMRC were concerned that the relief was being “abused” by letting out the entire property using websites such as Airbnb, and living elsewhere temporarily, whilst the tenants were in the property. An example would be for you, as a landlord, to be renting out your house in South London, during Wimbledon fortnight, and potentially receiving up to £7,500 tax free. So you should note, that the Autumn Budget announced that the proposed restriction, was not now being introduced.
But Possible Changes To CGT Private Residence Relief
In addition, as a landlord, you need to be aware that the government is currently consulting on important changes to private residence relief, that are likely to be introduced from 6 April 2020. Subsequently, the two possible changes, announced in the Autumn 2018 Budget are: Firstly, to limit to just 9 months the period prior to disposal that counts as a period of deemed occupation. The second is to limit “letting relief” to periods where you as a landlord and taxpayer are in shared occupation with the tenant.
Final period exemption to be reduced
The final period exemption was for many years, three years, and was always intended to cover situations where the landlord taxpayer was “bridging” and waiting to sell their previous residence. However, 36 months was felt to be too generous and was allegedly being abused by a strategy known as “second home flipping”. As a result, the final period relief was restricted to the current 18 month period of deemed occupation a couple of years ago. The latest proposal is to restrict further to 9 months, although it will remain at 36 months for those with a disability, and those in or moving into care.
Possible Lettings Relief Changes
Lettings relief currently provides a further exemption for capital gains of up to £40,000 per property owner. The additional relief was introduced in 1980 to ensure people could let out spare rooms within their property, on a casual basis, without losing the benefit of PRR, for example where there are a number of lodgers sharing the property with the landlord / owner. In practice, lettings relief extends much further than the original policy intention, and also benefits those landlords who let out a whole dwelling that has, at some stage, been their main residence. It is those situations that the government appear to be attacking under the proposed changes. You should note that, as a landlord, if you are renting your property temporarily, whilst working elsewhere in the UK or working abroad, you are then unlikely to be affected by this change as there are alternative reliefs available under those circumstances. Please check with us if you are likely to be affected by the proposed changes as it may be worth considering disposing of your property, before the new rules are introduced from 6 April 2020.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you and your business succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
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Search Engine Optimisation in 3 Easy Steps
Increase Your Web Traffic Fast Via Search Engine Optimisation!
To help drive more customers to your website, it is key you maximise the impact from search, through SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). Improved SEO enables your website to be discovered, and to rank with relevance, so that it appears at the top of the search engine results. The process of optimisation is not a one-time process – but rather one that requires maintenance, tuning, and continuous testing and monitoring. The following guide is a three-step strategy to help you achieve this.
Step 1: Target Market Business Analysis
• Setting Goals and Objectives
Before you get started, ensure that you can measure the ROI (return on investment) from any changes you implement, deciding what is the expected number of visitors you will need to your site, vs the baseline today. This is the measure that you can then track from. Get specific on the goals to determine and set measures for specific pages visited and product / services reviewed.
• Keywords
Keywords are absolutely critical for getting located. These work through setting your “meta sets”, visible text and code. It is important to examine the content keywords and search engine ranking of competitive websites to assess the impact. There are tools to help such as Semrush.com. Once you have the list, then look to prioritise the targeted search term related, to what you expect your customers to look for. Keep this more in the framing of natural language, rather than specific products you have – i.e. “looking for a parasol” rather than “name of brand parasol”. Think what you would type into a search engine. People rarely search to find a specific business – so you need to think of solving a customer problem, or meeting a customer need. Test this with your customers and amend accordingly.
• Keyword Analysis
Keyword analysis follows, and this helps to further identify a targeted list of key words and phrases. Review competitive lists, and other industry sources, as well as prioritising keywords and phrases, plurals, singulars, and misspellings.
Step 2: Content Optimisation and Submission
• Create page titles
Keyword-based titles help to establish page theme and direction for your keywords.
• Create meta tags
Meta description tags can influence click-throughs but aren’t directly used for rankings. (Google doesn’t use the keywords tag anymore).
• Place strategic search phrases on pages
Integrate selected keywords into your website source code and existing content on designated pages. Make sure to apply a suggested guideline of one to three keywords/phrases per content page, and add more pages to complete the list. Ensure that related words are used as a natural inclusion of your keywords. It helps search engines to quickly determine what your page is about. A natural approach to this works best. In the past, 100 to 300 words on a page was recommended. Many tests show that pages with 800 to 2,000 words can outperform shorter ones. In the end, the users, the marketplace, content and links will determine the popularity and ranking numbers.
• Develop new sitemaps for Google and Bing
Make it easier for search engines to index your website. Create both XML and HTML versions. An HTML version is the first step. XML sitemaps can easily be submitted via Google and Bing webmaster tools.
• Submit website to directories (limited use)
Professional search marketers don’t submit the URL to the major search engines, but it’s possible to do so. A better and faster way is to get links back to your site naturally. Links get your site indexed by the search engines. However, you should submit your URL to directories such as Yahoo! (paid), Business.com (paid), and DMOZ (free). Some may choose to include AdSense (google.com/AdSense) scripts on a new site to get their Google Media bot to visit. It will likely get your pages indexed quickly.
Step 3: Continuous Testing and Measuring
• Test and measure
Analyse search engine rankings and web traffic to determine the effectiveness of the programmes you’ve implemented, including an assessment of individual keyword performance. Test the results of changes, and keep changes tracked in an Excel spreadsheet, or whatever you’re comfortable with.
• Maintenance
Ongoing addition and modification of keywords and website content is necessary to continually improve search engine rankings, so growth doesn’t stall or decline from neglect. You also want to review your link strategy and ensure that your inbound and outbound links are relevant to your business. A blog can provide you with the necessary structure and ease of content addition that you need. Your hosting company can typically help you with the setup/installation of a blog.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you and your business succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores
Watch the video here.