Personal tax

Pool car journey recordFor a company car to count as a pool car (meaning that employees who use it aren't taxed on it as a benefit) it must not be used for private journeys. HMRC may ask for evidence of this. You should maintain a log of all journeys ... Read more

Employee loan agreementTo avoid a payment to an employee/director being treated (and taxed) as additional salary, you could reclassify it as a fixed-rate loan. What documentation will HMRC need to be convinced about this?Inexpensive financeThe income ... Read more

Staff suggestion scheme rulesYou can reward your employees for ideas that contribute to your business tax and NI free. For the exemption to apply conditions must be met which should be set out in a special policy.Cash rewards for suggestionsLegislati... Read more

Salary sacrifice policyIf you want to implement a salary sacrifice scheme in your company, make sure you insert the relevant policy in your staff handbook. Scheme particularsIncluding a Salary Sacrifice Policy in your staff handbook is important both... Read more

Chattels checklistAnything moveable that is sold with a property is generally not considered to be part of it and so is not subject to stamp duty land tax (SDLT). The purchaser will save SDLT by allocating any of the purchase price to chattels. Equal... Read more

Product mix reconstructionWhen carrying out a business economics exercise, the tax inspector will often use an industry average mark-up of purchases to selling price to construct a sales figure. But this simple calculation doesn't take into account yo... Read more

Rental business employee's job descriptionYou can claim a tax deduction for the cost of paying someone, including a spouse or civil partner, to manage a property you let. HMRC may ask for details of their role so you need to justify paying them. Wage... Read more

Employees' incidental overnight expenses policyIf an employee has to stay away overnight on business, there are some tax and NI-free expense payments you can make. To achieve this you'll need to have a company policy in place to avoid an employee claim... Read more

Enquiry - notice out of time letterHMRC must send a formal notice if it intends to start an enquiry into a self-assessment tax return. It has a limited time to do this. Before responding to any questions asked by HMRC check that the enquiry notice ha... Read more