Consider the plight of Jude, a trainee with a small firm of accountants who is still required to work from home. And at her parent’s home… Houseproud Mum does not want her daughter spreading laptops and analysis pads on her shiny dining table and so Jude is required to work in her bedroom. In Jude’s

The President of the Employment Tribunals (England and Wales) and the President of the Employment Tribunals (Scotland) have jointly published a new “road map” for employment tribunal proceedings in the financial year 2021/22. The road map includes the following key points for tribunal users: 16 new legal officers will start work in April 2021, with

The government has published a series of more than 30 tax updates, consultations and documents that are expected to strengthen policymaking and modernise UK tax system. The raft of documents would usually have been published at Budget time but were instead published as part of the ‘Tax policies and consultations update (Spring 2021)’ allowing more

Many of us would happily pretend that 2020-21 never happened, although, of course, it did. Unfortunately, accountants cannot say goodbye to 2020-21, and for some time. There are still months to go before 2020-21 payroll and other annual tax returns are completed and filed and this year professionals face a variety of COVID specific challenges:

The Low Pay Commission (LPC) has launched a consultation on the effects of the National Living Wage (NLW) and National Minimum Wage (NMW) to inform its recommendations to the government on the April 2022 rates.   The LPC’s recommendations on the NLW will be guided by the government’s target for the rate to reach two-thirds

Planners refer to taking out a blue sky day – a time to contemplate ideas for developing your business away from the distractions of phones. Ironically, the phrase was used in the early 20th century to describe fraud, particularly financiers who would inflate and over-capitalise securities based on nothing more tangible than blue skies and

Applying for Advance Assurance for small companies that claim Research and Development (R&D) tax relief makes it easier for small businesses investing in research and development to claim tax relief. R&D credits are a Corporation Tax relief that were introduced to encourage innovation and enterprise within the UK economy. Small and medium-sized enterprise can claim

Although it cannot be understated, that COVID has resulted in widespread personal tragedies and business hardships, there are stories circulating of businesses that have managed to buck the downward trend. Very often this is due to being in the right sector to take advantage of growth opportunities opening-up, more often, it is down to careful

Landfill tax was introduced to encourage efforts to minimise the amount of waste produced in the UK and to encourage the use of non-landfill waste management options such as recycling, composting and recovery. The standard rates of Landfill Tax in England and Northern Ireland have been updated for 2020-21. The standard rate of Landfill Tax in

The following is a summary of the support the Budget offered businesses last week, promoted recently by the Department for Business.  £5 billion for new Restart Grants – a one off cash grant of up to £18,000 for hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care and gym businesses in England. Non-essential retail businesses will open first, so