Easy Books & Payroll

23/03/2022

Breaking payroll news from the Spring Statement

23 March 2022

Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, delivered the Spring Statement on 23 March 2022. Within it were several announcements that payroll professionals should ensure they are aware of.

The first piece of headline news centred on National Insurance (NI). By July 2022, the threshold at which individuals begin paying NI will be aligned with that of income tax. This means that the primary threshold will be set at £12,570.

Second, the employment allowance, available to certain eligible business, will be increased from £4,000 to £5,000 from April 2022.

The final, and possibly biggest, statement centred on income tax. In 2024, the government will reduce the basic rate of income tax from 20% to 19%.

20/02/2022

Check a list of recent phone contacts from HMRC to help you decide if a phone call you've received is a scam, updated yesterday you uptodate

Check a list of recent phone contacts from HMRC to help you decide if a phone call you've received is a scam.

09/02/2022

An early end to self-isolation rules?

During prime minister’s questions on 9 February 2022, Boris Johnson announced that on return from the half-term recess, he plans to the present a strategy for living with Covid and expects to be able to end the last domestic restrictions a full month early. Restrictions are currently due to end on 24 March 2022.

Subject to approval, this could be brought forward to 24 February.

31/01/2022

Health and Social Care Levy guidance published

Despite recent calls for the upcoming levy to be scrapped the government are continuing with plans to implement the Health and Social Care Levy. Her majesties Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have released guidance for the changes being brought in April 2022, as well as clarifying some of the changes that will happen in 2023-24 tax year.

The guidance details:

• How it will affect employees
• How it will affect employers
• How it will affect the self employed, with additional details of the 2023-24 tax year
• How it will affect those over state pension age, both in 2022-23 and in 2023-24
• Confirmation of advised payslip message
• Existing contribution reliefs will apply to the separate levy for 2023 for

employees under the age of 21
apprentices under the age of 25
qualifying Freeport employees
those eligible for the Employment Allowance
armed forces veterans

Find out about the Health and Social Care Levy including how it might affect your National Insurance contributions.

25/12/2021

Marry Christmas everyone 🎄🎄

16/12/2021

BREAKING NEWS! Statutory Sick Pay self-certification period temporarily extended to support vaccine rollout

Employees can self-cert for 28 days from 17 December 2021, temporarily.

13/12/2021

208 employers named in the latest round of 'naming and shaming' for minimum wage violations.

208 employers named in the latest round of 'naming and shaming' for minimum wage violations.

08/12/2021

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has confirmed the 2022-23 rates for statutory pay.

The first six weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) will remain the same, meaning 90% of the employee’s average weekly earnings (AWE). The weekly rate for all weeks after this will be the lower of 90% of AWE or £156.66. The same statutory rate will be available for the following:
Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP)
Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP)
Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP)
Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay (SPBP)

The weekly rate for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will be £99.35, and this will apply from 6 April 2022.

21/11/2021

The date for the autumn 'Tax Day' has been revealed.

Following the autumn Budget and Spending Review, the government will be releasing tax administration and maintenance plans. This mirrors the ‘tax policies and consultations’ documents released after the spring Budget, dubbed ‘Tax Day’.

The announcements will be released on 30 November 2021

20/11/2021

Issue 90 of the Agent Update released

The update has provided information on the following:

• Summary of the covid-19 support schemes
• Declaring coronavirus grants on tax returns
• Self-assessment
• Additional information on Freeport sites in Humber, Teesside and Thames sites
• Reporting changes to working hours for Working Tax Credits (WTC)
• Making tax digital
• HMRC Agent Services


https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/agent-update-issue-90/agent-update-issue-90

18/11/2021

Message to help employees understand NIC changes has been confirmed.

Message to help employees understand NIC changes has been confirmed.

03/02/2021

HMRC has published the rates and thresholds to be used when operating payrolls and providing expenses and benefits to employees, for tax year 2021-22.

Use these rates and thresholds when you operate your payroll or provide expenses and benefits to your employees.