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The government’s Help to Grow: Digital scheme, which offers discounts worth up to thousands of pounds on approved digital accounting software for UK businesses, is now expanding its reach.

Previously, only businesses with a minimum of 5 employees were eligible for the scheme, but it’s now open to businesses with just 1 employee. This means that many more businesses with only one employee can now access discounts and support for digital services through the scheme.

This blog explains the latest Help to Grow: Digital changes, who can access it, and which support services are available – plus some advice on why your business accounts should be going digital.

Spouses or civil partners in the process of separating can find themselves faced with an expensive Capital Gains Tax (CGT) bill. This puts a lot of pressure on divorcing couples during an already difficult time, as they must meet tight deadlines for transferring assets.

To make things a bit easier for couples during their divorce settlements, the government is proposing that ex-spouses and ex-civil partners should be given up to 3 years to make ‘no gain, no loss’ asset transfers between themselves after they no longer live together.

The proposed changes could also see the introduction of special rules regarding formal divorce agreement asset transfers and Private Residence Relief (PRR). Here’s what you need to know about the current rules, and the changes that should take effect from 6th April 2023.

Late June is usually the time of year when HMRC issues its annual taxpayer statistics, releasing the most up-to-date numbers and projections for the current tax year.

The new data from HMRC now reveals that there are more than 6 million people paying higher rate tax or additional rate tax in the UK – more than ever before.

So, what are the reasons behind this record-breaking increase in higher-band taxpayers, and what does this mean for your personal finances?

Recent headlines have been bringing marginal tax rates back into the spotlight. The tapering of Personal Allowances combined with rapid inflation seems to create a higher tax rate of 60%.

However, the 60% tax rate isn’t really new – it’s been around in some form since the 2010-2011 tax year. It’s not a glitch in personal allowance legislation, as suggested by The Times. At the time, the legislation was designed specifically to raise more revenue while maintaining the £150,000 threshold for the newer 45% additional tax rate.

With strikes and cancellations affecting trains and planes across the UK and Europe this summer, employers need to be prepared in case an employee can’t travel to work or gets stuck overseas.

While the disruption is frustrating enough for holidaymakers, the knock-on effect on employers is also causing strain – from rescheduling annual leave to having to operate with absent employees.

If your business hasn’t experienced this type of scenario before, you might be unsure about your company policy regarding these situations. So, what are your options if staff can’t get to work?

This blog explains what you should know from the perspective of employment law.

When you dispose of a private residence and make a profit from its sale, you won’t have to pay Capital Gains Tax (CGT) on it if the property was your main residence throughout the time you owned it – known as the ‘period of ownership’.

But what exactly qualifies? How do you know whether you’re liable to pay Capital Gains Tax or not, and how do you calculate such an exemption? Let’s look at some examples, and run through the basics of Private Residence Relief for CGT.