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Companies that claim tax relief or tax credits on research and development (R&D) expenditure will see some changes to the system for accounting periods starting from 1st April 2023.

Several new activities will qualify for R&D relief, but the process for making R&D relief claims will be different. Not only will the service go completely digital, alongside many other tax services, but the rules are also being adjusted to try to reduce fraudulent R&D claims.

Here’s what you should know about the R&D tax relief changes that will come into effect next year.

After much speculation, new Prime Minister Liz Truss has announced the government’s plans to handle the ongoing energy price crisis. This highly anticipated statement comes a few weeks after the Ofgem price cap rose to an eyewatering £3,549 a year.
The earlier assistance package proposed by then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak in February was based on projections of the price cap increasing from £1,971 in April to £2,800 in October. Since then, Ofgem has decided to review the price cap every three months instead of every six months.
The regulator’s current price cap of £3,549 for the October–December 2022 period is an increase of 80% on the current level, but projections for the next three-month period’s price cap suggest an even more shocking increase to £6,500 a year in the first quarter of 2023.
To support the British public and businesses with soaring energy bills this winter, the government is taking action to provide financial support and tackle the underlying issues with the UK energy market. This blog explains what you need to know about the new energy price cap.

In July 2022, the UK government published details of new legislation that will allow workers who save for their pension through a Net Pay Arrangement (NPA) to receive the same level of top-ups from the government as workers who save through a Relief at Source (RAS) scheme.
When the new legislation takes effect in April 2024, around 1.2 million workers will receive the government support they previously lost out on due to an anomaly in the system, which has been resulting in less take-home pay for those enrolled in these ‘net pay’ pension schemes.
This correction to the pension tax system means that lower earners could see up to a hundred extra pounds a year added to their take-home pay from the start of the 2024–2025 tax year. Read on to learn more about the previous situation, how it’s changing, and how this could affect your earnings.

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?