October 2023 | DSK Partners LLP

Who needs an EORI number?

Posted on October 19, 2023 by

The Economic Operators' Registration and Identification System (EORI) was setup as a European Union (EU) wide initiative that helps businesses communicate with customs officials when they are importing and exporting goods. The EORI allows businesses to provide pre-arrival/pre-departure information for goods.

Businesses in the UK are still usually required to hold an EORI number for the movement of goods in the following scenarios:

between Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) or the Isle of Man and any other country (including the EU);
between Great Britain and Northern Ireland;
between Great Britain and the Channel Islands; and
between Northern Ireland and countries outside the EU.

Which type of EORI number you need and where you get it from depends on where you are moving goods to and from. You may need more than one. If you move goods to or from Great Britain, you must get an EORI number that starts with GB. Most are then followed by a 12-digit number based on the businesses VAT number.

You may also need an EORI number starting with XI if you move goods to or from Northern Ireland. If a business is making declarations or applying for a customs decision in the EU, then they may need an EU EORI number from an EU country.

You do not need an EORI number if you are moving goods that are both:

not controlled goods; or
for personal use only.

Source: HM Revenue & Customs Tue, 17 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Accounting periods for Corporation Tax

Posted on October 19, 2023 by

Companies often have two different company accounting periods. This is because there are different rules for Companies House filings and for returns sent to HMRC.

The accounting periods can be the same but can also differ and a change may need to be made to ‘sync’ the accounting periods. As a general rule the Companies House rules are more flexible and under certain circumstances it is possible to make a change to the year end. The Companies House accounting period can sometimes run for more or less than 12 months.

A tax accounting period for Corporation Tax purpose cannot be longer than 12 months. This can mean that you will need to file two returns to HMRC to accommodate the maximum 12 month rule.

If your accounts cover less than 12 months, then your accounting period will normally end on the same day and will be shorter than 12 months. This can happen if the company stops trading or shortens its company’s year-end also known as its accounting reference date.

Source: Companies House Tue, 17 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0100

How dividends are taxed

Posted on October 19, 2023 by

Dividends received are taxed as income but the rates of tax applied are different to the formal Income Tax rates. Also, individuals can receive dividends up to the annual dividend allowance tax free. The annual dividend allowance for 2023-24 is £1,000.

The current tax rates for dividends received (in excess of the dividend tax allowance) are as follows:

8.75% if dividends form part of a taxpayer's basic rate band;
33.75% if dividends form part of a taxpayer's higher rate band; or
39.35% if dividends form part of a taxpayer's additional rate band.

Dividends that fall within (are covered by) your Personal Allowance do not count towards your dividend allowance. It is also possible that you may pay tax at more than one rate of tax.

If you receive up to £10,000 in dividends, you can ask HMRC to change your tax code and the tax due will be taken from your wages or pension. Alternatively, you can enter the dividends on your Self-Assessment tax return if you already file a return.

You do not need to notify HMRC if the dividends you receive are within your dividend allowance for the tax year.

If you have received over £10,000 in dividends, you will need to complete a Self-Assessment tax return. If you do not usually complete a tax return, you will need to register by 5 October following the tax year in which you had the relevant dividend income.

Source: HM Revenue & Customs Tue, 17 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Reporting early payment of wages before Christmas

Posted on October 19, 2023 by

There is a permanent easement in place for employers to report PAYE information in real time over the Christmas period. This can be for a number of reasons, for example, during the Christmas period the business may close meaning workers need to be paid earlier than normal.

Employers that pay wages early over the Christmas period should report their normal or contractual payday as the payment date on their Full Payment Submission (FPS) and ensure that the FPS is submitted on or before this date. Doing this will help to protect employees’ eligibility for Universal Credit, as reporting the payday as the payment date may affect current and future entitlements.

HMRC provides the following illustrative example:

If you pay on Friday 15 December 2023 but the normal or contractual payment date is Friday 29 December 2023, you will need to report the payment date on the FPS as 29 December 2023 and ensure the submission is sent on or before 29 December 2023.

The overriding PAYE reporting obligation for employers is unaffected by this exception and remains that you must report payments on or before the date the employee is paid.

Source: HM Revenue & Customs Tue, 17 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Repeat business

Posted on October 17, 2023 by

Once you have secured the attention of a customer that has purchased their initial goods or services from you, you have completed the hard part – converted a prospect into a buying customer – so don’t be afraid to follow up with cross-sales offers.

For example, when you deliver goods to a customer, do you promote other products that you supply or offer a discount for a repeat order?

Many firms adopt this strategy by:

Inserting a current publicity leaflet or brochure with the goods physically delivered, or by
Following up orders by email, a “Hope you found our recent delivery useful…”, with a link to your website and other offers.

In this way you build your relationship and increase footfall.

Three factors influence turnover:

The number of customers.
The price of your goods or services, and
Footfall, the number of times a customer buys from you in a trading period.

In most cases, increasing footfall will have the most impact on turnover. Footfall is the number of times you can encourage customers back to buy more from your business.

So, be on the lookout for ways to encourage your customers back. Once you start thinking in this way, you will be surprised by the number of strategies you could apply.

Source: Other Tue, 17 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Recurring sales

Posted on October 17, 2023 by

Most business owners will appreciate the difference between one-off sales, and services that are generally described as recurring.

For example, you may sell a laptop (a one-off sale) and then bolt on a support contract (a recurring sale).

The advantage of recurring income streams is that they not only impact your current sales numbers, but they also help you build a platform of future sales for your business.

Also, the cost of “selling” or acquiring recurring sales is generally lower than securing a one-off sale as you are creating sales revenue into future years rather than just improving your sales figures in the current month.

It is worth researching how you could develop recurring income streams for your business. Subscriptions or support are two areas ripe for development. Or you could encourage one-off buyers to join your Customer Club where for a minimum monthly fee, they would be entitled to a progressive discount on purchases.

As we strive to emerge from recent difficult economic challenges, seeking out ways to introduce recurring services into your product mix may help you build a sustainable future for your business.

Well worth getting together with your work colleagues to brainstorm ideas.

Source: Other Tue, 17 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Tax Diary November/December 2023

Posted on October 13, 2023 by

1 November 2023 – Due date for Corporation Tax due for the year ended 31 January 2023.

19 November 2023 – PAYE and NIC deductions due for month ended 5 November 2023. (If you pay your tax electronically the due date is 22 November 2023.)

19 November 2023 – Filing deadline for the CIS300 monthly return for the month ended 5 November 2023.

19 November 2023 – CIS tax deducted for the month ended 5 November 2023 is payable by today.

1 December 2023 – Due date for Corporation Tax payable for the year ended 28 February 2023.

19 December 2023 – PAYE and NIC deductions due for month ended 5 December 2023. (If you pay your tax electronically the due date is 22 December 2023).

19 December 2023 – Filing deadline for the CIS300 monthly return for the month ended 5 December 2023.

19 December 2023 – CIS tax deducted for the month ended 5 December 2023 is payable by today.

30 December 2023 – Deadline for filing 2022-23 self-assessment tax returns online to include a claim for under payments to be collected via tax code in 2024-25.

Source: HM Revenue & Customs Fri, 13 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0100

When you must register for VAT

Posted on October 12, 2023 by

The taxable turnover threshold, which determines whether businesses should be registered for VAT, is currently £85,000. The taxable turnover threshold that determines whether businesses can apply for deregistration is £83,000.

Businesses are required to register for VAT if they meet either of the following two conditions:

At the end of any month, the value of the taxable supplies made in the past 12 months or less has exceeded £85,000; or
At any time, there are reasonable grounds for believing that the value of taxable supplies to be made in the next 30 days alone will exceed £85,000.

The registration threshold for relevant acquisitions from other EU Member States into Northern Ireland is also £85,000.

Businesses with no physical presence in the UK may also have a liability to be VAT registered in the UK if they supply any goods or services to the UK (or expect to in the next 30 days).

Source: HM Revenue & Customs Tue, 10 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Deadlines 2022-23 Self-Assessment tax return

Posted on October 12, 2023 by

The 2022-23 tax return filing deadline for taxpayers who continue to submit paper Self-Assessment returns is 31 October 2023. Late submission of a Self-Assessment return will incur a £100 late filing penalty. The penalty usually applies even if there is no liability or if any tax due is paid in full by 31 January 2024.

We would recommend that anyone still submitting paper tax returns consider the benefits of submitting the returns electronically, and therefore benefit from an additional three months (until 31 January 2024) in which to submit a return.

Taxpayers with certain underpayments in the 2022-23 tax year can elect to have this amount collected via their tax code (in 2024-25) provided they are in employment or in receipt of a UK-based pension. The coding applies to certain debts and the amount of debt that can be coded out ranges from £3,000 to £17,000 based on a graduated scale. The maximum coding out allowance only applies to taxpayers with earnings exceeding £90,000.

Daily penalties of £10 per day will also take effect if the tax return is still outstanding three months after the filing date up to a maximum of £900. If the return still remains outstanding further higher penalties will be charged when a return is six months and twelve months late.

Taxpayers that received a letter informing them that they have to submit a paper return after 30 July 2023 have an extended deadline which runs for three months from the date they received the letter to submit a paper return.

Source: HM Revenue & Customs Tue, 10 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Check if you need to pay someone through PAYE

Posted on October 12, 2023 by

Employers usually have to pay employees through PAYE if they earn £123 or more a week (£533 a month or £6,396 a year). There is no requirement to pay self-employed workers through PAYE.

HMRC’s guidance states that:

As a general rule, someone is:

employed if they work for you and do not have any of the risks associated with running a business; and
self-employed if they run their own business and are responsible for its success or failure.

There are specific rules for temporary or agency workers. Employers need to operate PAYE on temporary workers that they pay directly, as long as they’re classed as an employee. There is not usually a requirement to operate PAYE if a worker is paid by an agency, unless the agency is based abroad and does not have either a trading address or a representative in the UK.

Employers that take on a new employee need to work out which tax code and starter declaration to use in their payroll software. Incorrect tax codes can lead to the new employee paying more tax than is due.

The necessary information can be collected from the employee’s P45 or by asking the new employee to complete HMRC's starter checklist (if they do not have a recent P45 – this checklist replaced the P46).

Source: HM Revenue & Customs Tue, 10 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Month: October 2023

Who needs an EORI number?

Accounting periods for Corporation Tax

How dividends are taxed

Reporting early payment of wages before Christmas

Repeat business

Recurring sales

Tax Diary November/December 2023

When you must register for VAT

Deadlines 2022-23 Self-Assessment tax return

Check if you need to pay someone through PAYE

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