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New rules from April for pension scheme returns – are you ready?

New rules from April for pension scheme returns – are you ready?

From April 6, anyone managing a pension scheme will need to submit their pension scheme return (PSR) on the Managing Pension Schemes service, with the Pension Schemes Online service no longer being used for this. This will apply to the returns for 2024/2025 and you...

1.1m missed the January 31 deadline – can you appeal a penalty?

1.1m missed the January 31 deadline – can you appeal a penalty?

Around 1.1m of us missed the January 31 deadline to file our self-assessment tax returns for the 2023/24 tax year. For each person, this means at least a £100 penalty and potentially additional charges if the return continues to not be filed or the tax due paid for a...

Business compliance with HMRC costs firms £15.4 billion a year

Business compliance with HMRC costs firms £15.4 billion a year

Meeting tax obligations is costing UK firms around £15.4 billion a year according to the National Audit Office (NAO), the body responsible for scrutinising public spending, and it appears HMRC is underestimating these costs to taxpayers. This has a major impact on the...

Interest rates fall – what does it mean for you?

Interest rates fall – what does it mean for you?

February saw another cut in the Bank of England base rate by another 0.25 percentage points to 4.5%, the third cut since August 2024. But while this should provide some relief for mortgage and credit card borrowers, savers will also see the interest they are paid on...

Still time to maximise your end of tax year planning

Still time to maximise your end of tax year planning

Now is the time to work towards maximising your end-of-year tax planning before the new tax year starts on April 6. If you haven’t used all your allowances and reliefs for this tax year, then in the coming month, you should make the time to address this. By using up...

Divorces rise in January, here’s how to make it less painful

Divorces rise in January, here’s how to make it less painful

It’s a sad fact that more people choose to divorce in January than any other month. Many families will realise over Christmas due to the extra time they spend together that they are no longer the happy family they once were. Plus, many of us have a desire to change...

Company size thresholds to increase in the UK from April

Company size thresholds to increase in the UK from April

The official classification of company sizes is set to change from April, with many firms being identified as smaller than they were previously, which should make filing company accounts more straightforward. The new legislation, The Companies (Accounts and Reports)...

25,000 people filed tax returns on New Year’s Day

25,000 people filed tax returns on New Year’s Day

While most of us were ringing in the New Year with a chorus of Auld Lang Syne or nursing a hangover from the revelries, nearly 25,000 people filed their tax return on January 1, 2025, according to HMRC figures. Most people – 2,603 – filed their returns between 14:00...

Stamp Duty thresholds to fall to previous levels from April 1

Stamp Duty thresholds to fall to previous levels from April 1

Anyone buying a property from April 1, 2025, will face higher levels of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) in England and Northern Ireland as the Stamp Duty thresholds fall back to their previous levels. The current higher threshold of £250,000 before people start to pay SDLT...

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