Crystal Blog

Have you been asked to “get the contractor sorted”, but aren’t really sure what that means? If so, you’re not alone. For many businesses, contractors and subcontractors are part of day-to-day operations, but misusing these terms, or misunderstanding their meaning, can lead to expensive payroll errors, HMRC fines, and serious HR issues. We've put this […]

Mistakes in tax returns happen. Sometimes they’re genuine errors, sometimes it’s carelessness and sometimes HMRC believes the behaviour goes further. Whatever the cause, HMRC can apply penalties if inaccurate information leads to underpaid tax. This HMRC Penalties Guide explains how penalties work, what counts as an inaccuracy, the penalty ranges, how HMRC decides the penalty […]

Contractors in the building industry are often very busy.  Now is a good time to make sure you’re getting everything right for the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS). Successful businesses normally plan ahead, so make sure you have the time to avoid making mistakes. Learn about being a contractor in CIS by watching our two short […]

Thousands of businesses are applying for Growth Vouchers. It’s a government scheme that covers up to half the cost of getting professional advice for your business. Click here to apply. Growth Vouchers is a government scheme to help businesses like yours get strategic business advice. Businesses can get a grant of up to £2,000 towards […]

Thousands of small businesses have benefited from HMRC live webinars, and HMRC receive a lot of positive feedback about the service. If you haven’t attended one of their webinars yet, then you may be missing out on important help with your taxes. A few of HMRC's upcoming webinars are listed below.  If you work in […]

Introduction As an employee, your employer deducts National Insurance contributions from your wages and pays it to HMRC. However this is not the same if you work for yourself. When you are self-employed you are responsible for paying your National Insurance contributions to HMRC. There are two types of National Insurance contributions that you may […]

Got a lot of questions about tax, National Insurance, business records and expenses? Our articles will build your confidence by guiding you through everything you need to know to get started. There are useful tips from others who have been where you are now and practical case studies to help you along the way. We […]

Tribunal ruling links holiday pay to overtime An employment tribunal recently ruled in favour of an employee who argued that his holiday pay should reflect his overtime pay as well as his basic wages. The case has implications for how employers apply the rules under the Working Time Regulations and has moved the UK closer […]

An independent complaints review body has ordered HMRC to pay £4.4m in refunds and write-offs last year and upheld 94% of PAYE complaints. The tax adjudicator – currently Judy Clements OBE – reviews complaints against HMRC, as well as against the Valuation Office Agency and the Insolvency Service. Her annual report for 2013/14 shows that […]

HMRC plans to recover unpaid tax from the bank accounts of alleged debtors has been branded “unconstitutional” by the Institute of Chartered Accounts in England and Wales (ICAEW). A three month public consultation on the Direct Recovery of Debt (DRD) initiative ended yesterday (29th July). The ICAEW says the plans are “unconstitutional and wrong in […]

Pension savers continue to be targeted by unscrupulous companies encouraging them to access their pension savings early. Promoters of these schemes offer personal loans, cash incentives and one-off pension investments to entice people to invest in these pension scams. Pension savers involved in these pension liberation scams face significant tax consequences. HM Revenue & Customs […]

Employers who no longer need their PAYE scheme can avoid non-filing Generic Notification Service (GNS) messages and penalties by ensuring that they make their final submission correctly. The actions for employers to take will depend on what type of final submission they are sending, and for what tax year: 2014 to 2015 Full Payment Submission (FPS) - when […]