Posts Tagged : Armed Forces

Are you getting seen off?
We have seen a massive increase in clients coming to us with all sorts of tax problems, we wanted to post a guide on how to stay safe in unchartered waters and remain claim savvy!

Deed of Assignment – Some companies are operating a Deed of Assignment service – be very careful if you are signing up to this! A deed of trust instructs all proceeds to be sent directly to the company you have given authority to and these deeds can remain in place for a number of years. To revoke them you and the assigned company will need to write to HMRC, this can cause all sorts of problems. We have dealt with a number of situations where we have submitted the claim only for the clients refund to be sent to the company listed on the deed, be very careful what you are signing up to!
Tax Years being left open…..Ensure the company/Tax Agent you are dealing with has addressed ALL tax years that require a self- assessment tax return. We have seen cases where clients have had tax years left open resulting in horrendous penalties amounting to thousands. Make sure you are fully aware of which years you are claiming for.

Tax codes –  Ensure your tax code has returned to normal following on from the refund process, if your refund is coded into your tax code this can disrupt your pay and tax and wipe out future refund claims. Look out for pay coding notices from HMRC and check your payslips!! If there are Job Expenses left in the code you will notice an increase in your pay and not be taxed as normal. If these job expenses are left the amount you will owe HMRC will escalate each month until they are removed fully. You may be left with a hefty liability and a considerably reduced Tax Code as HMRC apply an in year adjustment to recapture the underpaid tax.

Self – Assessment Tax Returns – Your claim for mileage relief traveling to a temporary work place is a Job Expense, this is done through self -assessment. Your Tax Agent should take care of this self -assessment when they square away your claim. You will need to instruct your agent if you are not claiming further as HMRC will expect a self -assessment tax return every year thereafter until they are instructed otherwise.
If you fail to notify HMRC and do not file a tax return before the deadline HMRC will apply late filing penalties which can escalate daily. Avoid this by ensuring your Tax Agent has fully removed you from Self- Assessment if you no longer need to claim mileage relief and have no other SA requirement.

Claiming uniform refunds –  There are many companies out there claiming they can get you thousands of ££’s for relief on laundering your uniform. The long and the short of it is since 2014 for HM Forces personnel an in year adjustment should be made through your pay to reimburse this allowance the yearly allowance equates to £100 RAF, Army and Marine personal and £80 for Navy (lower due to facilities being available on board). Be careful you may end up owing the tax man!

Don’t get seen off, If you have issues following a recent mileage claim and would like some impartial advice, contact Admin@akinsandco.com or give us a call 01934 527888.

 

 

 

 

Atkins on tour!

The summer of 16 has seen Atkins out and about! In May we were invited to Rosyth to meet and chat to Royal Navy personnel, we had a great day out and were made very welcome. It was also a pleasure to offer advice on all aspects of Accountancy.

June – Atkins were delighted to attend and have a stand at the Weston Air Festival on Armed Forces weekend, it was great to be in amongst our Tri Forces and to speak to many of our Armed Forces personnel. It made us feel very proud to be part of such a great weekend!!

DWP announces extra support for armed forces spouses and civil partners to help protect their State Pension

Image result for hmrc logo

A new armed forces National Insurance credit is available for spouses and civil partners who joined their partners on overseas postings.

Up to 20,000 armed forces spouses may be eligible for a new National Insurance credit if they have previously joined their partners on an overseas posting, ensuring that they don’t miss out on their State Pension.

People who have accompanied spouses and civil partners may have been unable to work while abroad, and therefore unable to make National Insurance contributions. Gaps in contributions can seriously reduce the amount of money people receive when they reach State Pension age. As the new State Pension is based on people’s own National Insurance record, the credit will give people the opportunity to cover contributions missed by periods spent abroad dating back to 1975.

Minister for Pensions, Baroness Ros Altmann said:

Our armed forces protect our country and it is only right that in turn, we help protect their partners’ ability to receive the full State Pension when they reach State Pension age.

This new credit will help ensure people who choose to support their partners abroad don’t miss out on a good State Pension.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:

We are making sure that military spouses and partners who spend time based overseas get the State Pension they deserve.

This is the latest step under the armed forces covenant to ensure that service personnel and their families are treated fairly.

The new credit has been taken forward under the armed forces covenant, which states that members of the armed forces and their families should receive fair treatment from the nation which they serve.

On 6 April 2010, the government introduced a National Insurance credit for which an accompanying spouse or civil partner on an overseas posting can apply. Applications must be made by the end of the tax year following the one in which the posting ends. It is still possible to apply for this credit which may also help if the spouse or civil partner wants to claim a working age benefit.

The new credit

The new credit covers the years spent abroad from 6 April 1975 onwards and counts towards the new State Pension.

For information about the new credit and how to apply, visit www.gov.uk/dwp/ni-credits-armed-forces-partners

Ask Atkins: How do I get tax back on my mileage?

Ask atkins

 

how do i

MOTOR MILEAGE CLAIMS – also known as Get you home (GYH) and Home to duty (HDT) mileage refunds is our specialty. These Military tax rebates are called a number of things such as MOD tax refund and Armed forces tax refund. We have even heard it called Tax back on fuel claim and the rift refund.
It doesn’t matter what you call it! The search leads you to the same destination …. HOW DO I GET TAX BACK ON MY MILEAGE?

Atkins & Co can help you make a Motor mileage claim and here’s how:
– Firstly download and print the Atkins military mileage claim pack link. You can find this on our website.
– In this pack you will find 8 documents. Please read through the information sheet page 1, these are the rules & regulations of the claim and are in accordance with the HMRC criteria. If you are in doubt please let us know we are more than happy to guide you through the setting up process.

Tel: 01934 527888 Email: admin@atkinsandco.com

– You will also need to fill in two HMRC forms, the 64 – 8 and the SA 1. These will need to be sent to us as hard copies. Please ensure you sign these documents before sending. If you need help filling out these forms out please call the office using the above details.
– If you do not have access to a printer – no worries! Just let us know your address so we can arrange to Post them out to you! Once received, sit back and we will ‘square the admin away’!

We pride ourselves here at Atkins on great service and are proud to be conveyed as “Military friendly Accountants”. We have very close links with the Military, especially the Royal Marines! So you are in safe hands.
We prefer to over deliver and under promise.  We want YOU to keep and enjoy your refund which is why we charge a FIXED FEE unlike others that take a %! With an average 4 year claim we could be saving you up to £490… So what will you spend your savings on?

For more Q&A’s visit our website www.atkinsandco.com/services/military.tax-refunds

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Ask Atkins: Landlords! HMRC are closing in on your undeclared Rental Income!

Ask atkins

 

Do i need to

 

The Revenue is on the trail of £550m missing tax and is urging landlords to come clean or risk higher penalties.
Don’t get caught out by the following common rental income misconceptions:Rental blog ad

  • I’m in the armed forces, so we don’t need to declare our rental profits…
    Wrong – you do still need to declare them.
  • I don’t need to declare my rental profits as I only rent my house out because I’m drafted overseas…
    Wrong – you still need to declare them.
  • I don’t make a profit, so I don’t need to tell HMRC…
    But are you making a profit in the eyes of the tax man!  If you have a repayment mortgage then it is quite likely you are actually making a profit. And if you are genuinely making a loss then it is in your advantage to report this to HMRC.
  • My Wife / Partner doesn’t need to declare it because I have…
    Wrong – if a property is jointly owned you each need to declare your share of the income.

HMRC are running a Let Property Campaign to encourage landlords to come clean and tell them about their rental property before they track you down.
HMRC can contact letting agents for a list of landlords, scrutinise ‘property to rent’ websites/ newspapers and they already hold information on those who receive tenants housing benefit directly and those who have used the Deposit Protection Schemes, so if you are a landlord then act now.
It will be in your best interest to volunteer the information than if you try to ignore it and HMRC catch up with you!

Contact us now or download the RENTAL income & expenses form and send it back to us! – We can HELP!

Institute of Chartered Accountants Members
Military Tax Refunds
Our Accountants Office
  • 7 Morston Court, Weston-super-Mare, BS22 8NG
  • 01934 527888
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