Author: Glenn

When a new employee is added to the payroll it is the employers' responsibility to ensure they meet the employees’ rights and deduct the correct amount of tax from their salary. This includes any employees who are family members.

It is possible to employ young people if they are 13 or over but there are special rules regarding how long they can work and what jobs they can undertake. Children younger than 13 can work in certain areas such as television, theatre and modelling but their employer will need to apply for a child performance licence. There is no National Insurance liability for children under 16 and they would only need to be included on an employer’s payroll if their total income is over their Personal Allowance.

Young workers (aged 16 to 17) are subject to different National Minimum Wage rates. The current minimum hourly rate for this age group is £6.40. Any payments to young workers need to be handled through the payroll. If the workers earn more than £123 a week, then the employer will also need to do undertake regular PAYE tasks like making deductions.

There are different rules if you take on volunteers or voluntary staff, but the employer is still responsible for health and safety and must give inductions and training in the tasks they are going to do.

Most self-employed people are required to pay Class 4 National Insurance contributions (NICs) if their profits are £12,570 or more a year. Class 4 NIC rates for the tax year 2024-25 are 6% for chargeable profits between £12,570 and £50,270 plus 2% on any profits over £50,270.

A number of categories of people are exempt from paying Class 4 NICs, these include:

• People under the age of 16 at the beginning of the year of assessment.
• People over State pension age at the beginning of the year of assessment. A person who attains State pension age during the course of the year of assessment remains liable for Class 4 NICs for the whole of that year.
• People receiving profits in their capacity as a trustee, executor or administrator of a person liable to tax.

The mandatory payment of Class 2 National Insurance Contributions (NICs) for the self-employed was abolished effective from 6 April 2024. It can be beneficial for some self-employed people who do not pay NICs through self-assessment to make voluntary Class 2 NICs. This can help them access certain contributory benefits including the State Pension. It is important to confirm that this would be beneficial before making any voluntary payment. The current weekly rate for making voluntary Class 2 NICs is £3.45.

If you turned 18 on or after 1 September 2020, there may be cash waiting for you in a dormant Child Trust Fund (CTF).

If your children recently turned 18 you should check to see if they have claimed the money, to which they are entitled.

Children born after 31 August 2002 and before 3 January 2011 were entitled to a CTF account with the government contributing an initial deposit, usually of at least £250. These funds were invested in long-term saving accounts for newly born children. HMRC has confirmed that there are many thousands of teenagers that have turned 18 and not yet claimed the cash to which they are entitled.

An estimated 6.3 million CTF accounts were set up throughout the duration of the scheme. If a parent or guardian was unable to set up an account for their child, HMRC opened a savings account on the child’s behalf.

If you are over 18 and already know who your CTF provider is you can contact them directly to access your cash. This might be a bank, building society or other savings provider. If this information has been lost or is unavailable, then you can check and track down your provider online using a simple online tool created by HMRC.

Business Asset Disposal Relief (BADR) applies to the sale of a business, shares in a trading company, or an individual’s interest in a trading partnership. When this relief is available, a reduced Capital Gains Tax (CGT) rate of 10% is applied instead of the standard rate, potentially resulting in significant tax savings for those exiting their business.

To qualify for BADR, certain conditions must be met:

1. Sale of a Business or Business Closure:
   • you must be a sole trader or business partner;
   • you must have owned the business for at least 2 years leading up to the sale or closure; and
   • you must dispose of your business assets within 3 years to qualify.
2. Sale of Shares or Securities: Both of the following must apply for at least 2 years up to the date you sell your shares:

• You must be an employee or office holder of the company (or a company within the same group).
• The company’s main activities must involve trading, not non-trading activities like investment, or it must be the holding company of a trading group.

Additional rules can apply if the shares are from an Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI).

Currently, you can claim a total of £1 million in BADR over your lifetime, allowing you to qualify for the relief multiple times. The lifetime limit may be higher if you sold assets before 11 March 2020.

A 1% reduction in the Bank Rate would reduce the UK government's annual interest charges on the national debt, but the exact amount of the reduction depends on the proportion of the debt that is sensitive to changes in short-term interest rates.

According to the Office for Budget Responsibility, a 1% decrease in short-term interest rates would lead to a reduction in debt interest payments of approximately £6.5 billion in the first year. This impact would diminish slightly over time as the immediate effect on short-term debt lessens, and only newly issued debt benefits from the lower rates​.

Compare this saving with the expected £2bn saving by restricting the winter fuel payment to pensioners receiving Pension Credits.

Reducing the Bank Rate by 1% in the UK would have a number of potential consequences aside from the reduction in debt interest charges:

1. Lower Borrowing Costs: For businesses and consumers, loans and mortgages would become cheaper, potentially boosting spending and investment.
2. Weaker Pound: A lower interest rate typically makes a currency less attractive to investors, which could weaken the pound, potentially increasing inflation due to higher import costs.
3. Increased Inflationary Pressure: Cheaper borrowing could stimulate demand, potentially leading to higher inflation, particularly if the economy is near full capacity.
4. Boost to Economic Growth: Lower rates could stimulate economic activity by encouraging borrowing and spending, helping to counteract economic slowdowns.

However, the effectiveness of such a rate cut would depend on the broader economic context, including inflation levels and global economic conditions. But it does beg the question, why is the Bank of England holding back further interest rate cuts when the advantages would seem to outpace the disadvantages?