Author: Glenn

Ever wondered how your stake in your business is represented in your accounts?

The answer can be found at the bottom of your balance sheet. Simply put it is the value of your physical business assets less any liabilities; usually described as net assets.

But this is not the full story as there is a further intangible asset that is generally omitted from your accounts. It’s called goodwill. It is the extra value a buyer is willing to pay, over and above the net assets value of your business, for the rights to your customer lists and other non-physical assets that are generally left out of your accounts.

Ultimately, what you can sell a business for will be limited to what a buyer is willing to pay. But there is value in making a consistent estimate of what your business may be worth, especially if this exercise is undertaken annually, when your financial accounts are prepared.

In this way you will be able to see if the valuation is increasing or decreasing, and if increasing, is the increase at a sufficient rate to meet your planned future exit from your business?

Hopefully, many of you will already be monitoring your business value in this way, if not, please get in touch so we can figure out the best way to add this important indicator to your final accounts each year.

In the coming months we will start to see how our new government intends to change the UK tax rules to further its economic growth agenda.

Whatever they decide to do, readers who presently benefit from tax and/or business planning strategies, should be prepared to revise their plans as fiscal changes are announced.

For example, if you are considering the disposal of assets at a profit, then any gain may be subject to Capital Gains Tax (CGT). If the Chancellor changes the CGT rates, perhaps by treating capital gains as income for tax purposes – or by removing or reducing present CGT reliefs – your after tax profits may not be at a level to satisfy your plans.

The first opportunity to alter tax or other business related matters will likely be the Autumn Budget. This year will be Rachel Reeves first announcements at the despatch box, and she may introduce far reaching changes.

This does mean that there is a short period before the Autumn Budget when we will be subject to present legislation. If you are considering radical changes to your business or financial circumstances in the next year would it be sensible to consider moving transactions forwards as a hedge against negative changes come September/October 2024?

We recommend keeping a weather eye on your planning options. If you are about to buy or sell business or personal assets, please call so we can consider your options. Double guessing what the Treasury may or may not do is not an exact science, but we can be fairly confident that changes are on the way, the fiscal goal posts will be moving.

Whilst there are a large number of state benefits available, it is not clear which of these benefits are taxable and which are tax-free.

HMRC’s guidance provides the following list of the most common state benefits that are taxable, i.e., Income Tax is payable, subject to the usual limits:

• Bereavement Allowance (previously Widow’s pension)
• Carer’s Allowance
• contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Incapacity Benefit (from the 29th week you get it)
• Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• pensions paid by the Industrial Death Benefit scheme
• the State Pension
• Widowed Parent’s Allowance

The most common state benefits you do not have to pay Income Tax on are:

• Attendance Allowance
• Bereavement support payment
• Child Benefit (income-based – use the Child Benefit tax calculator to see if you’ll have to pay tax)
• Child Tax Credit
• Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• free TV licence for over-75s
• Guardian’s Allowance
• Housing Benefit
• Income Support – though you may have to pay tax on Income Support if you’re involved in a strike
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Industrial Injuries Benefit
• lump-sum bereavement payments
• Maternity Allowance
• Pension Credit
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• Severe Disablement Allowance
• Universal Credit
• War Widow’s Pension
• Winter Fuel Payments and Christmas Bonus
• Working Tax Credit

Capital Gains Tax (CGT) is normally charged at a simple flat rate of 20% (but see comments below) when you sell shares unless they are in a CGT free investment such as an ISA or qualifying pension. Your gain is usually the difference between what you paid for your shares and the amount received when you sold them.

There are special rules for working out the cost of your shares if you sell:

• shares you bought at different times and prices in one company;
• shares through an investment club;
• shares after a company merger or takeover; and
• employee share scheme shares.

If you only pay basic rate tax and make a small capital gain, they you may only be subject to a reduced CGT rate of 10%. Once the total of your taxable income and gains exceeds the higher rate threshold, the excess will be subject to 20% CGT. There is also an annual CGT exemption. In the current (2024-25) tax year you can make £3,000 of gains before paying any CGT. The limit in 2023-24 was £6,000. The allowance applies to each member of a married couple or civil partnership. 

The usual due date for paying any CGT you owe to HMRC on the sale of shares is the 31 January following the end of the tax year in which a capital gain was made. This means that CGT for any gains crystalised before 6 April 2025 will be due for payment on or before 31 January 2026.

The normal way to report a gain on the sale of shares is to complete the relevant sections of your Self-Assessment tax return in the tax year after the gain was made. When calculating your gain, you can deduct certain costs of buying or selling shares such as stockbrokers’ fees or Stamp Duty Reserve Tax when you bought the shares.

The child benefit rates for the only or eldest child in a family is currently £25.60 and the weekly rate for all other children is £16.95.

Taxpayers entitled to the child benefit should be aware that HMRC usually stop paying child benefit on the 31 August following a child’s 16th Birthday. Under qualifying circumstances, the child benefit payment can continue until a child reaches their 20th birthday if they stay in approved education or training. A qualifying young person is someone aged 16, 17, 18 or 19 in full time non-advanced education or on unpaid approved training courses.

HMRC has just sent more than 1.4 million Child Benefit reconfirmation letters to parents whose child may be affected. The letters include a QR code which, when scanned, directs them to GOV.UK to update their claim quickly and easily online. This can also be done on the HMRC app.

Parents have until 31 August 2024 to tell HMRC that their 16-year-old is continuing their education or training, and their intention to continue receiving Child Benefit. No child benefit is payable after a young person reaches the age of 20 years.

HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services recently said:

‘Child Benefit is an important financial support for many families, so make sure you don’t miss out on any payments if your teenager intends to continue approved education or training. You can quickly and easily extend your claim online or via the HMRC app, just search ‘Child Benefit when your child turns 16’ on GOV.UK.’

Child benefit is usually payable for children who come to the UK. However, there are a number of rules which must be met in order to claim. HMRC must be notified without delay if a child receiving child benefit moves permanently abroad.