Total Tax Accountants

07/10/2026

Set up and manage a workplace pension scheme

Employers and eligible staff

Employers must provide a workplace pension scheme for eligible staff as soon as their first employee starts working for them. This is known as their ‘duties start date’.

You’re usually considered an employer if you deduct Income Tax and National Insurance contributions from an employee’s wages.

Who you must enrol

You must automatically enrol eligible staff into your workplace pension scheme and make an employer contribution if they:

* are aged between 22 and State Pension age
* earn at least £10,000 a year
* normally work in the UK, including people who are based in the UK but travel abroad for work

If an employee becomes eligible because of a change in their age or earnings, you must enrol them into your pension scheme and write to them within six weeks of the date they meet the eligibility criteria.

Workplace pension scheme

You must set up a workplace pension scheme for eligible staff if you do not already offer one.

Use The Pensions Regulator’s employer tools to find out what you need to do and when you need to do it.

If you already have a workplace pension scheme that you want to use for automatic enrolment, check with your pension provider to make sure it meets the relevant requirements.

How much you must pay

You must contribute at least 3% of your employee’s ‘qualifying earnings’ into their workplace pension scheme.

Check with your pension provider to find out what counts as ‘qualifying earnings’ under your scheme.

Under most schemes, qualifying earnings are an employee’s total earnings between £6,240 and £50,270 a year, before tax. Total earnings can include:

* salary or wages
* bonuses and commission
* overtime
* Statutory Sick Pay
* statutory maternity, paternity or adoption pay

Paying contributions

You must deduct the employee’s pension contribution from their pay each month and pay it into their pension scheme by the 22nd of the following month, or by the 19th if you pay by cheque.

You must also pay your employer contributions for each employee by the date agreed with your pension provider each time you run payroll. Any missed contributions must be backdated.

If you’re not sure when an employee reaches State Pension age, use the State Pension age calculator to check.

06/10/2026

05/10/2026

🚨 REMINDER: Today is the deadline to register for Self Assessment. ⏰

Use HMRC online tool to check whether you need to complete a tax return and register today if required. 🖱️
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1447707444199312&id=100068802116604

Failure to register on time could result in penalties. ⚠️

Don’t delay ,take action today. ⬇️

02/10/2026

Company Tax Returns

Your company or association must file a Company Tax Return if HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) sends you a ‘notice to deliver a Company Tax Return’.

You must still file a return even if your company has made a loss or has no Corporation Tax to pay.

You do not need to file a Company Tax Return if you’re self-employed as a sole trader or are in a partnership. Instead, you must file a Self Assessment tax return.

Filing your return

You should file your Company Tax Return online.

You can only file your return by post if you:

* have a reasonable excuse for not filing online
* are filing your return in Welsh

If you previously used HMRC’s online service, find out how to file your company accounts and tax returns.

What your return includes

When you file your Company Tax Return, you’ll need to work out your:

* profit or loss for Corporation Tax, which may be different from the profit or loss shown in your annual accounts
* Corporation Tax bill

You can either ask an accountant to prepare and file your tax return or do it yourself.

Deadlines

You must file your Company Tax Return within 12 months of the end of the accounting period it covers.

If you miss the deadline, you may have to pay a penalty for filing your return late.

There is a separate deadline for paying your Corporation Tax bill. This is usually 9 months and 1 day after the end of your accounting period.

30/09/2026

Child Maintenance Service

Child maintenance is financial support towards the cost of raising a child when one parent does not live with the child. It usually applies after parents have separated or where the parents have never been in a relationship.

Child maintenance is a financial arrangement between the child’s parents. Arrangements for contact or spending time with your child are separate from child maintenance.

You may need to make child maintenance arrangements if your child is under 16, or under 20 if they are in approved education or training.

Both parents are responsible for contributing towards the costs of raising their children, even if one parent does not have contact with them.

Options for arranging child maintenance

Child maintenance can be arranged:

* privately between parents, if both parents agree
* through the Child Maintenance Service

The Child Maintenance Service can:

* calculate how much should be paid
* arrange payments and take action if a parent does not pay
* help resolve disagreements about parentage
* try to trace the other parent if you do not know where they are

If you do not want the other parent to contact you or your child

You can use the Child Maintenance Service to arrange child maintenance if you do not want the other parent to know your address, location or other personal information.

How child maintenance affects benefits

Child maintenance payments do not affect benefits received by you or your children, including Universal Credit.

You do not have to pay tax on child maintenance payments.

29/09/2026

Right to Rent in England 🏠
What You Need to Know👉🏼

Before renting a property in England, you must prove to your landlord that you have the right to rent.

How you prove your right to rent depends on your nationality and immigration status.

Please note: You do not need to prove your right to rent in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

🇬🇧 If you’re a British or Irish citizen

If you’re a British or Irish citizen, you can prove your right to rent in England by providing your landlord with one of the following:

* A current or expired British passport
* A current or expired Irish passport or passport card
* A certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen

If you do not have a passport, passport card or citizenship certificate, you may be able to provide other eligible documents to prove your right to rent.

You may also be able to use an Identity Document Validation Technology (IDVT) service through an approved Identity Service Provider (IDSP) instead of giving your landlord your original documents. Check with your landlord to see whether they offer this option.

🌍 If you’re not a British or Irish citizen

If you’re not a British or Irish citizen, you can prove your right to rent in England by providing either:

* A share code, which you can obtain online
* Your original immigration documents

You can choose which option to use. Your landlord cannot refuse your application simply because you have provided an eligible immigration document instead of a share code.

If you have the right of abode in the UK

People who have the right of abode include:

* British citizens
* Certain Commonwealth citizens

If you have a certificate of entitlement, you can use it to prove your right to rent. This may be provided as:

* A vignette sticker in your passport
* A digital certificate linked to your UKVI account, which you can access using an online share code

If you cannot prove your right to rent

If you’re not a British or Irish citizen and cannot provide acceptable evidence of your right to rent, your landlord may request a Home Office right to rent check to confirm whether you are legally permitted to rent a property in England.

If you’re a Commonwealth citizen, you may also be able to obtain documentation confirming your right to rent through the Windrush Scheme.

28/09/2026

Just had a baby? Congratulations! Smile baby🎉

If you or your partner earn between £60,000 and £80,000, you can still claim Child Benefit.

Our new digital service lets you pay the High Income Child Benefit Charge through your salary – no tax return needed.

Find out more here.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/download-the-hmrc-app?&utm_source=f.co_hmrcgovuk&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=hicbc&utm_content=q2

23/09/2026

Tax Rules for Selling Things

It’s important to understand when you need to tell HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) about things you’ve sold, even if you consider it just a hobby. This includes understanding the tax rules for selling goods online.

If you’re simply selling unwanted personal belongings from time to time, you usually do not need to tell HMRC.
If you’ve earned more than £1,000 from making or buying goods to sell for a profit, or from other side hustles, you may need to tell HMRC.

The tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April.

The £1,000 threshold is based on your gross income ,the amount you earn before deducting any expenses. It is not the same as your profit.

You may have to pay tax on income from your side hustles if your total income, including earnings from your main job, is above the £12,570 Personal Allowance.

Earned £1,000 or less?💷

If your total income from these activities was £1,000 or less, you generally do not need to tell HMRC.

You can check whether you need to tell HMRC about income that does not come from your employer or is not already included in your Self Assessment tax return if you’re self-employed.

This may include income from:

* selling goods, for example at car boot sales, auctions or online
* doing casual or occasional jobs, such as gardening, food delivery or babysitting
* charging other people to use your equipment or tools
* renting out property or part of your home, including for holidays, for example through an agency or online platform
* creating content online, such as through social media

What about savings and investments?

If you have income from savings or investments, check whether you need to submit a Self Assessment tax return instead.

If you’ve sold property, shares or other assets for a profit, you may also need to pay Capital Gains Tax.

Need help understanding your tax obligations? We’re here to help.


Total Tax Accountants

22/09/2026

💷 Corporation Tax: Who Needs to Pay It

Corporation Tax is a tax paid by companies and certain organisations to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on their profits during an accounting period’. The amount of Corporation Tax you pay depends on the profits you make. You may also be eligible for certain allowances and tax reliefs.

You generally need to pay Corporation Tax on profits if you operate as:

* a limited company
* a foreign company with a UK branch or office, also known as an ‘overseas company
* a club, co-operative or other unincorporated association, such as a community group or sports club

You will not receive a Corporation Tax bill from HMRC. Instead, you are responsible for calculating how much tax you owe, reporting it to HMRC and making the payment by the relevant deadline.

Profits subject to Corporation Tax

Corporation Tax may apply to profits your company or organisation makes from:

* carrying out business activities (trading profits)
* investments
* selling assets for more than they originally cost (chargeable gains)

If your company is considered UK resident for tax purposes, it generally pays Corporation Tax on its profits from both the UK and overseas.

If your company is not UK resident for tax purposes but has a UK office or branch, it generally pays Corporation Tax on profits arising from its UK activities.

Registering for Corporation Tax

You must register your company with Companies House. When you incorporate your company, you can usually register for Corporation Tax at the same time.

If you do not register for Corporation Tax when setting up your company, you will need to add Corporation Tax services to your business tax account. This allows you to manage your Corporation Tax obligations online.

Clubs, co-operatives and other unincorporated associations have a different registration process for Corporation Tax.

If your company is not carrying out any business activities, it will usually be considered dormant for Corporation Tax purposes.

21/09/2026