Have you renewed or subscribed to our tax enquiry fee protection service?
We have recently sent reminders to renew or subscribe to our tax enquiry fee protection service. With the UK Government facing increasing pressure to fill the public finance black hole and reduce the fiscal deficit, HMRC is expected to take a more proactive approach to tax enquiries and investigations. In its efforts to maximise revenues […]
New UK Foreign Income & Gains (FIG) regime: what you need to know
From 6 April 2025, the UK is introducing major changes to how foreign income and gains are taxed for individuals who move (or return) to the UK after 10 years abroad. The old “remittance basis” is being replaced by a new Foreign Income & Gains (FIG) regime: FIG Regime: Qualifying new arrivals, those who have […]
Childcare grants
Juggling higher education and parenting? Childcare Grants can ease the pressure by covering up to 85% of your childcare costs. If you’re a full-time student with young children, this grant could make a real difference—and it doesn’t need to be repaid.
Childcare Grants provide financial
Child Benefits for over 16s
From April 2025, Child Benefit increases to £26.05 for the eldest child and £17.25 for others. Payments stop after a child turns 16 unless they continue in approved education or training. Parents must update HMRC by 31 August to avoid disruptions.
Taxpayers entitled to the child benefit should be
Student and postgraduate loan thresholds and rates
From 6 April 2025, new thresholds for student loan repayments will take effect, impacting borrowers across the UK. Whether you’re on Plan 1, Plan 2, Plan 4, or repaying a postgraduate loan, here’s a breakdown of the latest changes and what they mean for you.
Student loans are a key component of the
Private rental deposits
There are special rules under the Tenancy Deposit Scheme that limits the amount of deposit that landlords in England can request. There are also further limitations on what landlords and agents can charge tenants.
If you are renting a residential property you may have to pay a deposit before you
Changes to the High Income Child Benefit Charge
The changes to the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) announced as part of the Spring Budget came into effect on 6 April 2024. The income threshold at which HICBC starts to be charged has been increased from £50,000 to £60,000.
The HICBC is charged at the rate of 1% of the full Child Benefit
Childcare Account chores
HMRC’s Childcare account can be used to claim free childcare (if eligible) or pay for Tax-Free Childcare. HMRC’s sign in page for the account states that in order ‘…to keep getting free childcare or Tax-Free Childcare, you must sign in every 3 months and confirm your details are up to date’.
There
New employment protections
New legislation, including three Government backed cross party Acts, came into force from 6 April 2024.
Pregnant women and new parents will now receive special treatment in a redundancy situation, as a suite of new laws are introduced – delivering the Government’s plan to support families and back
Rent a Room Scheme – another income stream
The rent-a-room scheme is a set of special rules designed to help homeowners who rent-a-room in their home to create a valuable tax free income stream. If you are using this scheme, you should ensure that rents received from lodgers during the current tax year do no exceed £7,500. The tax exemption