News

Pension schemes

Pension Contributions During Maternity Leave: A Practical Guide for Employers and Payroll Teams

Pension treatment during maternity leave is a frequent source of queries and potential payroll errors. The rules combine employment law protections, auto-enrolment duties and the terms of the pension scheme itself. Correct application protects employees’ pension rights and reduces compliance risk for employers. Statutory Maternity Leave lasts up to 52 weeks and is divided into […]

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Pension Contributions During Maternity Leave: A Practical Guide for Employers and Payroll Teams

HMRC Guidance & Employer Bulletins

Decembers Employer Bulletin highlights

HMRC’s Stance on Optional Remuneration Arrangements In the competitive world of employee benefits, salary sacrifice schemes—offering goodies like grocery vouchers or childcare support in exchange for forgone pay—sound like a dream. Yet, HMRC is sounding the alarm: third-party providers are hawking these setups with dubious claims of slashed employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs), complete with […]

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Employer Compliance & Best Practice

Government Launches £725 Million Apprenticeship Boost

The government has announced a sweeping £725 million investment to overhaul the apprenticeship system delivering 50,000 new apprenticeship places over the next three years. This major reform is designed to tackle persistent youth unemployment, equip young people with meaningful skills, and offer a credible alternative to university. What’s Changing The Bigger Picture The initiative forms […]

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Employment Rights & Workplace Policy

ECOS in the UK Is Changing

The UK’s Employee Car Ownership Scheme (ECOS) has long been a popular way for employers especially in the motor industry to provide vehicles to staff without triggering the normal company-car tax charges. But major changes are coming, and although the government has delayed implementation, the shift is significant enough that both employers and employees need […]

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Apprenticeship

Apprenticeship Levy and Employment Allowance

In the latest Agents Bulletin 125, published on 21 November 2024, HMRC announced new Guidelines for Compliance when determining whether the ‘connected’ entity rules apply to the Apprenticeship Levy or when claiming the Employment Allowance. The measures are part of Governments’ earlier commitment announced in November 2021, to provide Guidelines for Compliance that offer HMRC’s […]

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Uncategorized

Increases to Statutory Payments & Benefits 2025-26

On October the 30th, 2024, the UK government revealed proposed increases to statutory payment rates and various benefits, which are set to take effect in April 2025. The announcement follows the statutory annual review of state pensions and benefits under the Social Security Administration Act 1992, aligning increases with key economic indicators such as average […]

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Payroll Operations & Process Updates

Personal Allowances: Adjusted net income

A lot of employees incorrectly assume that employers are responsible for an employee’s tax affairs/tax code. This is mainly based on the fact that the employer deducts Tax from their pay. Should an employee receive a tax bill for underpaid tax, or even a refund, they query this with the employer as to why this […]

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Budgets & Fiscal Announcements

Budget Summary for Payroll

Post Budget delivery 2025, what can we take away from the impacts on Payroll No surprise the Personal Allowance set at £12,570 is to be frozen for a further 3 years, this was originally due to end 5 April 2028, but is now extended to April 2031. The upper limit for National Insurance as it […]

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Employment Rights & Workplace Policy

UK Budget Overhauls Home Working Tax Rules

Reimbursements Gain Exemption, Direct Relief Abolished The UK government’s Autumn Budget has delivered a double-edged sword for remote and hybrid workers, with significant tweaks to tax treatment of home working expenses. In a bid to streamline claims and encourage employer involvement, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that income tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs) exemptions for […]

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Budgets & Fiscal Announcements

UK Autumn Budget 2025 Summary

The 2025 UK Budget delivered one of the most wide-ranging sets of changes in recent years, affecting everything from wages and pensions to tax thresholds, savings rules and electric vehicle incentives. Whether you’re a worker, saver, parent or employer, these updates will shape your financial picture over the coming years. National Minimum Wage Increases Millions […]

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Employment Rights & Workplace Policy

Is it a car or a van? No, it’s a double cab pickup!

Double cab pickups, commonly known as DCPUs, are versatile vehicles featuring two rows of seats and four doors, allowing them to carry multiple passengers while providing a spacious loading area at the back such as the Ford Ranger. For years, DCPUs have enjoyed favourable tax treatment, as they’ve been classified as vans rather than cars. […]

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News

Pension Contributions During Maternity Leave: A Practical Guide for Employers and Payroll Teams

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