5 ways to (legally) pay less tax

When it comes to tax, there are two types of businesses – sole traders and limited liability companies. And there are three ways that you can receive income:

• Profits (sole traders only)
• Through payroll under PAYE (both types)
• Dividends (limited liability companies only)

This blog gives you some pointers to navigate through the maze.

Tip 1: Claim every expense that you can

The good news is you can save on the amount of tax you pay. This relies on you claiming a deduction for all the money spent on running your business. But these must all be genuine business expenses.

Not everything you spend can be claimed against tax, but a surprising amount can be. The biggest sin you can commit is to lose invoices for costs that you could have claimed – this results in money moving straight from your pocket to the taxman.

Expenses you can claim include:

• The cost of all materials used for jobs.
• Staff costs, including employer’s national insurance.
• For cars and vans, a fixed rate per mile provided no capital allowances (see below) have ever been claimed for the vehicle. The mileage rate for cars and vans is 45p per mile for the first 10,000 business miles then 25p per mile (2021/22 tax year). This covers all vehicle-related costs.
• Software or app costs (but not if purchased as opposed to rented).
• Accounting costs
• Advertising
• Travel expenses (but not from home to the office or depot)
• Public liability, employer and professional indemnity insurance. Note that public liability insurance is compulsory.
• Finance and legal fees including bank charges, search fees, valuer’s fees etc. plus any stationery and postage.
• Protective clothing or uniforms (which can be normal clothing but with the company logo).
• Training to keep you or your staff up to date.
• Fees for memberships of professional associations.
• Premises costs for heat and electricity based on the number of hours per month worked at home with 25 to 50 leading to a claim of £10/month, 51 to 100 hours at £18/month and 101 or more hours at £26/month.
• Premises costs, based on the proportion of the property used by the business.

There are a few costs you can’t claim for:

• Assets that have an ongoing use e.g. tools, but see capital allowances below.
• If costs relate to both private and business use, you can only claim for the business usage.
• You can’t claim for entertaining customers or prospects or giving them gifts except when these are branded.
• You can’t claim for training where you learn a new skill.

You can also claim CIS deductions you experienced as a subcontractor which come straight off your final tax bill.

Tip 2: Don’t miss out on capital allowances

Assets purchased (like good tools) that will be useful for 2 years or more cannot be claimed as a normal business expense. These are known as “capital items”. These are claimed under the “capital allowances” system.

You can’t make a claim for land, things used for education and training, something that isn’t used in the business (e.g. something for your home) or for anything that will last 20 years or more.

There are different types of capital allowances and sometimes you need to keep track of a “pool” of assets from one year to the next. It’s all quite complicated as the government keeps changing capital allowance. But it can save a lot of tax.

You will likely need help from an accountant or else to be really committed to learning a lot about the subject.

Tip 3: Weigh up all the options to benefit yourself

For people operating limited liability companies, you will need to strike a balance between how much you pay yourself under PAYE (salary) and how much you pay yourself through dividends.

You need to understand all about national insurance (NI) contributions and how they impact the level of your state pension. You don’t pay NI on dividends, but you do on a salary.

You should pay yourself at least a salary of around £8k. But you need to be careful as HMRC might object and you will lose pension rights if you don’t.

Make sure to speak with a professional accountant to make the right call.

Other areas where you can save tax are:

• Pension contributions (up to £40,000 in 2021/22). Of course, you can’t access your pension until you are older.
• Providing mobile phones, childcare or childcare vouchers. It’s tax free for you and can be claimed against tax by the business.
• Paying a reasonable rent for use of your home office. It’s taxable but saves NI. However, you can’t then also claim for home expenses.
• Paying yourself interest if you as a director has loaned the company money. The £1k personal savings allowance (£500 for higher rate taxpayers) is tax free with no NI too.
• There is no tax payable where the business provides a cycle and cyclists’ safety equipment or workplace nurseries.
• There is a tax saving where the business provides low emission cars with CO2 emissions of 75g/km or less.

Tip 4: Don’t be late to pay your tax to HMRC

Penalties are charged for late PAYE, VAT and annual self-assessment or corporation tax returns. In addition, you will be charged interest if the late return means you pay taxes late.

If your last trailing 12 months of sales exceed £85,000, then you must register for VAT and charge your customers VAT from that point onwards. If you miss this you will have to pay HMRC VAT on your sales even though you didn’t charge or receive it!

There are also severe and escalating penalties for failing to file CIS returns on time.

All in all, penalties can be painful. They may also lead to an HMRC investigation, which will take lots of time and cost. It’s best to make sure you know the rules and to do everything by the book.

Tip 5: Take professional advice

Tax is complicated, particularly for the trade industry. In this short article, it has not been possible to cover the more complex areas of claiming for home costs, fully claiming vehicle costs etc.

To get a full overview, it’s good to sit down with an accountant. They will be able to set you off on the right track and can save you a lot of time and money.

Benjamin Dyer

Benjamin Dyer is CEO and co-founder of Powered Now. Powered Now’s mobile app aims to take the pain out of paperwork for electricians, plumbers and builders as well as other field trade businesses.

www.powerednow.com

How to reduce corporation tax

How do companies avoid paying corporation tax?

Generally, avoiding paying any Corporation Tax is not possible. Although, some companies use stocks, foreign subsidiaries and equipment depreciation to avoid paying taxes. This is very difficult to do and, in many cases, illegal.

The best option for limited companies is to use the tips in this guide to learn how to reduce corporation tax legally.

Do salaries reduce Corporation Tax?

Salaries are considered to be a business expense. These payments will reduce your company profits and in turn lower the amount of Corporation Tax you pay.

How can I save money when running my business?

Running your business can be a challenge but there are many ways you can save money. Our money saving tips for businesses guide covers a range of different options to help reduce the amount of money you spend. Examples include:

• Raising your prices: The more you charge for your services, the higher your profits will be. Just remember to not overcharge your customers or you’ll struggle to find work.
• Claiming for business expenses: Deducting business expenses can reduce your Corporation Tax.
• Joining Checkatrade: As a Checkatrade member, you can save thousands on business essentials including the cost of van leasing, tools, and materials.

Want some tips to grow your business? Check out our free ‘Grow your business’ guide.

Useful checklist for reducing Corporation Tax

• You can deduct a variety of different expenses from the Corporation Tax you pay as a self-employed tradesperson.
• Taking a salary as well as dividends is a great way of reducing the amount of tax you pay.
• Pensions are also classed as business expenses and can be deducted from your Corporation Tax.
• Becoming a Checkatrade member gives you access to huge savings on business necessities plus ongoing support from other tradespeople through our members community. There are also a variety of membership options designed to suit your needs as a business.

Checkatrade members get the invoicing app for free

All Checkatrade members get free access to Powered Now’s invoicing app, 1 Trade App*.

The 1 Trade App allows you to manage your business on the go, create nice looking invoices and quotes, and lets customers pay you quickly.

Or, you can get 50% off if you upgrade to the full Powered Now app in your first year with Powered Now**.

The upgrade to Powered Now adds team scheduling and tracking, the ability to accept card payments, and to submit VAT returns directly to HMRC.

There are many other benefits to becoming a Checkatrade member, including savings on insurance, vans and discounts at wholesalers.

*Offer is valid until midnight December 31st 2022. Offer is valid for non-current subscribers to Powered Now.

**The offer is valid for new subscribers to Powered Now only. The offer will be applied to the first consecutive subscription up to 12 months. All new subscribers will receive an initial 2 weeks free of charge trial period. The offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.