11 minute read
Stay safe online
John, Logan and Dane of family business, Rainford IT
Energy scams
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Which? warn that they have received reports of phone calls to households, pretending to be from the council and asking for card details to make a £150 energy rebate payment. They also report that scammers impersonate Ofgem through emails, texts and websites asking people to enter their banking details to qualify for fake energy refunds. The latest scam focuses on the Government’s new energy grants – it’s a text that asks you to click a link to sign up for the grant. The Government are not sending text messages as the grant will be applied to your energy account automatically.
This text comes from various phone numbers – you can check phone numbers on the website ‘who called me’ which will tell you if a number has been reported as suspicious. Forward the message to 7726 to report the scam and then block the phone number. Santander scam
Watch out for fake emails saying that your account has been suspended –especially fake if you don’t have a Santander account - but the email address info@jeam.co.jp is also a clue! Be scam–aware
Were you expecting a call from this company? If not hang up, check for the correct number on their website – and ring them back. Don’t give out any personal informal information or bank details unless you are sure you are talking to the real company. Premium rate phone numbers beginning with ‘09’ can cost you up to £3.60 per minute.
Is the offer too good to be true? Then it very probably is a scam. Legitimate companies will always give you time to discuss the proposition with other people and think it over. Professional companies write professional emails that are checked – poor English is a sure sign of a scam.
If you have been affected by a scam - Victim Support has a free confi dential helpline 0808 168 9111 and Mind 0300 123 3393.
Visit www.rainford-it.co.uk or call 07552 863996
Use a price checker.
Not every deal is a great deal, and if you use sites such as pricespy.co.uk or uk.pricerunner. com you can see if a particular product is cheaper elsewhere. On Amazon you can use camelcamelcamel.com to view a product’s price history to see if it’s really a bargain. Be fl exible.
You probably won’t get great discounts on the very latest products, but if you’re willing to be fl exible you can get a lot of money off devices such as phones, TVs and other gadgets by settling for a different colour, for last year’s version or for a slightly different model. Pay cheaply.
Sometimes buying on credit means interest charges will be more than you’re actually saving, but some pay-later schemes don’t charge interest at all. If you’re not buying something outright, go for the cheapest borrowing available to you with the lowest APR – and look online for discounts for any retailer you’re considering buying from. It’s not a bargain if you don’t need it! You see something with a big discount, and it looks such a good deal you buy it without a second thought. But if you didn’t need it, or you’ve convinced yourself you like it when really it’s not ‘you’, it’s going to be a waste of money.
Get your Self-Assessment Tax Return ticked off your Christmas list
The deadline for online submission of self-assessment tax returns for tax year 2021/22 is 31 January 2023. This applies to individuals who are self-employed, partnerships, shareholders in receipt of dividends in excess of £2,000, directors and those with rental income to name a few.
HMRC issue penalties for late submission of selfassessment tax returns, even where there is no tax liability or the tax due was paid on time. Penalties increase further if a tax return becomes more than three months overdue with daily penalties increasing to a maximum of £1,300 plus the potential for tax-geared penalties ranging from 5% to 100% of the tax liability in more serious cases.
If you require any assistance with the preparation or submission before the 31 January 2023
HMRC issue penalties filing deadline DRE & Co Chartered for late submission of Accountants can self-assessment tax help. We adopt a returns, even where friendly approach there is no tax liability with local teams offering a prompt or the tax due was paid and professional on time. service. Alongside more corporate level advice, we provide a full compliance service for preparation of personal and trust tax returns. Our skilled team can advise on any specific queries you may have and also assist with tax efficient planning you may require relating to income tax, capital gains or inheritance tax.
From 6 April 2020, HMRC now require individuals to report a sale of any second property or a property outside of your Principle Private Residence or other available reliefs via a 60 day Capital Gains Tax Return. Not only is the Capital Gains Tax Return required, HMRC also require you to file a self-assessment tax return for the year in which the sale happened.
Should you require any assistance with the calculations of your future taxation or require planning or advice following these new updates please do not hesitate to contact us. Rebecca Jones B.A. (Hons). A.C.A., C.T.A.
We are passionate about business and strive to provide our clients with a prompt and personal service, supported by the latest technology. We are able to provide assistance with:
Self Assessment Audit Bookkeeping Limited Companies VAT Returns Incorporations Accounts Preparation Payroll Making Tax Digital
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Visit our website at www.dre.co.uk
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Q: I am employed as a Healthcare Assistant on a mental health ward. Three weeks ago, I was at work and had been instructed to constantly observe a patient. I asked the patient if he wanted something to drink and out of the blue, he punched me in the face. I suffered facial injuries and required dental treatment. After the incident it became clear that this patient suffered from hallucinations and was prone to become violent. I had not been warned of this, nor was this written in his care plan from last year. I am angry and I am out of pocket due to the dental treatment I needed. Can I claim compensation?
A: Despite the current pressures on the NHS, your employer has a duty of care to you and must take reasonable steps to prevent you from suffering harm whilst you are at work. There are obvious measures that could have been taken to have avoided this incident. Your employer failed to warn you that the patient was prone to become violent, which meant that you were unaware of the risk of harm. Also, the care plan should have been comprehensive, clear and kept up to date. It might be that the patient’s care plan had not been updated to include his recent history of aggression. These issues indicate that reasonable steps were not taken to keep you safe at work and therefore you should seek legal advice about making a claim. Dental treatment can be very expensive. If you decide to go ahead with a claim it would be important for your solicitor to obtain an opinion from a dental specialist to say what future dental treatment you may need because of this incident, as the cost of this should be included in COVID-19 Our expert lawyers continue to provide support COVID-19COVID-19 your claim.
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INHERITANCE TAX - GIVING THE ULTIMATE GIFT
Over the past 12 months we’ve seen house prices increase by up to 15.5% across the UK, which for many people is welcome news.
There is one aspect of this which may not be so welcome though - the increase in homeowners who could fi nd themselves hit by inheritance tax.
An issue that’s affecting a growing number of people, you may not be aware that the rise in your house price could have pushed you into the threshold where inheritance tax (IHT) would apply if you were to pass away.
At the moment the threshold for IHT is £325,000. This means that if your ‘estate’ (i.e., your savings, investments, properties, vehicles and any payouts from things like life insurance policies) amounts to over this, a portion could be liable to IHT.
Navigating IHT can be incredibly complex. It’s what’s referred to as ‘estate planning’ and there are numerous ways in which it can be approached. Three main routes include: gifting a proportion of your assets while you’re still alive, setting up a trust for someone to access at a later date or utilising investments that qualify for Business Relief.
How much inheritance tax someone will need to pay depends on the value of your estate, and this is worked out based on your assets. Normally there is no tax to pay if the value of your estate is below £325,000, or if you are leaving it to your spouse or a civil partner. It is also possible to offset a further £175,000 against your property if certain conditions are met.
The good news is that careful planning can lessen the impact of IHT. With the help of an independent fi nancial adviser, there are ways to pass on what you’ve worked so hard to achieve.
Call Belgrave Wincham on 01691 886554 today to arrange your free 60-minute consultation.
ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT INHERITANCE TAX?
Our team of independent fi nancial planners provide custom advice to protect your assets.
CRAIG ROBERTS
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