The new Statutory Payment Rates for 2009/10 have been announced (subject to Parliamentary approval). The new rates are as follows: Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) weekly rate – £79.15 for payment weeks beginning on or after 6 April 2009 Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) – standard rate £123.06 for payment weeks beginning on or after 5 April […]

Following the Court decision in the case of Thorn Baker Limited, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have amended the legislation. This was done to restore the Government’s original policy intention that agency workers who have contracts of less than three months should be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) within the first three […]

According to Bacs Payments Schemes Limited (Bacs) small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) are now owed £25.9 billion. This is apparently due to a 40% increase in overdue payments over the last year. According to their research the national average of outstanding payments was £38,000 (£30,000 in 2007) overdue invoices in the Midlands were the […]

Salary sacrifice is a change to an employee’s contractual pay entitlement. It often involves the giving up of some entitlement to pay in return for some other form of benefit, such as employer pension contributions or childcare vouchers. Depending on the sort of benefit involved, tax and/or National Insurance savings can often result for both […]

The legislation governing how businesses deal with disputes with their employees is changing from April 2009. The new simpler and more flexible system is intended to save businesses time and money.Acas, the employment relations service, have now issued a new Code of Practice following parliamentary approval and accompanying guidance which will lays out the principles […]

HMRC have issued a reminder to employers with 50 or more employees that they must send their employee starter and leaver information – P45s, P46s and P46(Pen) for pensions – online from 6 April 2009. As always, failure to comply with these new rules could result in a penalty.HMRC’s Simon Lidster said: “If you’re an […]

From 6 April 2009, changes have been made to how employers will have to record National Insurance Contributions (NICs) due to changes to the State Second Pension. Employers will have to record NICs in the following four earnings bands, with the introduction of the Upper Accrual Point: earnings up to and including the Lower Earnings […]

HMRC are warning taxpayers of the latest fraud attempt to be reported to them.Taxpayers are being sent an email asking them to ‘update your account to the new EV SSL certification’.  HMRC are warning that this is a scam email which is attempting to steal User IDs and Passwords. The email is being sent from […]

During 2009, HMRC will be changing the bank accounts into which businesses and individuals make payments. These changes will be phased in throughout the year but HMRC will keep businesses and taxpayers informed of any changes.The first account change will be on the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) payment booklets issued from February 2009, which […]