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UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: ftp on October 07, 2008, 08:43:41 pm

Title: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: ftp on October 07, 2008, 08:43:41 pm
Just come back from a meeting with my accountant who informs me that in January i have to pay my first big tax bill followed by the double whammy of paying another lump at the end of July - luckily i have funds tucked away to cover this. Would be nice not to pay any at all.  >:(
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: Dean Taberner on October 07, 2008, 08:46:46 pm
Its called a payment on account.

It has to be done every july for sole traders.

Enjoy. :P
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: tomy jackson on October 07, 2008, 08:49:59 pm
o yes
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: matt on October 07, 2008, 09:08:19 pm
Just come back from a meeting with my accountant who informs me that in January i have to pay my first big tax bill followed by the double whammy of paying another lump at the end of July - luckily i have funds tucked away to cover this. Would be nice not to pay any at all.  >:(

the amount you earn , it'll alot of money
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: seandyer2003 on October 07, 2008, 09:10:29 pm
Its called a payment on account.

It has to be done every july for sole traders.

Enjoy. :P

You have to pay every january and july??
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: ftp on October 07, 2008, 09:11:32 pm
Only the first time. Then it's just January.
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: Sir Squeaky on October 07, 2008, 09:15:14 pm
Yeah, the conning gits had me with that one last year. >:(

I tore a few heads off on the phone about that one. ;D
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: matt on October 07, 2008, 09:17:01 pm
Only the first time. Then it's just January.

i pay twice a year

jan and july
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: seandyer2003 on October 07, 2008, 09:18:29 pm
so you dont have too after the first year??
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: Dean Taberner on October 07, 2008, 09:23:58 pm
Ive been self employed for 5 years.

First time I paid the tax owed for the year ie £2500 then they wanted 50% of that again on account £1250 so in jan I paid £3750. Then in july I paid the other £1250.

The next year if my tax was say £2500 again for the period they then took my 2 payments of £1250 = £2500 off which left me with £0 to pay but had a payment on account for the next year of £1250 to be paid in that jan and the another £1250 to be paid in july.

And so on......

Very confusing at first but im with it now.

Dean.
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: Paul Coleman on October 07, 2008, 10:57:03 pm
Only the first time. Then it's just January.

i pay twice a year

jan and july

So do I.  I didn't owe anything last January though.  I earned OK but that was when the capital allowances for WFP stuff started kicking in.  I expect a chunkier bill this year though.
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: Tosh on October 08, 2008, 07:51:05 am
Yeah, the conning gits had me with that one last year. >:(

I tore a few heads off on the phone about that one. ;D


I have to pay twice a year too; Jan and July; it's called payment on account.

How come you don't?

Just interested!
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: MNWC on October 08, 2008, 08:14:09 am
Ive done it ever since i went self employed i think there is an amount you can earn before you have to pay on account...it would be nice to know what it was  ;) ;)

Marcus...
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: Oakley Windows on October 08, 2008, 08:15:29 am
I pay monthly direct debit.

So much easier.
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: Alex Gardiner on October 08, 2008, 08:19:03 am
Turn yourself into a limited company and it is all a lot simpler. The tax system for sole-traders is quite archaic in this country and really not suitable for running a business. Most firms could make significant savings if they transferred their existing business into a Ltd company.

Ive done it ever since i went self employed i think there is an amount you can earn before you have to pay on account...it would be nice to know what it was  ;) ;)

Marcus...

The limit is £500, as soon as your yearly tax bill exceeds this then you have to start paying on account. Most full-time window cleaners should be exceeding this anyway, otherwise they are just not earning enough to justify their work time (different if you are part-time).
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: MNWC on October 08, 2008, 08:22:43 am
Quote
The limit is £500, as soon as your yearly tax bill exceeds this then you have to start paying on account.

Alex are you sure about that as a couple of window cleaners i know say they only earn 6K after expenses and dont pay on account ??
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: Alex Gardiner on October 08, 2008, 08:30:16 am
Yes positive. You are allowed your personal allowance of about £5800 without any tax so they will only be taxed on the small amount above this, hence their bill will be way below £500 a year.
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: poleman on October 08, 2008, 08:35:09 am
If you go Ltd (we have) you can have a nice tax free wage up to 35k a year! (dividend) but that is after you have paid corporation tax! 20% (Small companies’ rate)
 
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: m.b.s. on October 08, 2008, 09:14:58 am
go ltd accountents dont like it but good for you if you are paying heavy tax
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: davids3511 on October 08, 2008, 09:50:29 am
go ltd accountents dont like it but good for you if you are paying heavy tax

Accountants love it because they can charge you more.
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: m.b.s. on October 08, 2008, 02:06:23 pm
go ltd accountents dont like it but good for you if you are paying heavy tax

Accountants love it because they can charge you more.
what i ment buy dont lik e it it is a lot more paper work for them and they dont like telling you about going limited this is just how i see it anyway
yes they do charge you a lot more
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: Niall McAllister on October 08, 2008, 02:16:06 pm
if you get in touch with your tax office they may get you on a workshop for self assessment. I went on one and it cleared up a load of worries, but they also gave me a flow chart thing that gives you an idea of what you need to put aside each week/month to cover the bill when it hits you.
you put that in a nice safe Icelandic bank account and you have no worries. :o
Niall
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: pingu on October 08, 2008, 02:32:38 pm
The UK taxman is a grabbing git...here in Holland he is still a grabbing git but for the first 3 yeas on our business we get alot of help with income tax and VAT (BTW) we have also bought a house and the first 4 monthly payments were reduced by 66% as a help for first time buyers.

Then he'll take everything he can....

Cheers
Dave.
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: AuRavelling79 on October 08, 2008, 03:52:49 pm
I pay monthly direct debit.

So much easier.

How do you arrange that then - and what happens to any over/underpayment?
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: magic1 on October 08, 2008, 04:17:29 pm
Poleman
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          Re: Double tax - oh joy
« Reply #17 on: Today at 08:35:09am »   

If you go Ltd (we have) you can have a nice tax free wage up to 35k a year! (dividend) but that is after you have paid corporation tax! 20% (Small companies’ rate)

   How does that work?? you dont pay tax on dividends upto 35k
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: matt on October 08, 2008, 09:25:49 pm
If you go Ltd (we have) you can have a nice tax free wage up to 35k a year! (dividend) but that is after you have paid corporation tax! 20% (Small companies’ rate)
 

tell us more andy

you know me, im a poor window cleaner, i have to make do with putting bits of cardboard in my shoes, i guess unlike you

Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: Tosh on October 08, 2008, 09:50:49 pm
I pay monthly direct debit.

So much easier.

How do you arrange that then - and what happens to any over/underpayment?

I think he means standing order; it's easy to set up; phone the tax bloke and find out the sort code and account number and on internet banking set it up; using your UTR as your reference.

Just pay the monthly amount you think you will owe in tax.

I do this; it's great. 

If you get too much in credit, you can request for the payment to be made to you.
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: ftp on October 08, 2008, 09:53:28 pm
I like to hold on to my money until the last possible minute! Why let them have your interest?
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: Tosh on October 08, 2008, 09:54:25 pm
I've just had a look at my standing order to the tax man.

I use the following details:

Sort Code:  10 50 41

Account Number:  23456000

My own UTR (unique tax reference number).

I'm sure it's the same for all of you, but I'd check it out first.
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: Tosh on October 08, 2008, 09:55:01 pm
I like to hold on to my money until the last possible minute! Why let them have your interest?

If you're disciplined, that's great; but if you're not; paying monthly is great also.
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: geefree on October 08, 2008, 10:04:31 pm
I pay monthly direct debit.

So much easier.
i enquired about this, they said they have no such system.
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: matt on October 08, 2008, 11:04:18 pm
I like to hold on to my money until the last possible minute! Why let them have your interest?

If you're disciplined, that's great; but if you're not; paying monthly is great also.
mine gets paid in the last week its due  ;) im sure they are not waiting at the computer to check ive paid though  ;)
Title: Re: Double tax - oh joy
Post by: Oakley Windows on October 08, 2008, 11:22:06 pm
I pay monthly direct debit.

So much easier.
i enquired about this, they said they have no such system.

Well, in that case I wonder where my money is going. Quite obviously what is happening is you have been asking a dunder-head. They do have that system in place, it is there, you just need to call em a bit more, eventually you'll get the right dept.

Its a Direct Debit, not standing order. I pay what my annual tax-bill is on an annual basis divided into 12 equal monthly amounts.

As for overpayments, I dont pay them that much monthly to allow that to happen  ;D Under payment, well, I then owe them what is outstanding.