Dear all, Welcoming back your customers For those with businesses in the hospitality sector, the announcement that you can open on the 4th of July may have been met with relief, excitement and also apprehension. You know that things will have to be done differently now and it is absolutely vital that you are ready. If you are not Covid ready by the 4th July than you must remain closed until you are.  It is really important that you familiarise yourself with the government guidelines as there are many things you need to consider and have in place before you welcome back your first customers. I have included a link to the official government guidelines published on 23/06/2020. As you may well know, I co-own a bar in Brighton so I thought I would share with you some of the things we have been putting in place to prepare:  We will be keeping a temporary record (21 days) of all customers that enter the venue. This will include, name, email address, phone number and time in and o...

As we start another week,  I felt it was important for me to share the latest updates with you regarding the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme. HMRC Recovery Powers HMRC have put together the draft legislative package to reclaim payments under CJRS and the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme. This is subject to a HMRC consultation which comes to an end on 12th June. Under the draft legislation, HMRC will have the power, by way of a 100% tax charge, to recover payments which were either: Not due Not used to pay wages and PAYE Not used to make pension contributions Penalties will be imposed where there has been deliberate non-compliance. This comes at the same time as HMRC have notified that, to date, they have picked up on nearly 2,000 fraudulent CJRS claims to date. This is, in part, due to ongoing calls to their Fraud hotline number 0800 788887 and also through their online whistle-blower report webpage. Big reminder – 10th June last dat...

What do you want out of life? A mansion? A lavish holiday? (Once this wretched pandemic is over and done with) A shiny new car? Dreams into reality  The response you get from Together We Count will vary, depending on your answer to the question. Let me explain............. Everyone has dreams about what they would like to achieve – it could be fame, fortune, security, a long and comfortable retirement – or any one of a hundred other things. If you’re anything like our other clients, what you really want is to turn those dreams of success into reality.  You may desire a shiny new car, or a fancy holiday. Then in which case you'd want your tax return to be as lean as possible . Alternatively, you may desire a big family mansion. In order to get that you will probably need to maximise your income to improve your mortgage affordability.  So that’s why we’ve used our skills with numbers along with the ideas of some of the world’s leading business thinkers and achievers, to dev...

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme As you may well know by now, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has been extended to October 2020. There will be some changes to consider from 1st July 2020. Please take the time to read the examples below to see how the changes may impact you.  If you are still unsure how best to proceed with your business, please do not hesitate to get in touch. We can talk it through together and work out the best plan of action, After all, what works for one may not work for an other. At Together We Count, we know that it's not one size fits all and that's why we treat you all as individuals.  Together We Count are here for you, always. Example 1 An employee has been furloughed in April for 4 weeks but is working again. Their employer does not furlough them in June. The result: The employer can furlough them again, on and off, from 1st July and make a CJRS claim, as they have been furloughed in the past. Example 2 An employee has been furloughed in March...

I hope you are well and safely enjoyed the glorious sunshine this weekend. Well, Rishi has finally announced changes to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and an extension to the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS). The new flexible CJRS, when it fully comes on board, looks as though it will cause a change in how to calculate the claim, moving from calendar days to hours normally expected to work against hours actually worked in the pay reference period. Not sure how that will work for zero hour contracts, but will keep you posted. The outline of the changes to CJRS and SEISS are stated below: Self Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) Extension The scheme will remain open to cover a second claim for the months of June, July and August. The individual can make the second claim even if they did not make the first one. Individuals who have not made the first claim have until 13th July to do so. The claim portal will be open in August to make a claim. No specific date pr...