According to the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) latest Sector Review, consumers lacking an adequate retirement income is the central challenge facing the pensions sector in 2019. The FCA’s recently published ‘Sector Views’ provides its annual analysis of the changing financial landscape, the resulting impacts on consumers and market effectiveness. One of the sections of the […]

The automatic enrolment duties were staged in between October 2012 and February 2018 by employer size, starting with the largest employers. Since October 2017, all businesses employing someone for the very first time have to provide a workplace pension from the first day of their service. In 2018, the first of two planned minimum contribution […]

The 2018 automatic enrolment evaluation report brings together the latest evidence and new analysis to show what has happened to workplace pension membership and contributions since automatic enrolment began. Automatic enrolment aims to increase workplace pension saving in the UK. It forms part of a wider set of pension reforms to help people to save […]

New statutory payment rates for 2019/20 The proposed 2019/20 rates for statutory sick pay (SSP), statutory maternity pay (SMP), statutory paternity pay (SPP), shared parental pay (ShPP) and statutory adoption pay (SAP) have now been published. They are subject to Parliamentary approval, but this is unlikely to be withheld. The forthcoming changes are: on 6 […]

A New Censuswide survey reveals retail and hospitality managers are braced for employee ‘no-shows’ in the run up to Christmas With the Christmas rush now in full swing, 70 percent of managers in the retail and hospitality industry are battling against the problem of unexpected employee absences rocketing during busy seasonal periods, compared to a […]

It’s coming towards the end of your holiday year and one employee hasn’t applied to take all of their statutory annual leave entitlement. Will they lose that holiday if they don’t act before the end of this period?  If you have not told the employee that untaken holiday will be lost, they can carry over […]

Dry and settled but turning cooler…indications of more unsettled, breezier conditions…whatever the weather, employers need to have policies in place to help your business cope during periods of bad weather. With weather predictions changing daily in the tabloids from ‘mild for the time of year’ to ‘beast from the east to return’, planning ahead with […]

The UK has been called the sickness capital of Europe because 27% of employees think that it’s OK to take a day off sick when they aren’t ill. How can you send a clear message that this is unacceptable? To get this message across to your employees loud and clear, have a robust return to […]

You’re a shareholder in a company located outside the UK. As a perk you get to use the company owned flat, not only for business trips but also for the occasional holiday. Will you have to pay tax on this perk? Unless you are a director, shadow director or employee of the foreign company (which […]

Tax rates and thresholds Income tax The Conservative Party’s manifesto included a commitment to set the Personal Allowance for tax-free income at £12,500 and the Higher Rate Threshold (HRT), when higher earners start to pay 40% tax, at £50,000 by 2020.  However, following positive forecasts from the OBR, the Chancellor announced that these figures will […]