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The bike to work scheme, introduced by the government is a tax break to encourage cycling to work. Read this blog to find out more...

What problems will the 2012 Olympics cause you?

From 6th April 2011 there will be changes to Employer Supported Childcare that will affect employers who operate a childcare voucher scheme and/or directly contracted childcare.

It seems as though the country, or at least parts of it, is grinding to a halt due to the white stuff. Obviously it's a big problem for employers and could cost thousands of pounds in lost income. However, with the use of relatively inexpensive (Often free) modern technology, for some workers there should be little or no disruption.

The National Minimum Wage (NMW) was introduced by the National Minimum Wage Act 1999. Each year, on 1st October, the levels are adjusted to raise the minimum wage to achieve a basic standard of living for workers. Are you paying enough?

There are major changes to pension rules for employers on the way. Depending on the size of your business, you could be affected as early as October 2012. However, for businesses with fewer than 250 employees they won't come into effect until February 2014. The rules are numerous and are too complex to list here. Therefore it is imperative that proper advice is sought and that it is tailored to your business.

HMRC have been issuing questionnaires to companies asking how they monitor the private use of their company vans.

Find out what you need to do....

A new online resource, 'Basic PAYE Tools', replaces HMRC's Employer CD-ROM. The resource is available on the Business Link website. As well as having all the features of the CD-ROM it also has an automatic update facility to ensure that the latest information and figures are contained within the tool.

We starting working in a Results Only Work Environment (ROWE) on the 1 February 2011, and to start with life didn’t change. I only worked part time hours prior to moving to ROWE so I was still coming to work on my usual days for my usual hours through habit mostly but also through necessity as that was when I have childcare.

And why you do not need to correct my spelling!

For Greenstones customers (namely the small owner managed business) there are not really any new surprises following today’s budget.

After two years of no changes in the tax free personal allowance, the start of 2011/12 (6 April 2011) brings with it a tardy increase in the allowance from £6475 to £7475.

If you run a business or social enterprise based in the East of England, the East or West Midlands that employs less than 250 people and has the potential for fast or high growth (Increase turnover by 20% from three years), you can now get help to develop your leadership and management skills.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) announced recently that they may be unable to issue all the PAYE Payment booklets for the tax year 2011-12 to employers in time for the first payment to be made by 19 or 22 May.

A question which we get asked fairly frequently is one of whether an employer needs to disclose on a P11d as a benefit in kind a car which is provided to an employee or director for purely business purposes. Employers often believe that such cars are pool cars and therefore there is no benefit in kind. The answer is not as straight forward as you think.

Guidance to clarify when individuals performing work experience, including interns, are entitled to the national minimum wage has been published. It is important to note that the right to be paid the national minimum wage depends on whether or not the individual is defined as a “worker” or not, it is not dependent upon job title.