Time for a completely new look me. Arriving at the wrap shop with designs to hand, the guys got to work.

Sophie, the designer Bettertax have used almost from the start, has helped to develop the brand and knew what to do. Bettertax had an idea too and from the 3 designs Sophie gave us, this was the final one worked with. My new body colour is very close to the Bettertax brand colour, so it really shows off our dudes well!

 

  

  

My head is in a spin, but I’ll come to that later!

No sooner have I got over admiring my fancy new exterior and hot rod alloys, as told yesterday, than I am whisked off to the conversion workshop.

Imagine, one day a clapped out old panel van, really, I was, and then the next day I’m half way to being a beautifully restored and converted transporter camper van.

The workshop people were given the exact brief – a portable office with mod cons. We want to be able to visit our tradesmen clients and meet new folks, give them a cup of tea and have a chat – in comfort!

     

So here I am! I have gas hobs, water, electricity, comfy seating area… great sounds too. They had me insulated and sound-proofed – I think that’s to muffle the banging toons! Brilliant storage areas added to keep the give-aways in. Pop your head around the door and see what Bettertax have for you.

Of course, new sign ups will get a little something extra…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, there I am but you know what’s missing? think I need an outer layer, just to make me stand out even more. See you after the wrap!

By the way, if you are interested in us visiting you, on site, or know someone that is, get in touch – we’d love to hear from you!

When Bettertax found me I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. (My story begins here). I’d been worked hard by previous owners and even auctioned off as a non runner.

Seeing past all that, Bettertax acquired me for a purpose. They knew I could be transformed into a thing of beauty, with even greater functionality to serve the hard working construction industry!

The vision was to convert me into a portable office. I’d be out on the road visiting construction sites, industrial estates, events – anywhere that would bring us to the people that wanted and needed our tax returns service.

I was given a new paint job, panels removed and replaced with privacy windows and check out my alloy wheels!

 

                       

 

I feel and look amazing!

It doesn’t end here though – ooooh nooooo! Next stop is the conversion workshop.

Please join me again tomorrow :).

My working career started with Ennis Construction, up in Salford, in 2004. I formed part of their fleet and happily went where I was told to, site to site. I wasn’t a great looker but I made up for that in functionality – I guess I was a bit of a work horse!

I was looked after well, regularly serviced and generally cared for. I thought I was appreciated because I did work really hard, but when Ennis went into administration (due to the hard times for construction in recent years), I wasn’t looking quite so good and in fact, I wasn’t really very well – sold at auction as a non runner, no less :(.

My memory gets a little hazy, it was an unhappy time for me. I went through a few hands before being found by my present owners, Bettertax! Seems like I was just what they were looking for, to take their service out on the road visiting… construction sites! Oh the synchronicity!

Anyway, all this excitement has made me a little sleepy. I will continue my story tomorrow. See you then :).

 

 

As you know the tax year starts on the 6th April in the UK. After that date self-assessment tax returns can be completed and submitted to HMRC.

If you are self-employed under the construction industry scheme (CIS), you’ll be in a position to complete your tax return almost immediately. All you need is a note of your earnings from their various sources, together with your evidence of expenses, logs of mileage done for work. The completed tax return is submitted to HMRC for approval and your tax refund should follow a few weeks later.

PAYE workers need to wait for their P60 End of Year Certificate. This indicates the amount you have earned and the tax paid. If you have had more than one employment during a tax year, you should have P45s to evidence earnings and tax paid during that particular employment.

HMRC do have records of earnings and the P60, with those records should match.

These P60s are generally issued in payslips during May. At this time HMRC also issues, and sends directly, a letter to say it’s time to complete a self-assessment tax return, if one was previously completed. As a client of ours, this is perfectly normal and remember that self-assessment does NOT mean self-employment!

Your tax return can be completed as soon as you have your P60 and evidence of work expenses. Evidencing work related expenses comes in many forms and we can work with you to make sure your tax claim is correct, so that the resulting tax rebate is safe and secure. At Bettertax we work to HMRC exacting working practices – something very few tax agents do.

As a sole-trader not having tax deducted at source, your tax return will be required to be submitted by 31st January in any year. So although you will receive your invitation to complete your return, you can wait until later in the financial year to complete it – just don’t forget to or leave it until the last minute! We can help reduce your tax bill, by the way!

As always, any comments or questions, do ask :).

 

Now that the new tax year is underway, you may find yourself looking for a new tax agent or accountant to assist with your self-assessment tax returns.

Here are a few pointers to consider as there are a lot of tax agents out there, and what they offer in terms of service and security is by no means the same. The best way to choose an agent is a recommendation from a friend or colleague. At Bettertax probably more than 75% of our clients have come from referrals. Our niche tradesman market know us and trust us and are happy to refer us.

We’re always appreciative and offer a “refer a friend” reward.

So, what else can help you choose?

Are they experts in your profession, knowing exactly what can and can’t be claimed for? 

Do they have independent reviews and testimonials? 

Do they have a website, a landline number and a business address?

Does their service stop at doing your tax return or are they available to give FREE advice and HMRC assistance all year?

Are their fees absolutely transparent – are there hidden extras?

If you’re investigated, do they have dedicated staff to see you through and is this sevice free?

How available are the agents via email or telephone – or social media platforms?

Is the tax agency registered with HMRC? 

Have they been given a “Low Risk” status by HMRC, meaning more safety and security for any tax refund you receive?

Does the agent complete your tax return via the internet? 

Do they have direct access to HMRC personnel? 

These are a few ideas to consider. If the service you are being offered sounds too good to be true, really cheap but big refund, it may be worth walking away. (Our “High Volume, High Risk Tax Agents and HMRC” article linked above explains more on this). HMRC usually does not query a return until up to a year later. Your “agent” may have disappeared by then.

To complete a self-assessment tax return, a tax agent does not require formal qualifications. Some qualifications, particularly associates, can be bought and prove no professional worth. Likewise, members of accounting bodies have often been proven in various courts to be somewhat, iffy, shall we say.

Just because there are no professional letters after someone’s name does not mean they lack the competence and expert knowledge to complete your tax return in your sphere of work – that is what is more important.

A word about internet search. Those top three or four results are paid for. They are not necessarily the best and quite often, the best do not need to pay for results. Unfortunately, HMRC take a lot of top spaces, so do a bit of scrolling to find a result you feel comfortable with and confident with.

Here are a few good reasons to consider Bettertax as your tax agent. As always, if you need any help and advice, we’re happy to assist. Good luck with your tax return process!

With just over a week to go until the start of the new tax year on 6th April 2014, there’s no better time than now to start getting your paperwork together.

CIS (construction industry scheme) workers will more than likely be due tax back because of the way payments are made to them. Not only that, they usually incur all sorts of other work expenses that can be claimed against the tax paid and then receive a tax rebate.

PAYE tradesmen are also very often entitled to claim tax back. HMRC find it far more difficult to recognise that your employer actually doesn’t reimburse you for all the things you pay for to do your job.

The rules are strict surrounding what is a legitimate work expense but because we have worked closely with HMRC we know exactly what, how and why to maximixe your claim is the safest and most secure way for your tax refund.

We posted “High Volume High Risk tax Agents and HMRC” some weeks back. If you didn’t read it, please take the time to do so.

It concerns us that too many hard working people are being taken advantage of by tax agents that will make dishonest claims on your behalf and disappear when the proverbial hits the fan. It’s tempting to get the massive refund but be assured HMRC are very aware of these agents and it’s a matter of time before their working practices are looked at more closely… but it is you ultimately that suffers, with having to repay most if not all the money you will have spent by the time this happens (a year or so from now).

Our business practices and tax returns procedures have been given the thumbs up by HMRC – we’re safe and so is your tax refund!

Do get in touch any time from now to see how we can help you! If you are already a client – we look forward to working with you again!

In 2018 we updated our Refer-A-Friend deal and give £100 for every 3 successful referrals. All the details can be found on the link.

We’re offering £100 for every 5 qualifying Tradesmen you recommend!

…Send 5 more & we’ll give you another £200!!!