2021/22 Tax Year-End Planning: Protect yourself, your family and your future
As another tax year end approaches, it’s important to finalise your 2021/22 tax planning to reduce your obligations wherever possible. The current tax year started on 6 April 2021 and ends on 5 April 2022. Reviewing your tax affairs now will enable you to make the most of any allowable deductions and strategies available to minimise or mitigate a potential tax burden.
After another unprecedented year of the continued COVID-19 pandemic and an uncertain economy, it’s important to keep up with any tax changes that could affect your tax position in the future. Taking action now before 5 April could potentially save you thousands of pounds.
The UK tax system is notoriously complex, but the benefits of structuring our finances tax- efficiently can be significant. We’ve provided a summary and some key tax and financial planning areas that may be appropriate to certain taxpayers and should be considered prior to the end of the tax year on Tuesday 5 April 2022.
Identifying any tax planning opportunities
Personal circumstances differ, so if you have any questions or if there is a particular area you are concerned about, please do not hesitate to contact us. If you have not done so already, take the time to carry out a review of your tax and financial affairs to identify any tax planning opportunities and take action before it’s too late.
Tips to help you get ahead on managing your tax affairs
Check your PAYE tax code
It’s important to check your tax code. Your tax code is based on the amount of tax you should be paying and the amount you can earn before tax applies. The tax code is the identifier that tells your employer how much tax should be deducted from your salary each time you get paid. If you have multiple employers or pension providers, you may get more than one tax code. If you’re on the wrong one, you could be paying HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) more than you ought to be. On the other hand, you risk getting penalised if you’re paying too little.
Transfer part of your personal allowance
Married couples and registered civil partners are permitted to share 10% of their personal allowance between them. The unused allowance of one partner can be used by the other, meaning an overall combined tax saving. The amount you can transfer is £1,260 for 2021/22 and a transfer is not permitted if the recipient partner pays tax at a rate higher than the basic rate of 20% (higher than the intermediate rate of 21% for Scottish taxpayers).
Contribute up to £9,000 into your child’s Junior ISA
The fund builds up free of tax on investment income and capital gains until your child reaches age 18, when the funds can either be withdrawn or rolled over into an adult ISA. Relatives and friends can also contribute to your child’s Junior ISA, as long as the £9,000 limit for 2021/22 is not breached.
Tax-free savings and dividend allowances
For 2021/22, savings income of up to £1,000 is exempt for basic rate taxpayers, with a £500 exemption for higher rate taxpayers. The tax-free dividend allowance is £2,000 for all taxpayers. Married couples and registered civil partners could save tax by ensuring that each person has enough of the right type of income to make use of these tax-free allowances.
Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs)
You can put the entire amount into a Cash ISA, a Stocks & Shares ISA, an Innovative Finance ISA or any combination of the three. Usually when you invest, you have to pay tax on any income or capital gains you earn from your investments. But with an ISA, provided you stick to the rules on how much you can pay in, all capital gains and income made from your investments won’t be taxed. Every tax year you have an ISA allowance, which is currently £20,000 for the 2021/22 tax year.
Utilise any capital losses
If you realise capital gains and losses in the same tax year, the losses are offset against the gains before the capital gains tax exempt amount (£12,300 in 2021/22) is deducted. Capital losses will be wasted if gains would otherwise be covered by your exempt amount. Consider postponing a sale that will generate a loss until the following tax year or, alternatively, realise more gains in the current year.
Make a Will/Review existing Wills
If you die without making a Will, your assets will be divided between your relatives according to the intestacy rules. Your surviving spouse or registered civil partner may only receive a portion of your estate, and Inheritance Tax will be due at 40% on anything else above £325,000 (up to £500,000 if the Residence Nil-Rate Band is available).
Leave some of your estate to charity
Where you leave at least 10% of your net estate to charities, the Inheritance Tax on the remainder is charged at 36% instead of 40%. The exact calculation of your net estate is quite complicated, so it’s important to receive professional advice when drawing up or amending your Will.
Make regular IHT-free gifts
As long as you establish a pattern of gifts that can be shown to be covered by your net income, without reducing either your capital assets or your normal standard of living, these gifts will be free of Inheritance Tax. The recipients of the gifts need not be the same people each year.
Use the IHT marriage exemption
If your son or daughter is about to marry, you and your spouse can each give them £5,000 in consideration of the marriage, and the gift will be free of Inheritance Tax. The marriage exemption can also be combined with your £3,000 a year Inheritance Tax exemption to allow you to make larger exempt gifts. You can make an Inheritance Tax-free gift of £2,500 for a grandchild’s wedding. Registered civil partnerships attract the same exemptions.
Make IHT-free gifts each tax year
These gifts are free of Inheritance Tax and, if you forget to make your £3,000 gift one year, you can catch up in the next tax year by giving a total of £6,000 but you can only carry forward the £3,000 allowance for one tax year. Remember, you and your spouse or registered civil partner can each give £3,000 out of your capital every tax year in addition to gifts you make out of your regular income.
LOOKING FOR TAX PLANNING ADVICE?
Few of us can claim to be experts in everything, which is why it’s important to enlist the help of a financial professional – especially when it’s about something as important as our tax. Don’t delay, please contact us if you require further information.
Who are Vizion Wealth?
Our approach to financial planning is simple, our clients are our number one priority and we ensure all our advice, strategies and services are tailored to the specific individual to best meet their longer term financial goals and aspirations. We understand that everyone is unique. We understand that wealth means different things to different people and each client will require a different strategy to build wealth, use and enjoy it during their lifetimes and to protect it for family and loved ones in the future.
All of us at Vizion Wealth are committed to our client’s financial success and would like to have an opportunity to review your individual wealth goals. To find out more, get in touch with us – we very much look forward to hearing from you.
The information contained in this article is intended solely for information purposes only and does not constitute advice. While every attempt has been made to ensure that the information contained on this article has been obtained from reliable sources, Vizion Wealth is not responsible for any errors or omissions. In no event will Vizion Wealth be liable to the reader or anyone else for any decision made or action taken in reliance on the information provided in this article.
