Tax & Legislation analysis
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AnalysisHow to conduct an ethnicity pay review
Source: Shutterstock Mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting will be introduced in the future, along with the Equality (Race and Disability) Bill. Ethnicity data is a special category under GDPR, so employers must state what it will be used for and how it will ...
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AnalysisWhat could the Labour government mean for employers' reward and benefits strategies?
Credit: Mistervlad/Shutterstock Need to know: The Labour government’s Employment Rights Bill will enhance employee rights but there are concerns that proposals could have unintended consequences, adding cost, disadvantaging some businesses and their employees, and affecting recruitment strategies. Extending pay gap reporting to ethnicity and disability may ...
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AnalysisAre reward professionals ready for the 2026 P11D changes?
Credit: Hyejin Kang/Shutterstock Need to know: Employers should start planning now for the P11D changes to the reporting and paying of tax and Class 1A national insurance contributions (NICs) on benefits in kind, to ensure a smooth transition to the new system in April 2026. Potential ...
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AnalysisHow effective is strike action in pay and benefits disputes?
Employees often take strike action over issues such as pay, health and safety, pensions, benefits, changes to terms and conditions, and union recognition. The UK has strict laws regarding strike action and it cannot take place if certain requirements have not been met. Employers should consider ...
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AnalysisWhat will new guidance mean for menopause support in the workplace?
New guidance offers advice on reasonable adjustments employers can make, but these will vary depending on an employees’ role and an employer’s sector. Employers should adapt their policies according to the guidance to promote fairness and inclusivity in the workplace. It also highlights how to encourage ...
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AnalysisWhat will the proposed fit note reforms mean for employers?
The government reforms will trial fit note process changes in order to improve triage and signposting. Making it easier to get a fit note will enable employers to help staff get assistance in a shorter amount of time, and potentially return to work faster. The reforms ...
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AnalysisWhat do employers need to know about the pensions lifetime allowance abolition?
Credit: Natata/Shutterstock Need to know: The abolition of the pensions lifetime allowance in April will require an overhaul of employee communications, and a revaluation of pension scheme design and administration, including opportunities to simplify the scheme and reduce the cost of running it. Employers will need ...
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AnalysisWhat does the government's pots-for-life plan mean for employers?
Credit: P Maxwell Photography/Shutterstock The pension pots-for-life plan takes the onus off of employees to keep track of their pensions as they move jobs. Clarification is needed on how employers would manage the process of putting employees’ contributions into many different pension pots. Pots for life ...
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AnalysisWhat will the Flexible Working Act mean for working carers?
From 2024, employees will be able to request flexible working hours and patterns twice in a 12-month period and will not have to explain any potential effect on their employer. Organisations will have to consider all requests and provide a reason before rejection within two months. ...
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AnalysisWhat impact will CDC pensions have on employers’ retirement provisions?
Need to know: Collective defined contribution (CDC) pensions potentially offer a more sustainable way of funding pensions and reducing pension liabilities for some employers. Their potential to provide a more secure and predictable retirement income for employees could help to close the retirement savings gap that ...
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AnalysisWhat does the collective defined contribution (CDC) code of practice include?
Need to know: The Pensions Regulator has published a new code of practice for employers that would like to introduce collective defined contribution (CDC) pension schemes. The code lays out the detailed and extensive process employers will need to go through to receive authorisation. It is ...
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AnalysisHow to make the case for electric company car schemes
Need to know: Businesses are under pressure to cut carbon emissions, and employee vehicles are an obvious target. Salary sacrifice schemes mean this can save companies money, and make electric vehicles affordable for staff. Subscription models mean firms are no longer tied into long leases should ...
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AnalysisTop tips for introducing salary sacrifice pension schemes
A salary sacrifice pension arrangement should not be agreed if the effect of this, such as a reduction in the employee’s pay, would lead to a breach of the national minimum wage legislation. A simple step, such as giving employees full transparency on which businesses the ...
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AnalysisTop tips on implementing electric company car schemes
Need to know: Electric vehicles are now a realistic option for company fleets, either as an employee benefit or through salary sacrifice arrangements. Favourable benefit-in-kind rates are making this more attractive compared to petrol or diesel options. But some concerns remain around charging infrastructure and battery ...
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AnalysisHow do salary sacrifice arrangements affect gender pay gap reporting?
Need to know: Deductions for salary sacrifice arrangements are excluded from an employee’s base pay for the purposes of gender pay gap reporting. This could influence an organisation’s final gender pay gap data depending on how many women compared to men have taken up benefit via ...
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AnalysisHow will the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) affect pay and benefits?
Need to know:Technology has changed how organisations share and store personal data. It is no wonder that the General Data Protection Regulation seeks to bring data privacy into the 21st century.Employers should not underestimate the complexity of the regulation and should start preparing now.Employment contracts and agreements with benefits providers ...
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AnalysisThe legal minefields of tax-efficient benefits
If you read nothing else, read this:Employers should consider the business reasons behind their reward policies.Employers must be aware of any tax or national insurance consequences of providing benefits.They should include any tax considerations when planning and budgeting.Once they are certain that they know what each policy is intended to ...
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AnalysisKey questions employers need to ask ahead of April's pension changes
If you read nothing else, read this… It is not too late for employers to prepare for the new pension reforms. Employers must decide if and how they plan to support employees approaching retirement. Preparation is likely to involve tweaking existing strategies, rather than spending additional budget, for many employers.1. ...
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AnalysisDetails of the four pensions bills going through Parliament
The Finance Bill 2014This gave HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) new powers to prevent pension liberation schemes being registered starting 20 March 2014 and made it easier to de-register such schemes if, in HMRC’s opinion, the scheme administrator is not a fit and proper person.Pensions Act 2014This received royal assent ...