MTD: quarterly reporting, MTD: software and costs, State pension top-ups

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We generally don’t discuss tax proposals which are still at the consultation stage in this practical tax update, but we are making an exception this week to answer some key questions about the Making Tax Digital (MTD) proposals. We also have some good news about topping-up a state pension.

This is an
extract from our topical tax tips newsletter dated 13 October 2016 (5 days before we publish an extract on this blog). You can obtain future issues by registering here>>>

State pension top-ups

Only individuals who have paid sufficient NIC for the requisite number of tax years can qualify for the maximum state pension. The number of tax years required depends on when the individual attained state pension age (SPA). Those that reach SPA on or after 6 April 2016 need to have paid NIC for 35 full years, but where the individual was contracted out for any part for their working life they may receive less state pension than they were expecting.
You can help your clients budget for their retirement by using the online state pension checker facility. Where NICs have been missed for certain tax years, the missing amounts can often be replaced using voluntary NIC payments, as detailed in the excellent guide from Royal London.

This top-up facility is particularly useful for individuals who have retired before they reach SPA or have missed contribution years by living overseas. Spouses and civil partners of members of the armed forces, who accompanied their partners when posted overseas, can apply for NI credits toward their state pension for tax years back to 1975/76.

The
full newsletter contained the remainder of this item plus links to related source material and the
other two topical, timely and commercial tax tips. We’ve been
publishing this newsletter weekly since 2007; it’s clearly written
and focused on precisely what accountants in general practice need to
know about each week. You can obtain future issues by registering here>>>