At the end of November, the autumn statement was realest.

As with any government announcement, a lot of information and updates were released. In this blog, we have removed the jargon and focused on the topics that will affect our clients.

 

Changes that will affect employees:

• Employees will be pleased to hear that from the 6^th January 2024, the national insurance rate will be reducing by 2%. This means that from January, Class 1 NI will be deducted from your pay at 10%, rather than the current rate of 12%.

 

Changes that will affect the Self-employed:

• The reduction of national insurance has also been passed onto the self-employed, by the abolishment of Class 2 National Insurance contributions. Currently, most self-employed workers will be paying £3.45 per week in Class 2 NIC – From the new tax year (6^th April 2024), class 2 NI will no long exist. The Class 4 national insurance contributions have also been reduced from 9% to 8%.

 

• As announced in previous budgets, HMRC are still rolling out plans for Making Tax Digital for self-assessment taxpayers. From April 2026, quarterly submissions for self-assessment will need to be made. Unlike previously announced, the additional summery submission at the end of the year has now been dropped, resulting in just 4 quarterly submissions.

With each quarterly submission, a cumulative total of income for the year- to-date will need to be included. This will remove the need to submit amendments to previous quarters if corrections are needed.

 

Other tax updates:

• An increase in national living wage from April 2024 was also announced. The hourly rate will increase from £10.42 to £11.44. Along with this increase, the age threshold has also been reduced to 21-year-olds for the first time.

 

• Changes to the capital gains allowance have also been announced, reducing the exemption allowance by half, to £3000 per year, from April 2024.

 

We hope the information above has helped clarify some of the change that will affect you and your business in the coming few months. If you have questions on other announcements or wish for more information regarding the above changes, our team is always available to answer your questions.

Here at Walton Accountancy, we pride ourselves on supporting you and your business, but who are the team, and how did they come to be part of our growing company.

Below we have asked each member of the team to share a little snapshot of how they came to join us and why they enjoy the ever-changing world of accountancy.

David- Founder, Director & Accountant

Walton Accountancy was founded after I had experienced difficulties finding affordable accountancy for my previous business. After I completed my qualification, I wanted to use this to support fellow business owners, so started Walton Accountancy. I have now stepped back and passed the day-to-day management of the company to my son Ben. You will still find me in the office on a Friday passing my experience and knowledge onto the team, from my 25 years of experience in the industry.

 

Ben- Director & Accountant

My career didn’t initially start in accountancy –but as a behaviour support worker. After 5 years of working in schools, I dropped to part-time hours to study for my accountancy qualification. When I qualified in 2015, I joined the family business which at the time was just myself and David, and we set out to create an accountancy company that is client focussed, offering professional accountancy services without the extortionate fees that some of our competitors were charging.

I am delighted to see that we have grown to a company that currently services over 2,000 clients nationwide, across 25+ industries, whilst still maintaining a close personal relationship with each business owner. Getting to know our clients and understanding their business is the part of accountancy that I really enjoy.

 

Tom- Director & Accountant

Like most people, I didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming an accountant, however with ambitions to work within the business and finance world and enjoying accounts in college I thought working in an accountancy practice would be one of the best routes for me.

When I started, I was taught the basics of accounting, including bookkeeping, self-assessment tax returns and coffee runs. Since then, my role has developed and includes helping all the staff in the office with training and support. I have also used my expertise to specialise in more complex topics including R&D reclaims and property companies.

 

Naomi- Admin & Marketing Manager

When I joined the team, I had previously worked in a number of industries and roles but never finance. I have enjoyed learning about accountancy and how HMRC work, which is always changing. Although I do not deal directly with the accounts, I work behind the scenes to make sure we have everything set up and keep our records up to date so we can always provide our clients the best possible experience. I love that each day is different from help with onboarding new clients, submitting registrations or writing a blog post 😊

 

Elli- Payroll Manager & Admin Support

My job here at Walton Accountancy began with my interest in learning about payroll. This is a service that every business needs and I wanted to understand how it works, and the other day-to-day tasks involved with running a business. Walton Accountancy took me under their wing, and a few years later, I now manage the payroll administration. I spend my time liaising with clients and HMRC, whether this be about PAYE or CIS matters.

 

Carter- Accountant

My main role at Walton Accountancy is the onboarding of new clients. This role gives me the opportunity to focus on what the individual client needs. I get to use my knowledge and experience to tailor the service we offer to create a bespoke package which has the client’s needs at the centre. I also have the task of maintaining our existing limited companies by keeping on top of their deadlines and making sure that everything is filed on time.

 

Sheryce- Assistant Accountant & Social Media Assistant

I have been working in my assistant accountant role for just over 3 years now and can genuinely say that the time I have spent developing my skills has made me enjoy my job role even more. My initial interest came from a background in other finance roles and speaking with a friend who was working as an accountant. I really enjoy connecting with clients to find how I can help their business grow while giving tax advice. I spend a lot of my time researching different schemes and requirements online with HMRC to further my knowledge and to ensure I can give specific advice to my clients, based on their work.

 

Adam- Assistant Accountant

Throughout my education I have had a passion for business and working with numbers, this led me to pursue further qualification in Economics & Business. I am now in the final year of my apprenticeship to become an accountant. Throughout my time here at Walton Accountancy, I have really expanded my knowledge of the tax system and enjoy that it is always changing and evolving.

 

Charlie- Assistant Accountant

My Favourite part about being an accountant is interacting with individual clients and getting to know them and their business on a personal level. It is great being able to enjoy communicating with clients whilst providing a service which is beneficial to them.

 

Jamin- Payroll/Admin Assistant & Social Media Manager

I joined the team with a love for administrative tasks and looking to learn new skills. I now assist with both admin/payroll tasks and manage the credit control for the company. The best part of my job is liaising with clients and building a good relationship with them as well as being part of the Walton Accountancy team.

 

Tilly- Accounts Assistant

When I joined the team, I was seeking a career in accountancy. Since joining the team here at Walton Accountancy my knowledge has grown massively and continues to grow daily. My main tasks are preparing and submitting self-assessment tax returns, VAT returns and company accounts. The most rewarding part of my role is using my knowledge to ensure that our clients are given the best advice possible.

 

I hope this post has given you a little insight into the charismatic and client-focused team we have built and why they enjoy working with you and your business.

This is probably a cliché that you’ve heard from many accountancy and business advisors, but here at Walton Accountancy, we aim to provide a client focused service which is tailored to you and your businesses individual needs.

Walton Accountancy is a family business started by David Walton. Who, after noticing a gap in the market for affordable accountancy services, aimed to create a service which could not only be cost effective, but would also provide a professional service delivered in a concise and understandable way… Taking the jargon out of accounts.

With this ethos in mind, we have built a tailored service to put the client at the centre of everything we do.

 

Subscription service

With our menu-style subscription service, you’ll only ever pay for the services that have a direct benefit for you.

Services we provide:

• Self-assesment
• Self-employment
• Partnerships
• Limited company
• Payroll
• VAT
• R & D claims

No tie-ins or contracts

It’s as simple as it sounds. We do not believe in tying our clients into a contract, clients are free to leave at any point, which makes us focus on giving each client the best possible service.

Client communication

We pride ourselves on our client communication.

You’ll never have to leave a voicemail as our phone lines are always answered during normal office hours (9am-5pm Mon-Thurs 9.30am-5pm Friday).

All E-mails are answered promptly, and we welcome all clients into our office for face-to-face meetings.

Unlimited support and advice

With our unlimited support and advice, you will never have to worry about any unexpected bill following a call or meeting. This service is there for you to use as you need, helping you stay on top of your business finances, your way!