Tax tweaks for 2018 – how will your finances balance out?

With the new tax year upon us, it’s the perfect time to take a look at any changes to personal and business allowances, and how they might affect your tax liability over the coming 12 months.

While this year’s changes are not especially dramatic, they could make a noticeable difference to your income – for better or for worse. 

We’ve outlined the latest figures below, and whether they’re likely to be a win or a loss for your bottom line.

Win

• Capital gains tax allowance increased from £11,300 to £11,700
• Personal allowance increased from £11,500 to £11,850
• Higher rate threshold increases from £45,000 to £46,350
• Business rates switch to the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rather than the Retail Prices Index (RPI)
• Threshold for Class 4 National Insurance Contributions is going up from £8,165 to £8,424
• The small profits threshold where Class 2 National Insurance Contributions are not liable is going up from £6,025 to £6,205 

Loss

• Tax-free dividend allowance cut from £5,000 to £2,000 a year
• In an unchanged measure, if you earn between £100,000 and £123,700, your personal allowance continues to decrease by £1 for every £2 you earn, until it reaches £0
• Increased rate for NICs Class 2 contributions for the self-employed from £2.85 per week to £2.95 per week
• The threshold at which Class 4 National Insurance Contributions fall to 2% from 9% increases from £45,000 to £46,350