The Chancellors announcement on the Budget highlights
The Chancellor presented his Autumn Budget and Spending Review on 27 October 2021. Some of the highlights are discussed below.
The self-employed
The self-employed pay Class 2 and Class 4 contributions.
Class 2 contributions are weekly contributions payable where profits exceed the small profits threshold. For 2022/23, the small profits threshold is £6,725 and the Class 2 contribution rate is £3.15 per week.
The self-employed also pay Class 4 contributions on their profits. The upper profits limit (which is aligned with the upper earnings limit for Class 1 and the rate at which higher rate tax becomes payable) is frozen at £50,270, while the lower profits limit is increased to £9,880.
Pending the introduction of the Health and Social Care Levy, the Class 4 rates are increased by 1.25% for 2022/23. As a result, the main Class 4 rate is set at 10.25% and the additional Class 4 rate is set at 3.25%. The rates are due to revert to their 2021/22 levels from 6 April 2023 when the Health and Social Care Levy comes into effect.
Employees and employers
As previously announced, the upper earnings limit for primary Class 1 purposes will remain at £967 per week for 2022/23. This is aligned with the point at which higher rate tax becomes payable. The upper secondary thresholds that are linked to the upper earnings limit, namely, the upper secondary threshold for employees under the age of 21, the apprentice upper secondary threshold and the upper secondary threshold for armed forces veterans in the first year of their first civilian employment since leaving the armed forces, also remain at £967 per week.
A new secondary threshold for new Freeport employees is introduced from 6 April 2022. This is set at £481 per week.
The remaining thresholds are increased in line with the increase in the Consumer Price Index. The effect of this is that the lower earnings limit is set at £123 per week for 2022/23, the primary threshold is set at £190 per week and the secondary threshold is set at £175 per week.
As previously announced, the rates of primary and secondary Class 1, Class 1A and Class 1B contributions are increased by 1.25% for 2022/23 only pending the introduction of the Health and Social Care Levy. The main primary rate is 13.25% and the additional primary rate is 3.25%. Employers will pay secondary Class 1, Class 1A and Class 1B contributions at 15.05%. The rates are due to revert to their 2021/22 levels from 6 April 2023 when the Health and Social Care Levy comes into effect.
The Employment Allowance remains at £4,000 for 2022/23.
Residential capital gains tax
Where a residence has not been your only or main residence throughout the time that you have owned it, you may have to pay capital gains tax if the chargeable gain is more than your annual exempt amount. This may be the case if you sell an investment property or a second home.
From 27 October 2021, the window for reporting a residential capital gain and making a payment on account of the tax that is due is increased from 30 days to 60 days.