5 key tax changes for 2018/19

The 2018/19 tax year is upon us and a raft of new changes have come into force – here’s what to expect:

Income tax changes

The personal allowance has increased to £11,850 across the UK, and the higher rate threshold is increasing to £46,350 for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

In Scotland, 5 income tax bands now apply with 2 new thresholds. The personal allowance is the same but the first £2,000 earned after that is taxed at 19% rather than 20% in the rest of the UK.

Scots pay 20% tax until earnings hit £24,000, at which point it rises to 21%. Above £43,431 the rate is 41%.

Both Scotland and the rest of the UK have an additional rate above £150,000 – the only difference being that in Scotland it’s taxed at 46%, compared to 45% elsewhere in the UK.

 

Inheritance tax changes

The residence nil-rate band (RNRB) has risen from £100,000 to £125,000.

The RNRB enables eligible people to pass on a property to direct descendants and potentially save on death duties.

 

Capital gains tax changes

Capital gains tax allowance has increased to £11,700.

Changes were also made to the indexation allowance that is used to calculate capital gains tax, so that any assets bought after 1 January 2018 will not have any indexation allowance associated with them.

 

Dividends allowance changes

The tax-free allowance on dividends has reduced from £5,000 to £2,000.

 

Junior ISA limit changes

The Junior ISA limit has risen from £4,128 to £4,260. For adult ISAs, the allowance remains the same at £20,000.

 

Contact us to discuss any of the tax changes.