The Institute has been working with HMRC and the other Professional Bodies to drive readiness for the first tranche of mandation for Making Tax Digital (MTD) for income tax from April 2026. We are also aware of members concerns about this project and will continue to represent your views to HMRC. An Institute strategy is also being implemented to aid preparations which involves a range of resources, webinars and events including a HMRC led event in September which we will share more details of when available. As part of our joint Professional Body collaboration we are pleased to share details of a new initiative by the Association of Tax Technicians (ATT) who have confirmed that you don’t need to be an ATT member to participate. The first event takes place this week on Wednesday 21 May. More details of this new initiative are highlighted below. Join an MTD peer-discussion group. Sign up here. To help you prepare, this is a series of monthly online drop in sessions where you can speak to your peers about tips and practical advice on getting ready. Facilitated by the ATT’s technical team, these sessions aim to serve as an open forum for attendees to share and discuss their practical concerns around MTD and support each other. Topics driven by you could include (but are not limited to): The challenges of getting clients ready, Resourcing and workflow issues, The choice of software, and Pricing MTD services. These one hour sessions are taking place from 12–1pm on the following dates: Wed 21 May, Tue 17 June, Wed 23 July, Wed 20 August, Wed 17 September, and Tue 28 October.

In this week’s miscellaneous updates, HMRC has published a range of updated guidance for key legislative changes which took effect from 6 April 2025 and draft legislation on the carbon border adjustment mechanism has been published for consultation. HMRC has issued a press release highlighting that Making Tax Digital for income tax commences next year and in another press release to mark the 20th anniversary of HMRC, HMRC looks to the future and says it is “harnessing the spirit of then Chancellor Gordon Brown’s bold reforms and embarking on a new era of transformation”. An update has been published on the consultation on predevelopment costs and the latest schedule of HMRC Talking Points live and recorded webinars for tax agents are available for booking. Spaces are limited, so take a look now and save your place. And finally, check HMRC’s online services availability page for details of planned downtime and the online services affected.   Updated guidance published on key legislative changes   Globally mobile employees The new Foreign Income and Gains regime commenced from 6 April 2025. HMRC has therefore published a collection of new guidance on 'Globally mobile employees' for employers. This includes guidance on the impact of residence on an employee’s liability to UK income tax, the newly reformed overseas workday relief, and the operation of PAYE for the new rules in place from 6 April 2025.   HMRC has also published guidance on how to send a notification to HMRC on running PAYE on a proportion of globally mobile employee’s income related to their UK duties. This addresses the new Section 690 Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 direction process.   HMRC has also updated the relevant sections of their manuals with more detailed guidance as follows: new pages in the PAYE manual to cover the new globally mobile employee PAYE notification process,   a new section in the Employment Income manual for Overseas Workday Relief, and   updated pages on travelling expenses for non-resident and qualifying new resident employees working in the UK.  In September 2024, the Institute established a new working sub-group of the NI Tax Committee and Tax Committee South which is examining the complexity of cross-border and remote/hybrid working on the island of Ireland with a view to discussing the complexities of this with both the UK and Irish Government to identify improvements for employers and employees impacted. New Inheritance Tax (IHT) residence based regime  From 6 April 2025, the UK’s IHT territoriality rules changed from a domicile to residence-based regime. Broadly, and subject to transitional provisions, individuals who have been UK tax resident for at least 10 out of the previous 20 tax years are now considered ‘long-term UK resident’ and are therefore subject to IHT on their worldwide assets. There are specific provisions relating to trusts.   HMRC has now published guidance, and changes to its IHT manual which includes a new section on the rules for long-term UK residents.  Abolition of non-domiciled regime  The non-UK domiciled ‘remittance’ regime was abolished from 6 April 2025 and the new Foreign Income and Gains (FIG) regime was introduced. As a result, UK tax resident individuals now pay tax on worldwide income and gains on an arising basis irrespective of their domicile. This is subject to the four-year FIG regime which is available to individuals within their first four years of UK tax residence, after a period of at least 10 consecutive years of non-residence. These changes are also accompanied by a series of transitional rules which include the three-year Temporary Repatriation Facility for those previously taxed on the remittance basis.   HMRC has now published guidance to support these changes as follows:  a new Residence and FIG regime manual, and   updated pages in the Trusts, Settlements and Estates Manual, and   International Manual.   Further HMRC guidance and manual updates are expected to be published in due course.  Update on consultation on predevelopment costs  In the 2024 Autumn Budget, the Government committed to launching a consultation in early 2025 to explore the tax treatment of predevelopment costs. Earlier this month, HM Treasury published an update on this which referred to the recent Court of Appeal judgment in Orsted West of Duddon Sands (UK) Ltd v HMRC .   According to HM Treasury, as this case considered “matters with significant readout across to this issue” the publication of this consultation has therefore been postponed. The Government will determine its next steps in respect to this consultation in due course.   In the meantime, views from stakeholders on this judgment and its implications are invited by email to predevcosts@hmtreasury.gov.uk. 

It’s now less than a year to the first tranche of mandation of MTD for income tax for unincorporated sole trade businesses and landlords with turnover exceeding £50,000. The Institute is inviting those members affected by this change to take a short five question survey which we are using as a temperature check to assess readiness and further discuss the challenges this presents with HMRC. The survey will remain open for the next two weeks and will take less than 5 minutes to complete. A more detailed survey on MTD will be launched before the summer. Take the survey now.  The Northern Ireland Tax Committee met recently with HMRC’s MTD Programme Director who also was in attendance at the February 2025 Practice News webinar. HMRC gave an update on the current status of the MTD project whilst also reflecting on its challenges. HMRC’s ambitions for the next phase of testing in 2025/26 were also discussed. HMRC has recently been writing to agents who are likely to have clients in the first phase of mandation; this is now being followed by letters to taxpayers.   HMRC is also keen to hear about the plans of our member firms to get ready for this major change and specifically why firms are not planning to take part in testing in 2025/26. In particular HMRC would welcome views on what challenges/blockers are getting in the way of participation. Email tax@charteredacocuntants.ie to share your views.  Despite our reservations about MTD, the Institute will continue to work with HMRC on MTD readiness and is developing a cross-department MTD strategy to assist members in their preparations. We will also continue to represent members views as we approach April 2026.  HMRC has also published new guidance for agents about client authorisations and signing clients up for making tax digital for income tax. The step by step guides for agents and individuals and guidance for sole traders and landlords have also been updated. These publications are available as follows:  Add your client authorisations for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, Sign up your client for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax as an agent: step by step, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax for individuals: step by step, and Sign up for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. From 7 April 2025 until next April, HMRC will also be contacting users who have signed up to participate in the MTD trial about how the testing of the service is progressing.