March Newsletter

Spring is here, bringing with it a sense of renewal and vibrant energy. As the days grow longer and nature begins to bloom, we’re excited to share the latest developments and opportunities blossoming within our company. Join us in embracing this season of growth and transformation.

With the end of the tax year fast approaching, we’ll soon start preparing your Personal Tax Return Checklist and P11D Checklist, which we’ll send out to you for completion. The sooner we receive your completed forms, the faster we can prepare your Personal Tax Returns and Forms P11D.

 To kick things off with a bit of fun, there’s a celebratory bottle of champagne for the first Tax Return we file!

Team – Movers & Shakers

We are excited to share some updates about our growing team at Clear Vision.

Our latest recruitment is now complete and we are delighted to welcome Oliver Green, who has joined us as a Tax Senior. Oliver is ATT qualified and holds a degree in Discrete Mathematics. He joins us from Albert Goodman, a large regional firm, where he was based in their Bristol office.

You can expect to hear from him soon as the new tax year begins.

We are also thrilled to welcome Sarah Carson as our Front of House Administrator. Sarah will be answering your calls and assisting with day to day office admin.

Please feel free to introduce yourselves as she becomes acquainted with our client community.

In addition, we are excited to introduce Annie McIntyre as an additional Accounts Manager. Annie is ATT/AAT qualified and recently relocated to Wiltshire from Yorkshire, spending time traveling far and wide. With 17 years of experience at her previous firm, Annie was drawn to Clear Vision’s commitment to community values and exceptional client service

Annie will focus on providing accounts and personal tax return support for our clients and we are confident that many of you will get to know Annie, as she settles into her new role.

We are saying goodbye to Charlotte Parker who is moving on to further her tax specialisms. Charlotte has been a valued member of our team and we wish her the best of luck in her new role.

Together with the rest of our experienced team, you’ll always have someone available to support and guide you with your business needs and personal taxes. We look forward to continuing working with you and delivering the exceptional service you expect from Clear Vision!

Latest Advisory Fuel Rates for Company Car Drivers

HMRC updates these rates on a quarterly basis due to fluctuations in fuel prices. The rates determine the amount that can be paid to an employee using a company car for business mileage, free from income tax.

From 1 March 2025 the rates per mile are:

The rate for fully electric vehicles will be 7p per mile. Hybrid cars are treated as either petrol or diesel cars for the purposes of advisory fuel rates.

You can use the previous rates for up to one month from the date any new rates apply.

April to March Holiday Leave Years

Employers have the flexibility to decide when their holiday year starts and ends. Many choose a January to December leave year, as this is relatively straightforward to understand and administer. Others select an April to March leave year, as this aligns with the tax year.

For those operating an April to March leave year, variations in the number of bank holidays (particularly around Easter), can create inconsistencies. In most years there are no issues with the timing. However, in the current April to March leave year there are only seven bank holidays, instead of the usual eight, due to Good Friday falling in March last year.

This means that employers operating an April to March leave year must ensure that their employees’ annual leave entitlement meets the statutory minimum. This may be an issue if your employment policy states “20 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays” for full-time staff. With only seven bank holidays this year, employees would receive 27 days’ total leave, falling short of the statutory minimum of 28 days

If this is the case, you should consider increasing your employees’ annual leave entitlement by one day. This adjustment would bring your full-time workers’ allowance to 21 days plus seven bank holidays (pro rata for part-time employees).

Employers should carefully check the wording of their employment contracts and where necessary, communicate how this applies to their workforce, ensuring that employees fully understand the terms and conditions.

Endometriosis Action Month

Each March, people worldwide come together for Endometriosis Action Month, raising awareness, advocating for change and taking action to improve the understanding, treatment and management of this health condition. Endometriosis affects one in ten women and those assigned female at birth, highlighting the urgent need for better care and increased research.

Sharing personal health details, especially about conditions like endometriosis, can be challenging for employees. Creating a culture of open communication and support encourages them to seek the help they need, leading to greater productivity, job satisfaction and employee retention.

Reasonable Adjustments

Under the Equality Act 2010, endometriosis may be considered a disability if it has a substantial and long term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities. In such cases, employers are legally required to consider reasonable adjustments to support affected employees and may face disability discrimination claims if they fail to do so.

Endometriosis UK, a registered charity, recommends adjustments such as reducing workloads, allowing extra breaks, providing specialist equipment, permitting time off for medical appointments (including last minute ones) and adjusting absence trigger points.

Regular welfare meetings with employees are essential to identify and implement the most effective support measures.

How We Can Help

At Clear Vision, we’re always eager to guide and assist our clients – how ever you need us to support you through your journey as a business owner, we’re here for you!

If you have any specific questions about any matters within this month’s newsletter and how they may affect you or your business, do please get in touch with us.