Questions and Answers
Christmas Gifts
I’m looking at what to order for my employees for their Christmas presents. Is there any advice you have for me? I Want to make sure the business gets tax relief and can recover any VAT it incurs, but more importantly, I don’t want my employees to pay tax or National Insurance on their gifts.
If you buy your employees a seasonal gift such as a joint of meat, a bottle of wine or a box of chocolates, then this would be deemed ‘trivial’ and therefore, there are no reporting requirements and nor would any tax or National Insurance be triggered.
However, if your gifts are more lavish than the examples above- say a hamper or a case of wine- then the cash equivalent must be taxed via the payroll, form P11D or a Pay As You Earn Settlement Agreement (PSA). With the first two options, tax and National Insurance will be triggered and will be deducted from the employee. However, with a PSA the employer agrees to settle their liability.
Gifts and entertaining is a fairly complex area, as it can have tax, National Insurance and VAT implications. Please feel free to contact your local TaxAssist Accountant if you would like to discuss this further.
Date published 5 Dec 2012
This article is intended to inform rather than advise and is based on legislation and practice at the time. Taxpayer’s circumstances do vary and if you feel that the information provided is beneficial it is important that you contact us before implementation. If you take, or do not take action as a result of reading this article, before receiving our written endorsement, we will accept no responsibility for any financial loss incurred.Choose the right accounting firm for you
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