Staff suggestion box

As a result of you adopting the suggestion and it being expected to lead to efficiencies that you estimate will save you money, you meet the exemptions under the 'financial benefit award' rules for staff suggestion schemes.

There are two ways of calculating the award. The first is to pay 50% of the expected first year savings.  The second method is to apply 10% to the expected savings over the first five years. 

With both of these methods, there is an overriding amount of £5,000 that can be paid without the employee being subject to PAYE and NI.  Any payment above this will be subject to PAYE and NI and should be added to your employee's wages in your normal payroll calculations.

The first method results in an award of £7,000 and the second £5,400. However, if you wish to avoid tax, then the maximum you can pay him is £5,000. You would then not need to make any deductions and have no additional reporting requirements.

If you would like any further information on this, please feel free to contact your local TaxAssist Accountant.

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.