In the knowledge that the government must hold a general election before 28 January 2025, this was a Budget designed to restore confidence and win voters. But on the heels of Britain entering a recession and downgraded Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts, the Chancellor had his work cut out.
Headlines included further cuts in National Insurance Contributions for workers and the self-employed, a slight increase in the VAT registration threshold and an increase in thresholds to reduce the number of people affected by the high-income child benefit charge. There has also been a cut in capital gains tax for higher earners disposing of residential property. However, income tax rates and thresholds remained static and inheritance tax continues to apply to the largest estates.
Below we talk more about the Budget and what it means for you.
Please note that 'tax years' run to 5 April each year and that, for example, 2024/25 signifies the year to 5 April 2025.
Your tax-free personal allowance will remain at £12,570 in 2024/25. The personal allowance is partially withdrawn if your income is over £100,000 and then fully withdrawn if your income is over £125,140.
For 2024/25, income tax rates and thresholds remain frozen at their 2023/24 levels.
So what? Without inflationary increases to the income tax bands, the Chancellor's effectively imposing an income tax increase; as wages and earnings rise and a larger proportion falls into higher tax bands. This is known as 'fiscal drag'.
| 2024/25 | Other income | Savings income | Dividend income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic rate £1-£37,700 | 20% | 20% | 8.75% |
| Higher rate £37,701-£125,140 | 40% | 40% | 33.75% |
| Additional rate Over £125,140 | 45% | 45% | 39.25% |
If your main residence is in Scotland or you are otherwise classed as a 'Scottish taxpayer', the application of income tax rates and bands applies differently where 'other income' is concerned.
A savings allowance determines how much savings income you can receive at 0% taxation, instead of the usual tax rates for savings income as shown above.
This continues to be set at £1,000 for basic rate taxpayers and £500 for higher rate taxpayers.
Further interest income from an Individual Savings Account (ISA) continues to be exempt from tax.
A dividend allowance determines how much dividend income you can receive at 0% taxation, instead of the usual tax rates for dividend income as shown above.
As expected, this allowance will drop to £500 in 2024/25, down from the £1,000 2023/24 allowance.
However, dividend income from a 'stocks and shares' ISA continues to be exempt from tax.
The limit on how much you can save into ISAs (including cash and stocks and shares ISAs) in 2024/25 remains at £20,000 overall.
The chancellor did announce that the government will introduce a new UK ISA with an additional allowance of £5,000 a year but this is subject to consultation, and we do not yet have a start date.
In an effort to reduce unfairness, the thresholds for the high-income child benefit charge (HICBC) will be increased from 2024/25.
You may have to pay the HICBC if you are considered to have 'high income' and child benefit is being paid in relation to a child that lives with you, regardless of whether you are a parent of that child. If you are living with another person in a marriage, civil partnership or long-term relationship, you will only be liable to HICBC if you are the higher earner of the two of you.
From 2024/25, the HICBC will be calculated at 1% of the child benefit received for every £200 of income above the threshold. This is a slower rate of charge accumulation than in 2023/24 and now means that child benefit is only fully clawed back where income exceeds £80,000, rather than £60,000 in 2023/24.
The HICBC does not apply if the child benefit claimant opts out from receiving the payments.
The Chancellor also announced plans to administer the HICBC on the basis of total household income, rather than the income of the highest earner in the household, by April 2026.
So what? Disregarding for this purpose the other changes announced in the Budget, if we take a couple claiming child benefit in respect of two children and the higher earner earns £70,000, the household will be £1,106 better off than if the threshold had not been increased. If the higher earner instead earns £60,000, the household will be £2,212 better off in 2024/25 and the higher earner will not be required to submit a self assessment tax return in respect of the HICBC.
As announced in Autumn Statement 2023 and in effect since 6 January 2024, the main rate of Class 1 National Insurance Contributions (NICs) has already reduced from 12% to 10%.
In the Budget, the Chancellor cut this by a further 2 percentage points to 8%, taking effect from 6 April 2024.
For 2024/25, this combined 4% reduction will apply to your annual earnings between £12,570 and £50,270. The NIC rate on your earnings above £50,270 a year remains at 2%.
So what? This combined NIC reduction means that someone with employment income of, say, £50,000 will pay £1,497 less NICs in 2024/25 than if the rate had remained at 12%. Or to look at it another way, their monthly pay packet will increase by almost £125.
There have been no changes to the rate or thresholds for employer's Class 1 NICs, which remains at 13.8% for wages paid in excess of £9,100 a year (£175 per week). For eligible employers, the employment allowance remains at £5,000 per year, reducing their total employer's NIC liability by this sum.
Employees are required to pay income tax on certain non-cash benefits. For example, the provision of a company car constitutes a taxable 'benefit in kind'. Employers also pay Class 1A NIC at 13.8% on the value of benefits.
The set percentages used to calculate company car benefits are fixed until 5 April 2026 before slight increases apply to most car types, including electronic and ultra-low emission, from 6 April 2026.
The figures used to calculate benefits-in-kind on employer-provided vans, van fuel (for private journeys in company vans), and car fuel (for private journeys in company cars) remain fixed at their 2023/24 levels in 2024/25. These are:
Employers must pay their employees at least the national living wage (for workers aged over 21) / national minimum wage. The minimum hourly rates change on 1 April each year and depend on the worker's age and if they are an apprentice.
These increases are not insubstantial, and the affordability of the rates will need to be carefully considered by employers when planning their headcount for the year ahead.
Self-employed individuals with profits of more than £12,570 a year pay two types of NIC: Class 2 and Class 4. Two key changes come into effect from 6 April 2024, as previously announced in Autumn Statement 2023 and further extended in this Budget:
So what? This NIC reduction means that a sole trader with, say, trade profits of £50,000 will pay £1,302 less NICs in 2024/25 than will be due for the 2023/24 tax year. Just be aware that this saving may not be felt until the 2024/25 self-assessment balancing payment is made on or before 31 January 2026.
If you are self-employed, your Class 2 NIC payments have ensured you accrue entitlement to a range of state benefits including the state pension. If your profits exceed £6,725 in 2024/25 you will continue to accrue entitlement to state benefits despite not paying Class 2 NICs. If your profits are less than £6,725, or you make a loss, you may need to pay Class 2 NICs on a voluntary basis to maintain your state benefit entitlement.
From 1 April 2024, the VAT registration threshold and deregistration thresholds will each increase by £5,000 to £90,000 and £88,000 respectively. The thresholds had previously been frozen at £85,000 and £83,000 since 1 April 2017. There have been no changes to the rates of VAT and the standard rate continues to be set at 20%.
As we move into 2024/25, there are a lot of tax changes on the horizon, with more likely to come alongside the general election. Where the government gives with one hand (e.g. NIC cuts for workers) they may take with the other hand (e.g. frozen income tax thresholds) and it can be hard to keep up.
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