Why Rupert Lowe MP is right to say IR35 needs revoking
The off-payroll rules are ripe for repeal, replacement, or reform at Autumn Budget 2025. The introduction of the off-payroll working…
The Autumn Budget 2025 has landed, and while it didn’t deliver one overarching headline-grabbing reform, it introduced a raft of smaller measures that will impact businesses, employees, and homeowners alike.
Delivered on Wednesday 26th November 2025 by Rachel Reeves, the Autumn Budget 2025 has left much to be desired and split opinions on the long-term effects of many of these changes.
To be frank, there was likely little in the budget to bring good cheer to businesses right before Christmas, but some could say they’d expect nothing less. It’s left many wondering how Reeves will be able to stimulate growth in any meaningful way.
This’ll be a case of “time will tell”. The main takeaways for contractors, agencies and SMEs alike to keep their eyes on are:
1. Umbrella company market hit with more compliance responsibilities
One of the most significant changes isn’t new to the ears of anyone following the much-anticipated umbrella legislation. Being brought in under the Finance Bill 2025-26, there’s already been a lot of chatter around the proposed draft Chapter 11 of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 (ITEPA 2003).
From 6 April 2026, it introduces the notion of Joint and Several Liability (JSL), making recruitment agencies jointly responsible for PAYE and Class 1 NICs on payments made to workers supplied via umbrella companies. Where no agency is involved, the responsibility shifts to the end client.
This move aims to tackle non-compliance in the umbrella company market and places new compliance burdens on agencies and clients. Failure to carry out due diligence could result in hefty penalties, so one to take seriously!
2. Dividend tax rates increases a kick in the teeth
One of the headline changes in the Autumn Budget 2025 is the increase in dividend tax rates, effective from April 2026.
The tax efficiency of extracting company profits by way of dividend rather than salary has become marginal over the years. But the government has confirmed a 2% rise across 2 out of the 3 bands, either wittingly or unwittingly exacerbating the situation.
What the numbers look like:
- Basic rate taxpayers: Dividend tax increases from 8.75% to 10.75%
- Higher rate taxpayers: From 33.75% to 35.75%
- Additional rate taxpayers: Unchanged at 39.35%
This could be a kick in the teeth for many business owners. Contractors running personal service companies (PSCs) could end up taking a direct hit to take-home pay and SME directors who rely on dividends for remuneration will face higher tax bills.
All being said, this may even put the IR35 issue to bed if dividends become less tax efficient!
3. Cap for Salary Sacrifice pensions gets cut
From April 2029, the government is putting a cap on the NICs savings you can make. Right now, salary sacrifice is a smart way to cut NICs while saving for retirement. But under the new rules, you’ll only get NICs relief on the first £2,000 of salary sacrificed each year.
Anything above that? Both worker and employer will pay NICs as normal.
The Treasury says it’s about fairness. Right now, higher earners benefit most from salary sacrifice, so the cap is designed to level the playing field and raise extra revenue.
Contributions through salary sacrifice, like all pension contributions, will still be exempt from Income Tax (subject to the usual limits).
And while it won’t take effect until 2029, there’s a fear that this could be expanded to whole remuneration packages.
Salary sacrifice isn’t going away. If you’re a contractor or SME director, you’ve got over 3 years to take advantage of the current rules and perhaps increase your pension contributions.
4. End of tax relief on homeworking expenses
If you’ve been claiming £6 per week tax relief for ‘working from home’ costs, brace yourself – that perk is disappearing. From April 2026, employees will no longer be able to claim tax relief on non-reimbursed homeworking expenses like heating, electricity or broadband.
HMRC found widespread abuse of this relief post-pandemic, prompting its withdrawal. Employers can still reimburse eligible costs tax-free, but employees won’t be able to claim directly from HMRC.
Some could say the move reflects the normalisation of hybrid/remote working. In other words, working from home is becoming seen as a ‘lifestyle choice’ not an ‘exceptional circumstance’.
5. Expansion of workplace benefits relief offers good news
Finally, some good news! From April 2026, the government is widening the scope of tax-free workplace benefits. Employers will now be able to reimburse costs for eye tests, home-working equipment, and flu vaccinations without triggering Income Tax or NICs.
Employers who choose to reimburse employees for the cost of these low-value benefits-in-kind and employees who receive these reimbursements will see a simpler administrative approach too.
6. Investment in ‘green’ with EV incentives extended
This measure will extend the availability of the 100% first-year allowance for qualifying expenditure on zero-emission cars and the 100% first-year allowance for qualifying expenditure on plant or machinery for electric vehicle charge points by one year, to:
- 31st March 2027 for Corporation Tax purposes
- 5th April 2027 for Income Tax purposes
It’s clear the government is looking for ways to charge drivers of EVs, and potential withdrawal of favourable tax treatment after 2027 may be one of the ways they achieve this. That said, it’s still probably tax efficient to buy an EV as a company car.
7. Double the penalties for late Corporation Tax filing
If you’ve ever missed a Corporation Tax filing deadline, now’s the time to tighten up – the penalties are about to get a lot more painful. From April 2026, HMRC is doubling fixed penalties for late filing. That means:
| Current rate (£) | New rate (£) | |
|---|---|---|
| Return late | 100 | 200 |
| Return more than 3 months late | 200 | 400 |
| Three successive failures, return late | 500 | 1,000 |
| THree successive failures & more then 3 months late | 1,000 | 2,000 |
It appears that tax penalties are moving in the direction of a cumulative basis. The simple message is – file on time!
8. Mandatory e-invoicing set for 2029
The UK will introduce mandatory e-invoicing for all VAT invoices from 2029, whether you’re billing another business (B2B) or the public sector. HMRC will work closely with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure ‘robust standards that deliver the full suite of benefits for businesses and small businesses in particular’.
In January 2026, the Treasury will launch a period of detailed collaboration with stakeholders to design and develop the UK’s e-invoicing regime, so more to come on this.
9. The curveball of ‘rewards for reporting serious tax evasion’
This bizarre measure deserves mention as it will, no doubt, be something spotlighted by the media as just that – bizarre!
The Strengthened Reward Scheme relates to individuals who report serious tax avoidance or evasion. In return for giving HMRC information that helps collect a large amount of unpaid tax, individuals could get a financial reward where that information leads to HMRC collecting at least £1.5M in tax.
Rewards range from 15-30% of the tax collected (excluding penalties and interest).
Tax avoidance or evasion of this size normally involves:
- Large companies
- Wealthy individuals
- Offshore or avoidance schemes
There’s a raft of reasons that prevent individuals from claiming a reward. They could be the taxpayer involved in the tax evasion or avoidance, the reward might directly or indirectly fund illegal activity, or they could be anonymously providing the information, to name but a few.
10. More tax on savings income
If you earn interest on savings, here’s a heads-up: from 6 April 2027, the government is increasing the income tax rates on savings income by 2% across the board. That means:
- Savings basic rate jumps from 20% to 22%
- Savings higher rate goes from 40% to 42%
- Savings additional rate rises from 45% to 47%
Along with the other tax increases, the Treasury says it’s about “narrow[ing] the gap between tax paid on work and tax paid on income from assets”. For anyone who is a keen saver, this means Labour want more of your hard earned investment income – whether you’re a contractor with a healthy emergency fund or an SME director with cash reserves.
It might not end up being a huge difference for small balances, but for larger sums, it adds up.
Final Thoughts
This Budget was packed with a lot of little stuff rather than one big thing. Labour may continue to trumpet the fact that they haven’t broken their manifesto pledge in not raising Income Tax. And while that might be the case (technically), they’ve certainly gone against the spirit of that promise with continued fiscal drag.
The different implementation dates for some of the measures are madness and will only add more confusion to an already complex tax system that’s in dire need of simplification and reform.
A parting message – contractors, agencies, and SMEs will have the challenge of adapting quickly to a lot of these changes. They need to review their tax planning and remuneration strategies, pick apart their compliance processes through their supply chain and look at their digital systems before deadlines hit.
