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New guidance on employment allowance
money notes

Up to £2,000 allowance available from April 2014

Employers can now claim up to £2,000 a year in employment allowance, reducing the amount they pay in Class 1 National Insurance Contributions (NICs).

Available to most employers, the scheme means employers who usually pay less than £2,000 a year will generally not have to pay any NICs at all.

Businesses or charities that pay Class 1 NICs on employee or directors' earnings can claim the allowance. Some employers are excluded however, such as those who carry out functions mainly or wholly of a public nature (unless they have charitable status).

For businesses and charities that are part of a group or structure, one one company or charity can claim the allowance.

In addition, the allowance can only be claimed against one PAYE scheme.

To claim, you can use your 2014 to 2015 payroll software or HMRC's basic PAYE tools for 2014 to 2015.

Once you have made your claim, HMRC will automatically carry it forward each tax year, so check your circumstances remain the same at the beginning of each year.

For HMRC's guide to employment allowance, visit http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/pensionschemes/pensionflexibility.htm

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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

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News Shorts
Germany livestock import ban lifted

The UK government has amended its ban on the import of livestock, meat and dairy products from Germany.

Defra said the decision follows 'rigorous technical assessment' of the measures applied and the current situation. "If the situation changes, we will not hesitate to take necessary action in response to the FMD outbreaks in the European Union to protect our domestic biosecurity," it said.

The ban was implemented in January following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) near Berlin. Personal imports of meat, milk and dairy products will remain in place at a country level.