CIS compliance for property developers
CIS compliance for property developers
The Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) is a scheme whereby contractors of building firms are required to deduct tax at source from payments made to sub-contractors working for them. Some sub-contractors are entitled to be paid without any tax deduction, others at 30% as per HMRC’s instructions but the majority have 20% tax withheld before payment. The scheme requires registration as a contractor and administration in the form of monthly submissions; the penalties for non and/or late submission can be severe.
Definitions
The definition of ‘contractor’ is widely drawn – HMRC’s Construction Industry Scheme guide CIS 340 defines a (mainstream) contractor as ‘a business or other concern that pays subcontractors for construction work. Contractors may be construction companies and building firms, but may also be … many other businesses.‘
The definition of ‘construction work’ is again widely drawn to include the construction, alteration, repair, extension, demolition or dismantling of buildings and/or work – although there are exceptions. A business set up to undertake such construction work is obviously required to operate the scheme as would a property developer undertaking a trading business in construction of properties being developed for sale (even if just on one property). Private householders paying for work on their own homes will never fall within the CIS regime’s scope.
Buying property as an investment
In comparison, someone who buys and rents out property typically does so as an investment; this would appear to be confirmed as under section 12080 of The Construction Industry Scheme Reform Manual it states that:
“A ‘property investment business’ is not the same thing as a ‘property developer’. A property investment business acquires and disposes of buildings for capital gain or uses the buildings for rental.“
However, a problem arises when an investor landlord buys a property, doing it up intending to keep it as a rental property – is that person now a developer and thereforecaught under the CIS rules? HMRC confirm that this is the case as further on in the CIS manual it states that:
“Where a business that is ordinarily a property investor, undertakes activities attributed to those of ‘property development’, they will be considered a mainstream contractor [caught for CIS] during the period of that development”.
Therefore, the investor now becomes a developer liable to register as a contractor under the CIS regime even if just one property is renovated.
Wider scope for the CIS scheme The system goes further because even where the landlord is predominantly a property investor and therefore not a construction business (e.g. a restaurant chain), they are deemed to be a contractor and subject to the CIS regime if they spend more than £1 million a year, on average, for three years on ‘construction operations’ (e.g. repairs, construction of extensions etc), on their premises or investment properties. There is a slight ‘let out’ in that such businesses can ignore expenditure on property such as offices or warehouses used by the business itself.
Some businesses commission construction firms to undertake work for them but if the work is for the business’s own premises, used for that business, then the business itself is not obliged to register or act as a CIS contractor.
‘De minimus’ limit
There is a ‘de minimus’ limit in that on application, HMRC can authorise deemed contractors not to apply the scheme to small contracts for construction operations amounting to less than £1,000, excluding the cost of materials however this arrangement does not apply to mainstream contractors.
Sale of a second home or investment property – Reporting the gain and paying the tax
Unlike a gain on the sale of a main residence, which qualifies for private residence relief (as long as the associated conditions are met), any gain that arises on the sale of a second home or an investment property (such as a buy-to-let property) will be liable to capital gains tax. Since 6 April 2020, different rules apply to residential capital gains as compared to gains on other chargeable assets.
Report the gain
Residential property gains not covered by private residence relief must now be reported to HMRC within 30 days on the date of completion. To do this, it is necessary to set up a Capital Gains Tax on UK property account on the Gov.uk website and use this to report the gain. However, if the gain is reported on a self-assessment return before the end of the 30-day limit, the gain does not also need to be reported via the online service.
A penalty of £100 is charged for a failure to report the gain within 30 days.
Pay the tax
A payment on account of the tax due on the gain must also be made to HMRC within 30 days of the completion date. This is the best estimate of the capital gains that is due at that point in time. To calculate the amount due, the following should be taken into account:
- the annual exempt amount (unless already used on a previous property gain in the same tax year);
- any losses realised prior to completion (unless already utilised on a previous capital gain); and
- the likely rate of tax – this will be 18% if total taxable income and gains for the year are less than the basic rate band and 28% to the extent that they exceed this. The gain is treated as the top slice when working out which tax band it falls into.
Payment can be made online via the taxpayer’s Capital Gains Tax on UK property account. Interest is charged if the tax is not paid within the 30-day window.
The overall capital gains tax position for the tax year will depend on other disposals in the year. If other disposals are made in the year, the position is recalculated after the end of the year on the self-assessment return. Any additional tax falling payable must be paid by the normal capital gains tax due date of 31 January after the end of the tax year. If the eventual liability for the year is less than the amount paid on account in respect of property gains, a repayment of the excess will be made. A repayment may arise if, for example, a loss is made on shares following the disposal of the property.
Practical tip
When selling a second home or an investment property, remember to work out the capital gain and to report it to HMRC and pay the associated tax within 30 days of the completion date.
Selling your main residence with land – Will the SDLT return trip you up?
Most people do not expect to pay capital gains tax when they sell their only or main home, particularly if the property has been their only home for their entire time that they owned it. However, what is less well known is that the exemption places a limit on the amount of garden that falls within the main residence exemption. This may catch out those who sell their main residence and have large gardens or land.
What is allowed?
The legislation allows grounds up to the ‘permitted area’ to fall within the main residence exemption. This is set at 0.5 of a hectare (1.24 acres). However, a larger area may be allowed where, ‘having regard to the size and character of the dwelling’ this is required for the reasonable enjoyment of the property.
Case law
The case of Phillips v HMRC UKFTT 381 TC concerned the sale of the Phillips’ main residence, which had a garden of 0.94 of a hectare. As it was their main residence, the Phillips did not declare the gain to HMRC. HMRC investigated the disposal while checking SDLT returns in March 2017, having discovered that at 0.94 of a hectare, the grounds exceeded the permitted area of 0.5 of a hectare allowed by the legislation.
In considering whether the larger grounds were needed for the reasonable enjoyment of the property, recourse was made to previous decisions. These included the case of Longston v Baker 73 TC415, in which the taxpayer contended that land in excess of 0.5 of a hectare was needed to house and graze his horses. However, the judge noted that it was ‘not objectively required, i.e. necessary, to keep horses at houses in order to enjoy them as a residence’.
In the Phillips’ case, the Tribunal found in their favour, ruling that the land was required for the reasonable enjoyment of the property, which is large and in a rural area. However, as previous decisions show, it is far from a given that the Tribunal will always rule in the taxpayer’s favour when it comes to deciding whether land sold with a house falls within the main residence exemption.
Caution required
Some caution is required when selling a property that has substantial grounds, particularly if some of the land is used for equestrian purposes. The purchaser will pay SDLT, and where this is at mixed property rather than residential rates, a review of the SDLT returns may trigger an investigation.