Help Sheet IR238-UITF 40
Here is an explanation of how to spread the adjustment income for individuals and partnerships. There is more detailed guidance in the Business Income Manual (BIM) – see below.
The accounting bodies that make up the Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies (the CCAB) issued guidance on the application of UITF 40 on 15 August. See the guidance
The ICAEW published guidance on the practical issues that arise on UITF 40 on 4 October – ICAEW Taxguide 8/06 UITF 40 and Taxation. The Association of Chartered and Certified Accountants (ACCA) has published the same material as Technical Fact sheet 135.
This guidance has been agreed both with HMRC and a number of other accounting and tax bodies. HMRC has not reviewed or agreed any other guidance.
We are about to publish (as at January 2007) comprehensive HMRC guidance in the BIM but in advance of the publication here is a copy (PDF 125K).
The legislation is in Schedule 15 of Finance Act 2006 (PDF).
Amendments
Work in Progress
The Help Sheet sets out what would happen when a business changes its accounting practice for turnover because it is required to do so by UITF40. The paragraph is reproduced here for reference.
How this new accounting practice differs
The changes cover when the turnover generated by service contracts is brought into your accounts for those contracts that haven't been completed by the end of your accounting period.
Under earlier accounting practice, the accounts for many businesses only showed the cost of the work done by the end of the accounting year as ‘work in progress’ and did not recognise any profit on the work done to date. The changes mean that the accounts will now recognise the turnover or sales value of the work done, and show the related cost as an expense in the same period.
Work in progress on service contracts will no longer appear in the accounts.
Some commentators have read this as meaning that there will never be work in progress for work done on any service contracts at all. This is not correct: UITF40 does not change the timing of recognition of turnover for all service contracts and where UITF40 has not changed the accounting for turnover, the related cost of work performed to date will still be carried forward as work in progress. There is more on this subject in the ICAEW's Taxguide 8/06 (see above).
Tax Credits
The position on tax credits is clarified as follows:
See page 3 “How the adjustment is taxed” – paragraph 3.
Although the adjustment is not part of the trading profits for income tax purpose (being included in the return elsewhere) for the child and working tax credits it is part of income from self-employment. It should be included as such in Part 5 of the tax credits claim form (TC600) and in Part 2 of the tax credits annual renewal forms (TC603RD and TC603R).”