Dividend allowance

Newsletter issue - August 2019.

Many family-owned companies allocate dividends towards the end of their financial year and/or the tax year, which means that the impact of the reduction in the dividend allowance from £5,000 to £2,000 from 6 April 2018 is only now starting to come to light. Many other taxpayers may not become aware of the change until they complete their 2018/19 tax return, which in most cases, will be due for submission to HMRC by 31 January 2020.

The amount of tax payable on a dividend will primarily depend on which tax band the first £2,000 falls in. The tax rates on dividend income, above the allowance, remain at 7.5% for basic rate taxpayers, 32.5% for higher rate taxpayers and 38.1% for additional rate taxpayers.

For a basic rate taxpayer, the reduction in the allowance means an increase in tax paid on dividends of £225. For a higher rate taxpayer, the reduction increases the annual tax bill on dividends by £975, and for additional rate taxpayers, the increase is £1,143. Note that if dividend income falls between multiple tax bands, these figures will be different.

The allocation of various rate bands and tax rates can be complicated, even in situations where straight-forward dividend payments are made. Family business structures may be particularly vulnerable to the impact of the reduction in the dividend allowance, especially where multiple family members take dividends from the family company.