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A Landlord Tax Calculator is a tool for property owners to maximise their rental earnings while meeting their tax obligations as a landlord in London. It allows you to easily calculate the rent profit from your properties while taking advantage of any tax deductions or claims that you’re entitled to.
When used properly, this calculating tool can improve your property’s profit potential while staying compliant with the ever-changing tax laws in London.
In this article, you’ll learn more about the Landlord Tax calculator, specifically what it can do and how you can use it properly and get accurate calculations.
About Landlord Taxation
Before getting into the calculator, let’s talk about your tax obligations as a landlord in London. As a property owner, you’ll encounter different types of tax payments.
If you inherited the property from someone, you’ll be asked to pay Inheritance Tax (IHT) together with the other heirs, if applicable. If you bought a property, you’ll have to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT). Both of these taxes will depend on the value of the property when you acquire it.
In case you decide to sell your London property, you’ll be asked to pay Capital Gains Tax (CGT) from the profits you make.
Once you start earning from letting the property, you’ll be obligated to pay an Income Tax based on the profit minus the allowed expenses.
What is Considered Taxable Rental Income
Any revenue that you receive from a resident or guest using your property in London is considered taxable income. This includes payment for:
- Staying in a property for a predetermined period
- Non-refundable deposits made
- Utility bills like water, electricity, Internet, etc
- Cleaning and maintenance of the property
As a landlord, you are expected to be transparent about the revenue from the rent and other paid services provided for the resident or guest. You also have to know the allowable deductions that can lower your taxable revenue significantly.
Apart from the expenses, you’re also allowed to claim a tax-free property allowance worth £1,000 every year – a right that only landlords earning from properties can claim.
For Multiple Property Owners
If you’re a landlord with multiple properties or you’re part of a group that holds shares in multiple properties, you’ll have a different structure for your rental income tax. Usually, all the receipts and expenses of the different properties can be combined. That means the losses of another property can be taken from the profit of another.
This doesn’t apply to letting your local or overseas properties and owning a share of a business that lets out properties. These are treated separately so you can’t offset the expenses of one property with the profit of the letting business or overseas property – and vice versa.
If you’re a new landlord and you’re not sure about your obligations, get the help of a professional. Make sure that you’re staying compliant and updated with your taxes so your rental profits won’t be affected.
In case the calculations look confusing, there are tools that you can use to make it easier. This is where a special type of calculator comes into play.
What is a Landlord Tax Calculator?
As the name suggests, the Landlord Tax Calculator is a specific tool programmed to help a landlord calculate their tax payments against their rent profit and expenses. It can guide you on what information is needed to calculate the landlord tax you have to pay.
For instance, if you input your rental profit, tax calculators automatically remove the property allowance from the taxable income. The same is true for the mortgage interest cap that you can deduct.
By learning to use these tax calculators for landlords, you’ll feel more confident about paying your dues. It can help spot any tax liability or claim that can lower your payment obligations.
How does the Tax Calculator for Landlords work?
The primary goal of this tool is to help you identify how much income tax you owe. It simplifies the process by helping landlords with the following:
- Calculates the taxable income. This tool provides an accurate calculation of your revenue, including all revenues from multiple properties owned.
- Tracks property-related expenses. Most calculators provide space to enumerate various expenses that a property incurs to keep it in good condition for letting like mortgage interest, maintenance, property management fees, etc.
- Computes Capital Gains. For property owners who’ve decided to sell their properties, this feature will benefit you. This tool is also equipped to help you estimate the potential tax liability that you have against the profit from the sale.
- Identifies tax deductions and allowances. This tool also identifies deductions or allowances that you’re entitled to – like the property allowance, etc. This helps lower your tax liabilities.
- Determines the mortgage interest relief. Section 24 of the Mortgage Interest Relief Cap limits the deduction to 20% of the mortgage interests from the taxable income. A calculator specific to the London letting market would have this detail specified in the calculation.
Make sure you choose a landlord tax calculator that’s specific for London property owners. These are usually updated based on the current property and letting rules in London. That way, automatic deductions like the property allowance will be applied to your computations.
What information is needed to use a landlord tax calculator properly?
Using a tax calculator for landlords is only as effective as the information that you provide. If you give the wrong profit or expense details, your tax calculations will be incorrect.
For instance, if you only include the monthly rent and not the non-refundable deposit, you’ll end up paying less taxes than what you’re due. Or if you only list the mortgage, cleaning and repair expenses and not the insurance, you’ll be paying more taxes than what is needed. Both of these aren’t ideal because it compromises your property’s earning potential.
One of the areas that’s confusing is the list of acceptable deductions. Among the list of deductions that you can declare to lower your taxes are as follows.
- Home repairs and maintenance expense
- Depreciation of the property’s value
- Insurance premiums and costs
- Property management fees (if applicable)
- Home office expense (if the landlord uses their home to manage the letting unit)
- Travel expense (every time the landlord has to travel to the property to inspect and repair its structural integrity, etc.)
The mortgage interest is also deductible but make sure you’re aware of the limit on what you can deduct.
What are the Benefits of Using a Rental Income Tax Calculator?
A landlord has a lot of obligations to take care of to maximise their earning potential and comply with tax laws. They have to monitor the unit for repairs and damages, arrange for maintenance services, pay the insurance and various bills, etc. Calculating the amount of tax to pay is another thing to add to this long list.
By using a tax calculator for landlords, you can accomplish this task faster and more efficiently. It can help you plan your finances so you always have enough funds to pay your financial obligations.
The specific programming of this calculating tool for landlord taxes will also help you maximise your deductions. By lowering your taxable income, you will pay lower taxes and take home more of the profits. This will minimise the financial burden on your property and your compliance will also ensure that your earnings are protected from penalties and legal implications.
Step-by-Step Guide to Using a Landlord Tax Calculator
There are 6 steps to using a rental income tax calculator efficiently.
- Find a reputable Landlord Tax Calculator. Make sure it’s specific to London so it’s programmed with the specific rates, fees and other details mandated by the tax laws of the city. Check that the tool is regularly updated to comply with the new tax laws passed in recent years.
- Gather all the necessary information. This includes your income and expense list. It’s best to gather any documents to back up your list of expenses and claims so you can ensure that you’re putting in the right numerical data. This will also make it easier to file your taxes when the time comes.
- Input the rental income. As mentioned earlier in this article, all forms of profit from the property (monthly letting fee, maintenance fee, non-refundable deposit, etc) should be added to the overall rental earnings. If you have multiple properties, you can add them as one (unless the property is part of a separate property management company that you own or located overseas.)
- Encode the allowable deductions. Any property-related expense that’s within the parameters of the allowable deductions list can be added here. This includes the mortgage interest, insurance, repairs and maintenance fees, etc.
- Add claims and other expenses. Some landlord tax calculators will automatically deduct the property allowance while others will require you to input it.
- Review all the information and then calculate the result. Document the data so you can easily backtrack your tax payments every filing season.
Maximise your Property’s Rental Income Potential
Using a tax calculator can make your life easier as a landlord. It can empower you to make confident financial decisions that will lead to better and higher returns. It can ease your financial burden and allow you to stay compliant with your local laws.
Although using this tool brings a lot of benefits, you’ll still gain more if you work with experts in the London letting market. There are property managers who can do the calculations for you as part of their service. By taking this task off your plate, you can focus on growing your portfolio.
If you need direction when it comes to your landlord tax obligations, City Relay experts are here to help. Part of our service is to guide our partners and help them stay compliant with the rules and laws in London.
Find out how we can help your property stay competitive in the tough letting market. Reach out to us and we can discuss how to improve compliance and rental earning potential.
