bk plus has appointed Jack Bonehill as Head of Employment Tax. He will build and lead the group’s new employment tax offering. The appointment gives clients access to a dedicated specialist in an area that touches almost every business.

Jack has worked in employment tax throughout his career. He began at a boutique firm in Bromsgrove, where he spent 18 months. He then joined Dains, where he stayed for seven years, being promoted multiple times all the way to senior manager. Much of his work there was for clients in the recruitment sector.

He then moved to PKF Smith Cooper as Employment Tax Director to establish its Birmingham employment tax team, but within 6 months took over the leadership of the wider team. He stayed for two and a half years.

Jack is also known across the tax profession for his work outside his day job. He launched a podcast for tax professionals in 2020 (The Tax Professionals Podcast) and still hosts it. The podcast grew into a training offering for tax professionals and for accountancy firms with tax teams. Related to all of this, he is a regular contributor to LinkedIn.

Employment tax covers more than the tax on employees. It extends to directors, non-executive directors, agency workers and contractors (and other individuals) that work for a business but are paid outside the payroll (e.g. by invoice). There are potential tax and National Insurance savings for businesses (on the positive side) and compliance errors can lead to HMRC enquiries and large liabilities.

At bk plus, Jack will build the team and advise any business with employees or a wider workforce. He will help clients report income tax, National Insurance, benefits and expenses correctly to HMRC. His work ranges from answering a single question to putting new processes in place so that clients control their risk. He will also review how clients pay their staff to identify tax savings.

Jack advises on termination payments, including redundancy and settlement packages worth more than £1 million. He helps employers get the tax and National Insurance right and keep the cost down but also not explicitly make errors.

Jack supports clients facing HMRC enquiries in the employment team realm, which usually are called a “Check of Employer Records”, “Employer Compliance Review” of a “Review of Benefits and Expenses” by HMRC.

The appointment also strengthens the group’s transactions offering. Jack can now carry out employment tax due diligence for clients buying businesses. He can also support vendor due diligence, so sellers can find and fix risks before going to market. Weak employment tax controls can affect the price of a deal and lead to warranties and indemnities that leave sellers exposed after completion.

Jack also covers National Minimum Wage advice and the Construction Industry Scheme.

Jack said: “Employment tax touches every business with people working for it, but many only look at it when HMRC gets in touch or a deal is on the table. I want clients to get it right from the start, prevent future problems, and take advantage of any potential savings.. bk plus has a broad client base so I can add value in a lot of places.”

Mark Parsons, Head of Advisory at bk plus, said: “Employment tax is a specialist area, and clients need advice from someone who deals with it every day. Jack is one of the best-known names in the field, and he brings real depth. His arrival lets us support clients with payroll risk, HMRC enquiries and due diligence under one roof.”