Free CISI CWM AWM Practice Questions: Private-Client Taxation

Practice 10 free CISI Chartered Wealth Manager Applied Wealth Management sample exam questions on Private-Client Taxation, with answers, explanations, practice tests, topic drills, and the Finance Prep next step.

CISI means Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment. CWM means Chartered Wealth Manager, and this page is for the Applied Wealth Management paper. Use this focused CISI CWM Applied Wealth page as a short practice test for Private-Client Taxation. The items are original Finance Prep sample exam questions built for scenario-based practice, not trivia, puzzle questions, official CISI questions, copied live-exam content, or exam dumps.

Topic snapshot

FieldDetail
Exam routeCISI CWM Applied Wealth
IssuerCISI
Credential identityCISI is the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment; CWM means Chartered Wealth Manager.
Topic areaPrivate-Client Taxation
Blueprint weight13%
Page purposeFocused sample questions before returning to mixed practice

How to use this topic drill

Use this page to isolate Private-Client Taxation for CISI CWM Applied Wealth. Work through the 10 questions first, then review the explanations and return to mixed practice in Finance Prep.

PassWhat to doWhat to record
First attemptAnswer without checking the explanation first.The fact, rule, calculation, or judgment point that controlled your answer.
ReviewRead the explanation even when you were correct.Why the best answer is stronger than the closest distractor.
RepairRepeat only missed or uncertain items after a short break.The pattern behind misses, not the answer letter.
TransferReturn to mixed practice once the topic feels stable.Whether the same skill holds up when the topic is no longer obvious.

Blueprint context: 13% of the practice outline. A focused topic score can overstate readiness if you recognize the pattern too quickly, so use it as repair work before timed mixed sets.

Sample questions

These are original Finance Prep practice questions aligned to this topic area. They are not official CISI questions, copied live-exam content, or exam dumps. Use them to preview question style and explanation depth before continuing with topic drills, mixed sets, and timed mock exams in Finance Prep.

Question 1

Topic: Private-Client Taxation, NIC, Reliefs, Overseas Income, IHT, Corporation Tax, and International Tax

Amelia is reviewing her UK tax position before completing her self-assessment return.

Relevant facts:

  • She is UK resident and UK domiciled for the full tax year.
  • She receives UK employment income and UK bank interest.
  • She receives dividends from US shares held outside an ISA, with US withholding tax deducted.
  • She receives net rental profit from a Spanish apartment, and Spanish income tax has already been paid.
  • She keeps the US dividends and Spanish rental income in overseas accounts.

What is the single best explanation of Amelia’s UK income tax scope and liability?

  • A. She is liable to UK income tax only on UK employment income and UK bank interest because the overseas income has not been remitted to the UK.
  • B. She is liable to UK income tax on the US dividends but not on the Spanish rental profit because foreign property income is taxed only in the country where the property is located.
  • C. She has no UK income tax liability on the US dividends or Spanish rental profit because foreign withholding tax and Spanish tax have already been paid.
  • D. She is within UK income tax on her worldwide income, including the US dividends and Spanish rental profit, with potential relief for foreign tax paid where available.

Best answer: D

What this tests: Private-Client Taxation, NIC, Reliefs, Overseas Income, IHT, Corporation Tax, and International Tax

Explanation: A UK-resident and UK-domiciled private client is generally subject to UK income tax on worldwide income, not just UK-source income. Keeping overseas income outside the UK does not remove it from the UK tax scope for such a client. Foreign tax already paid may be relevant, but it usually affects the calculation through double-taxation relief or treaty provisions rather than excluding the income from the UK return. In Amelia’s case, the UK employment income, UK bank interest, US dividends held outside an ISA, and Spanish rental profit all need to be considered for UK income tax purposes. The foreign tax suffered may reduce the effective UK liability where relief is available, but it does not make the overseas income irrelevant.

  • Remittance is not the deciding test for a UK-resident, UK-domiciled client; worldwide income is in scope.
  • Foreign property income can still fall within UK income tax for a UK-resident client, even if the source country also taxes it.
  • Foreign tax paid is not the same as exemption from UK income tax; it may instead support a double-taxation relief claim.

As a UK-resident and UK-domiciled individual, Amelia is generally taxable in the UK on worldwide income, subject to any available double-taxation relief.


Question 2

Topic: Private-Client Taxation, NIC, Reliefs, Overseas Income, IHT, Corporation Tax, and International Tax

Priya is a UK-resident and UK-domiciled private client. She is reviewing the after-tax return from an overseas fixed-income holding in her taxable portfolio.

Case extract:

  • Priya’s UK marginal income tax rate on this type of interest is 45%.
  • She has no available personal savings allowance, losses, or deductible expenses for this income.
  • Gross interest from Country X bonds: £50,000.
  • Country X withholding tax deducted by the custodian: 20%, or £10,000.
  • The UK-Country X double-taxation agreement limits Country X withholding tax on this type of interest to 15% of the gross interest.
  • UK foreign tax credit relief is available for foreign tax properly payable, capped at the lower of the treaty-permitted foreign tax and the UK tax on the same income.
  • Any Country X withholding above the treaty cap is reclaimable from Country X. Ignore timing and exchange rates.

Which calculation should be used for Priya’s planning note?

  • A. UK tax is charged only on the £40,000 net cash received, so Priya pays £18,000 in the UK and makes no treaty reclaim.
  • B. UK tax on the gross interest is £22,500; foreign tax credit is £7,500; UK tax still due is £15,000, with a £2,500 reclaim from Country X.
  • C. The treaty rate of 15% is the final tax cost, so no further UK tax is due and Priya reclaims £2,500 from Country X.
  • D. UK tax on the gross interest is £22,500; foreign tax credit is the full £10,000 withheld; UK tax still due is £12,500, with no reclaim from Country X.

Best answer: B

What this tests: Private-Client Taxation, NIC, Reliefs, Overseas Income, IHT, Corporation Tax, and International Tax

Explanation: A UK-resident individual is normally taxed in the UK on worldwide income using the gross amount before foreign withholding tax. Double-taxation relief then prevents the same income being taxed twice, but the credit is limited. Here, UK tax on the £50,000 gross interest is 45%, or £22,500. The double-taxation agreement permits Country X to withhold only 15%, so the creditable foreign tax is £7,500. The extra 5% withheld, £2,500, is not the UK’s credit problem under the facts given; it should be reclaimed from Country X. Priya therefore has £15,000 further UK tax to pay after credit relief and a separate £2,500 foreign reclaim.

  • Crediting the full £10,000 ignores the treaty cap on foreign tax properly payable.
  • Taxing only the £40,000 net receipt wrongly treats withholding tax as reducing the UK taxable income.
  • Treating the treaty rate as final ignores UK taxation of worldwide income for a UK-resident client.

The treaty caps creditable Country X tax at 15% of £50,000, so Priya credits £7,500 against UK tax of £22,500 and reclaims the excess £2,500 abroad.


Question 3

Topic: Private-Client Taxation, NIC, Reliefs, Overseas Income, IHT, Corporation Tax, and International Tax

A UK resident client is reviewing tax-advantaged planning for the current tax year. All investments are qualifying, within the relevant scheme limits, and the required holding-period conditions will be met.

Client figures:

ItemAmount
Income tax liability before these reliefs£15,500
Stocks and shares ISA subscription£20,000
EIS subscription for new qualifying shares£30,000
VCT subscription for new qualifying shares£25,000
Gain on exercise of approved SAYE share options£8,000

Relief notes supplied:

  • EIS income tax relief: 30% of the qualifying subscription, limited to the investor’s income tax liability.
  • VCT income tax relief: 30% of the qualifying subscription, limited to the investor’s income tax liability.
  • ISA subscriptions do not give an upfront income tax reducer, but income and gains inside the ISA are tax-free.
  • The approved SAYE option exercise meets the conditions for no income tax or NIC on exercise.

Which interpretation is correct?

  • A. Only the EIS subscription gives upfront income tax relief, so the maximum reducer is £9,000; VCT relief is limited to tax-free dividends only.
  • B. The client can use the full £16,500 EIS and VCT relief and carry the £1,000 excess against NIC due on the SAYE gain.
  • C. The potential EIS and VCT income tax relief is £16,500, but only £15,500 can be used; the ISA gives tax-free income and gains, and the SAYE exercise is free of income tax and NIC on exercise.
  • D. The client can claim £22,500 of upfront income tax relief because ISA, EIS and VCT subscriptions all qualify for 30% relief.

Best answer: C

What this tests: Private-Client Taxation, NIC, Reliefs, Overseas Income, IHT, Corporation Tax, and International Tax

Explanation: EIS and VCT subscriptions can both give an upfront income tax reducer at the stated 30% rate, provided the shares and investor conditions are met. Here, the gross potential relief is 30% of £30,000 plus 30% of £25,000, giving £9,000 plus £7,500, or £16,500. However, these reducers cannot create a negative income tax liability, so the usable relief is capped at the available £15,500 liability. An ISA is still tax-advantaged, but through exemption for income and gains within the wrapper rather than an upfront reducer. The approved SAYE exercise relief is different again: under the stated conditions, the £8,000 option gain is not charged to income tax or NIC on exercise.

  • Treating an ISA subscription as a 30% income tax reducer confuses ISA exemption with EIS and VCT upfront relief.
  • Ignoring VCT upfront relief misses one of the main special reliefs available for subscriptions to new qualifying VCT shares.
  • Excess EIS or VCT income tax relief cannot be redirected to NIC, and the SAYE gain is not taxable on exercise under the stated approved-scheme conditions.

The 30% EIS and VCT relief totals £16,500, but it cannot reduce the client’s income tax liability below nil.


Question 4

Topic: Private-Client Taxation, NIC, Reliefs, Overseas Income, IHT, Corporation Tax, and International Tax

A UK-resident client is taxed on the arising basis and wants to use an overseas equity holding to fund a school fee. All figures are GBP equivalents at expected exchange rates.

Planning facts:

  • Gross overseas dividend expected: £20,000
  • Overseas withholding tax deducted at source: 15%
  • UK dividend tax rate applying to this income: 39.35%
  • All dividend allowances and other available allowances have already been used
  • Double-tax relief is available for the lower of the overseas tax paid and the UK tax on the same gross income
  • No treaty reclaim is assumed
  • School fee due after the UK balancing tax payment date: £14,000

Which conclusion is most appropriate for the recommendation?

  • A. Treat the withholding tax as final; the client receives £17,000 net and has a £3,000 surplus over the school fee with no UK reporting issue.
  • B. Report the gross overseas dividend and withholding; after £3,000 overseas tax and £4,870 further UK tax, £12,130 remains, creating a £1,870 funding shortfall.
  • C. Calculate UK tax on the £17,000 net receipt only; after credit for withholding tax, £13,310.50 remains and the shortfall is £689.50.
  • D. Claim the full UK dividend tax as double-tax relief; no further UK tax is payable and £17,000 is available for the fee.

Best answer: B

What this tests: Private-Client Taxation, NIC, Reliefs, Overseas Income, IHT, Corporation Tax, and International Tax

Explanation: Overseas income can create both reporting and cash-flow issues even where tax is withheld abroad. A UK-resident client taxed on the arising basis normally reports the gross overseas income and the foreign tax paid, then claims double-tax relief where available. Here, overseas withholding is £20,000 × 15% = £3,000. UK dividend tax on the gross dividend is £20,000 × 39.35% = £7,870. Double-tax relief is limited to £3,000, so the further UK tax is £4,870. The client receives £17,000 after withholding, but after the UK balancing tax payment only £12,130 remains. That is £1,870 short of the £14,000 school fee, so the recommendation should not rely on this income alone without a liquidity reserve or alternative funding source.

  • Treating overseas withholding as final ignores UK reporting and further UK tax on the gross income.
  • Taxing only the net receipt understates the UK liability because the UK calculation starts with the gross dividend.
  • Double-tax relief cannot exceed the lower of the overseas tax paid and the UK tax on the same income; it does not automatically eliminate UK tax.

The UK tax is calculated on the £20,000 gross dividend, with credit for the £3,000 withholding tax, leaving £12,130 net cash after all tax.


Question 5

Topic: Private-Client Taxation, NIC, Reliefs, Overseas Income, IHT, Corporation Tax, and International Tax

A UK-resident and UK-domiciled client is taxed on overseas income on the arising basis. They have already used any relevant personal, dividend, savings, property or expense allowances.

For the tax year, the only overseas income items are:

Income itemGross incomeForeign tax paidUK tax rate
Overseas residential letting income£18,000£8,00040%
Overseas listed-company dividends£12,000£3,00033.75%

The relevant treaties allow double-tax relief for the foreign tax paid. The credit for each income item is limited to the UK tax on that same item, and any excess credit cannot be repaid or used against the other item.

What UK income tax remains payable on these overseas income items after double-tax relief?

  • A. £3,250
  • B. £4,050
  • C. £250
  • D. £1,050

Best answer: D

What this tests: Private-Client Taxation, NIC, Reliefs, Overseas Income, IHT, Corporation Tax, and International Tax

Explanation: A UK-resident client taxed on the arising basis is generally assessed on worldwide income, but double-tax relief can reduce UK tax where foreign tax has also been paid. The calculation must be made separately for each income item when the relief is capped by reference to the UK tax on that same item. The overseas letting income creates UK tax of £18,000 × 40% = £7,200. The foreign tax paid is £8,000, so the UK credit is capped at £7,200 and no UK tax remains on that item. The dividend income creates UK tax of £12,000 × 33.75% = £4,050. Foreign tax paid is £3,000, so the remaining UK tax is £1,050. The excess £800 foreign tax on the property income cannot reduce the dividend tax.

  • £250 wrongly pools all foreign tax and uses the excess property tax against the dividend liability.
  • £3,250 offsets the full property foreign tax against the overall UK liability and ignores the dividend withholding tax.
  • £4,050 gives relief for the property income but gives no credit for the foreign tax paid on the dividends.

The property income has no further UK tax because the credit is capped at £7,200, and the dividends leave £4,050 less £3,000, giving £1,050 payable.


Question 6

Topic: Private-Client Taxation, NIC, Reliefs, Overseas Income, IHT, Corporation Tax, and International Tax

A wealth manager is preparing an after-tax cash-flow projection for a UK-resident client living in England. The client has no other income, reliefs, allowances or tax deducted at source.

Tax-year facts:

  • Salary: £118,000
  • Bank interest: £1,200
  • UK dividends: £4,000
  • Personal pension contribution paid under relief at source: £8,000 net, treated as £10,000 gross
  • Gift Aid donations: £2,000 net, treated as £2,500 gross

Tax rules to use:

  • Personal allowance: £12,570, reduced by £1 for every £2 of adjusted net income over £100,000
  • Adjusted net income is reduced by the gross pension contribution and gross Gift Aid donation
  • Basic-rate limit: £37,700, extended by the gross pension contribution and gross Gift Aid donation
  • Income is taxed in this order: non-savings income, savings income, dividends
  • Non-savings and savings rates: 20% basic rate, 40% higher rate
  • Higher-rate personal savings allowance: £500
  • Dividend allowance: £500; higher-rate dividend rate: 33.75%
  • All taxable income remains below the additional-rate band

What is the client’s income tax liability before any PAYE deduction?

  • A. £38,233.25
  • B. £35,733.25
  • C. £33,593.25
  • D. £36,733.25

Best answer: B

What this tests: Private-Client Taxation, NIC, Reliefs, Overseas Income, IHT, Corporation Tax, and International Tax

Explanation: Total income is £123,200. Adjusted net income is £123,200 minus the £10,000 gross pension contribution and £2,500 gross Gift Aid donation, giving £110,700. The personal allowance is reduced by £5,350, so the available allowance is £7,220. Salary taxable after the allowance is £110,780. The basic-rate limit is extended to £50,200, so salary tax is £10,040 plus £24,232, totalling £34,272. The £1,200 savings income falls in the higher-rate band, but £500 is covered by the personal savings allowance, leaving £700 taxed at 40% = £280. Dividends are also in the higher-rate band: £500 is covered by the dividend allowance and £3,500 is taxed at 33.75% = £1,181.25. Total liability is £35,733.25.

  • £38,233.25 ignores the extension of the basic-rate band from the gross pension contribution and Gift Aid donation.
  • £33,593.25 keeps the full personal allowance and therefore misses the adjusted-net-income taper.
  • £36,733.25 uses the net payments rather than the gross pension and Gift Aid amounts for the allowance taper and band extension.

The calculation tapers the personal allowance using adjusted net income, extends the basic-rate band by the gross pension and Gift Aid amounts, then taxes savings and dividends after salary.


Question 7

Topic: Private-Client Taxation, NIC, Reliefs, Overseas Income, IHT, Corporation Tax, and International Tax

Amira, age 58, is UK resident, UK domiciled, and resident in England. She wants £18,000 of net cash each year to help her son with rent while he studies. She asks for a plain-English comparison of possible sources before deciding what to use.

Client extract:

  • Employment income: £72,000 salary; her personal allowance is already fully used.
  • Taxable savings: bank deposit interest is expected.
  • Taxable investments: a general investment account holds UK equity funds expected to pay dividends; she may also sell units if needed.
  • ISA: a stocks and shares ISA can be withdrawn from at any time.
  • Pension: a crystallised SIPP is available for flexi-access drawdown; the available tax-free cash from this pot has already been taken.
  • No transfer to her spouse or son is being considered for this decision.

“If I take £18,000 from any of these places, it is all income, so surely the tax result is the same.”

Which reply gives the clearest income tax explanation?

  • A. Drawdown from the crystallised SIPP and withdrawals from the ISA are both outside income tax because both have already been funded from taxed money.
  • B. Because her salary uses her personal allowance, any further cash she takes from savings, investments, ISA, or pension is automatically taxed as employment income at her marginal rate.
  • C. The tax result depends on the source: pension drawdown is taxable pension income, bank interest and dividends are assessed under savings and dividend rules after any available allowances, ISA withdrawals are outside income tax, and selling general investment account units is a capital disposal rather than income.
  • D. Dividend withdrawals from the general investment account should be treated as tax-free return of capital until the original cost of the fund units has been recovered.

Best answer: C

What this tests: Private-Client Taxation, NIC, Reliefs, Overseas Income, IHT, Corporation Tax, and International Tax

Explanation: For UK private-client income tax planning, the source of cash matters. A cash withdrawal is not automatically taxable income. Pension drawdown, once any available tax-free cash has been taken, is taxable pension income and is assessed at the client’s marginal income tax rates. Bank interest and dividends are income, but they are dealt with under the savings and dividend rules, including any available allowances. ISA withdrawals are outside income tax and capital gains tax, and they do not enter the client’s tax calculation. If Amira sells units in her general investment account, the sale is a capital disposal, so the relevant question is capital gains tax rather than income tax. A clear explanation should therefore classify each source before comparing after-tax cash flow.

  • Treating every receipt as employment income ignores the separate rules for savings, dividends, pensions, ISAs, and capital disposals.
  • Treating dividends as return of capital confuses income distributions with selling investment units.
  • Treating pension drawdown like an ISA ignores that the available pension tax-free cash has already been taken.

It correctly separates taxable pension, savings and dividend income from ISA withdrawals and capital disposals.


Question 8

Topic: Private-Client Taxation, NIC, Reliefs, Overseas Income, IHT, Corporation Tax, and International Tax

A wealth manager is reviewing a UK-resident and UK-domiciled client’s retirement-income plan.

Key facts:

  • The client needs predictable quarterly sterling income to meet care fees.
  • A US equity portfolio pays dividends into a US bank account; 30% US withholding tax is being deducted because no treaty form is on file.
  • A Spanish apartment generates rental income, with local Spanish tax paid each year.
  • The client says, “As the income is kept abroad and tax is already taken there, I assume it does not affect my UK tax return or my income plan.”

What is the single best response?

  • A. Use the gross overseas income in the cash-flow forecast because any foreign withholding tax can normally be reclaimed in full.
  • B. Explain that the overseas income must be considered for UK reporting, check double-taxation relief or treaty paperwork, and model the retirement plan using net, timed sterling cash flows.
  • C. Recommend selling all overseas assets immediately because overseas income is unsuitable for any client with UK care-fee liabilities.
  • D. Exclude the income from the UK plan because it is paid into foreign bank accounts and taxed before the client receives it.

Best answer: B

What this tests: Private-Client Taxation, NIC, Reliefs, Overseas Income, IHT, Corporation Tax, and International Tax

Explanation: For a UK-resident client, overseas income is not ignored simply because it is received abroad or subject to foreign withholding tax. It may need to be reported in the UK, with double-taxation relief considered where foreign tax has also been paid. Treaty paperwork may reduce withholding at source, such as on US dividends, but it does not remove the need to assess the income properly. From a suitability perspective, the adviser should not rely on headline gross income. The plan should reflect net sterling cash flows, payment dates, exchange-rate risk, foreign tax timing, and the client’s need for predictable quarterly care-fee funding.

  • Keeping income offshore does not by itself remove UK tax-reporting relevance for a UK-resident client.
  • Gross income overstates affordability where withholding tax, foreign tax, UK tax and currency conversion affect spendable cash.
  • Overseas assets are not automatically unsuitable; the issue is whether reporting, tax relief, liquidity, currency and timing are properly managed.

A UK-resident client’s overseas income can create UK reporting obligations, foreign tax credit or treaty claims, and practical suitability issues around net income, currency and timing.


Question 9

Topic: Private-Client Taxation, NIC, Reliefs, Overseas Income, IHT, Corporation Tax, and International Tax

A wealth manager is reviewing a client’s international tax position.

  • The client is UK resident, non-UK domiciled, eligible to claim the remittance basis for the tax year, and not treated as UK domiciled for IHT.
  • She holds £800,000 of segregated clean capital in Guernsey and £1.2 million of untaxed foreign income and gains in a separate overseas account.
  • She needs £500,000 in the UK in three months for a house purchase.
  • She wants the rest invested for 10-year growth with UK equity exposure, while limiting unnecessary UK tax and IHT exposure.
  • A junior note suggests using the untaxed overseas account to buy London-listed investment trust shares through an offshore platform and selecting non-reporting offshore funds because “gains will be capital and can remain offshore.”

Which response is most suitable?

  • A. Buy the UK investment-trust shares offshore, because non-UK domicile keeps all securities held on an offshore platform outside the UK IHT net.
  • B. Select non-reporting offshore funds, because gains on disposal are taxed as capital gains provided the sale proceeds stay outside the UK.
  • C. Use the untaxed foreign income and gains first for the house purchase, because the remittance basis taxes only amounts distributed by offshore funds.
  • D. Use clean capital for the UK house purchase, avoid funding UK-situs investment-trust shares with untaxed foreign income or gains, and prefer offshore funds with UK reporting status if capital-gains treatment is wanted.

Best answer: D

What this tests: Private-Client Taxation, NIC, Reliefs, Overseas Income, IHT, Corporation Tax, and International Tax

Explanation: For a remittance-basis client, segregated clean capital is usually the preferred source for UK spending because it can be brought to the UK without triggering tax on foreign income or gains. Untaxed foreign income and gains should not be used for UK expenditure or UK-situs investments unless the client accepts the remittance consequences or a specific relief applies. Non-UK domicile does not remove UK IHT exposure on UK-situs assets, such as UK company shares or UK investment-trust shares, even if held through an offshore platform. Offshore collective status is also important: reporting funds generally allow disposal gains to be treated as capital gains, whereas non-reporting fund gains are treated as offshore income gains and taxed as income when chargeable.

  • Funding the house purchase from untaxed foreign income and gains misunderstands the remittance basis; UK use can create a taxable remittance.
  • Holding UK investment-trust shares offshore does not change their UK situs for IHT purposes.
  • Non-reporting offshore funds do not provide normal capital-gains treatment; their gains are treated as income when taxable.

This preserves clean-capital segregation, recognises UK situs/IHT exposure, and distinguishes reporting from non-reporting offshore fund treatment.


Question 10

Topic: Private-Client Taxation, NIC, Reliefs, Overseas Income, IHT, Corporation Tax, and International Tax

Client extract:

  • Amira, age 52, is UK resident and employed as a finance director.
  • She has a salary of £132,000 and is due a £20,000 contractual bonus.
  • She has adequate emergency cash and wants to increase pension funding; assume pension annual allowance issues are not a constraint.
  • Her employer offers an effective documented bonus sacrifice arrangement and will add any employer NIC saving to the pension contribution.

NIC facts for this bonus:

ItemRate
Employee primary Class 1 NIC on this bonus2%
Employer secondary Class 1 NIC on this bonus13.8%

Employer pension contributions are not subject to Class 1 NIC. Ignore income tax, investment returns, and pension charges.

If Amira sacrifices the full £20,000 bonus, which statement correctly illustrates the NIC effect compared with taking the bonus as pay?

  • A. Employee NIC is reduced by £1,600 and employer NIC is reduced by £2,760; if the employer adds its saving, £22,760 is paid into the pension.
  • B. Employee NIC is reduced by £400 and employer NIC is reduced by £2,760; if the employer adds its saving, £22,760 is paid into the pension.
  • C. Employee NIC is reduced by £400, but employer NIC is unchanged because the contribution is paid by the employer.
  • D. Employer NIC is reduced by £400 and employee NIC is reduced by £2,760; if both savings are added, £23,160 is paid into the pension.

Best answer: B

What this tests: Private-Client Taxation, NIC, Reliefs, Overseas Income, IHT, Corporation Tax, and International Tax

Explanation: A valid salary or bonus sacrifice reduces the employment income on which Class 1 NIC is charged. The employee saving is based on the employee primary NIC rate applicable to the sacrificed pay. Here, £20,000 at 2% gives an employee NIC reduction of £400. The employer also avoids secondary Class 1 NIC on the sacrificed bonus. At 13.8%, the employer saving is £2,760. Because the employer has agreed to add that saving to the pension contribution, the amount paid to the pension is the sacrificed £20,000 plus £2,760, giving £22,760. The calculation is limited to NIC; income tax relief, annual allowance effects, and investment suitability have been excluded by the facts.

  • Using 8% for employee NIC ignores the supplied 2% rate applying to this bonus.
  • Treating employer NIC as unchanged misses that the sacrificed bonus is no longer employer NICable pay.
  • Reversing the employee and employer rates overstates the employee NIC saving and produces the wrong pension contribution.

The £20,000 sacrificed bonus avoids employee NIC at 2% and employer NIC at 13.8%, and the employer’s £2,760 saving can be redirected to the pension.

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