With the summer holidays underway, the England World Cup cricket win behind us and a new prime minister and government settling in, it’s tempting to try to switch off, enjoy the warmer weather and block out some of the noise.

Nothing stands still for long, however, so employers and workers alike need to keep abreast of rules changes that are likely to affect them. Our latest July/August newsletter address several work-related issues. In our feature story, we highlight recent changes in employment law including the right of all workers to detailed payslips recording their hours worked, helping to enforce compliance on weekly and nightly working limits. The status of EU nationals, consultation on the role of non-disclosure agreements in the workplace and pay and gender gap reporting are also under the spotlight.

The IR35 rules have also come under scrutiny as some major tribunal cases have found against HMRC and in favour of contractors. Although the examples we’ve seen are for TV presenters, the principles in each case set a precedent for workers in other industries. With IR35 still pegged to roll out to the private sector next year, there are still serious questions about the accuracy of HMRC’s tools and processes.

Meanwhile Making Tax Digital for VAT has taken off, but not without a few complications. Some software packages may not deliver all you require for your digital reporting so make sure your IT system has the functionality you need.

Our other stories in this edition include:

• Could you be using simplified expenses? – Sole traders and partnerships can opt to use the simplified expenses rules. Find out if it could work for your business.
• A question of property – Cuts to the tax relief rules for principal private residence and letting relief are coming in from next April in the latest round of changes to hit landlords.

We will update you again in our next edition in October. In the meantime, please do get in touch if you think you may be affected by any of the topics in this edition.