UK 
United States
A free handy help guide to a new mandatory tax, which is being introduced in England this April, is now available to download from Crown Workforce Management Systems.
The Apprenticeship Levy will need to be paid by all organisations which have an annual pay bill of more than £3 million a year in order to fund the Government’s ambitious apprenticeship growth plans.
Crown, whose HR, time and attendance and rostering software, integrates with payroll and finance systems, recently sponsored a series of free workshops around the country to assist existing and prospective clients through the requirements for this step change.
Said David Bacon, Sales Director for Crown Workforce Management Systems: “The events have been extremely well attended and have provided advice and guidance around the effects of the levy and how it can be offset against apprenticeship training and assessment.
“However, we are aware that there are many organisations who are underprepared or completely unaware of the changes which are just around the corner. Our guide is intended to help them get into gear, make a self-assessment calculation and consider the options available.”
The guide, which is available to download at www.crowncomputing.com/apprenticeship-levy-quick-guide advises how the levy is paid, how to offset costs, how to apply to use the levy, what constitutes apprenticeship training and sharing funds through supply chain sharing.
By 2020, all employers in England will be able to use the digital apprenticeship service to pay for training and assessments.
Separate arrangements will be in place in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland which have devolved frameworks for supporting employers to access apprentices and use their levy income. This means that companies which have staff in these countries will only be able to spend the English portion of their pay bill on English apprenticeships.
