HMRC Self Assessment: Tax Return Guide
Being self-employed carries with it a number of financial responsibilities, including the requirement to report your earnings to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) under the self assessment regime. It’s important to meet your obligations as a self employed individual to ensure you are paying the correct amount of tax and to avoid paying a penalty […]
HMRC Tax Investigation: What To Expect
HMRC tax investigations into whether a person or business have met their tax obligations vary greatly depending on the details of the individual case, from relatively informal checks to a more in-depth investigation into your tax situation. It may be that an HMRC tax investigation is opened to confirm that the information supplied in a […]
Sources of Funding
Whether your business needs help with day-to-day cash flow, funding for a significant purchase, or money to fuel expansion plans, there are many different sources of funding available to businesses. The initial challenge will be to decide which finance option best suits your needs and eligibility. In this guide, we delve into some of the […]
AML Compliance Guidance
The UK’s anti-money laundering regime places extensive AML compliance duties on businesses. The following guide examines the meaning of AML and the rules relating to AML compliance across relevant businesses, including offences for AML non-compliance and associated penalties. What is money laundering? Money laundering refers to how criminals change, or ‘clean’ their assets […]
Payment on Account (Self Assessment Guide)
If you work for yourself, you will need to understand the self assessment tax rules. The following guide looks at the HMRC payment on account requirements. How are these advance payments calculated and can they be reduced? We also look at the penalties imposed by HMRC for either late returns or late or non payment […]
What are the Rules on Tax for Freelancers?
If you work as a freelancer, either full-time or in addition to any employed work, you will often be so busy keeping your clients and customers happy, that little time is left to consider your tax liabilities. The following comprehensive guide is here to help you navigate the rules relating to Income Tax, National Insurance […]
Freelancer & Self Employed Sick Pay Rules
Working for yourself comes with many benefits but it can also have drawbacks. One of the biggest downsides is the lack of employment rights, especially when it comes to being unfit for work and claiming sick pay. In this guide, we explain the sick pay rules for self-employed and freelance workers and alternative forms of […]
Freelance & Self Employed Maternity Pay
Under current rules, self-employed workers do not have as many maternity rights or entitlements as employed workers. However, if you work as a freelancer and on a self-employed basis, you may be entitled to a specific type of maternity pay called maternity allowance. Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance? Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) […]
Creditors Voluntary Liquidation (Directors’ Guide)
If a company cannot pay its debts, its directors may decide to put the company into liquidation. Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation offers directors a way to close their company voluntarily, rather than being forced to close under a winding up order. What is Creditors Voluntary Liquidation (CVL)? Liquidation is a legal process involving the […]
Sole Trader Expenses: What Can You Claim?
As a sole trader, your business is likely to incur various running costs, some of which can be deducted from your profits to reduce your taxable income, meaning you pay less tax. In this guide for self-employed workers, we explain which expenses are allowable, how to make a claim for expenses and what records you […]
EIS Tax Relief Explained for Investors
EIS is a tax relief scheme created by the UK Government to encourage investment into startups and early-stage businesses. As an investor, EIS benefits you by offering potentially significant income tax and capital gains reliefs when you make an investment into an EIS eligible startup or business. As a business, EIS benefits you by making […]
SEIS Scheme Tax Relief Guide
The SEIS scheme is one of four venture capital investment schemes designed to help small companies to raise money when they begin to trade. What is the SEIS Scheme? The SEIS scheme, otherwise known as the seed enterprise investment scheme, is available to small, early-stage trading companies to support raising finance by offering […]
Why Marketers Should Have More Interest In Pinterest
Depending on your business and your audience, it could pay to look beyond the trusted staple of articles at more visual, and creative, ways to build engagement and traction online. Content marketing means more than articles. People consume content in various different formats – including images, video and audio, as well as text. Should Pinterest […]
Buying Business Premises
If you are considering buying business premises there are many financial, practical and legal aspects that you might want to consider before climbing onto the commercial property ladder. Below we examine some of the advantages and disadvantages of buying business premises, as against the alternative of leasing commercial property. We will also look more closely […]
How Much is Capital Gains Tax?
Capital gains tax (CGT) is a tax levied on the profits arising from the disposal or sale of an asset, such as a second home, a buy-to-let property or a business asset. The extent to which you are liable to capital gains tax depends upon a number of factors, for example, whether you are classed […]
How to Calculate Capital Gains Tax
The amount of capital gains tax you pay will depend on a number of factors, including your income, the type of asset in question, when the asset was disposed and whether any exemptions or reliefs apply. Below we look more closely at chargeable assets and how to calculate capital gains tax based on your particular […]
Is there Capital Gains Tax on Inherited Property?
The following guide looks at how capital gains tax on inherited property applies, including how to calculate gains made by the executors or personal representatives, or those who inherit property from the deceased. Capital gains tax for executors and personal representatives As a general rule, when someone dies there is no capital gains […]
Disqualification of Directors Rules
A company director may face disqualification if they are found to have failed to fulfil their legal responsibilities by participating in unfit conduct, or wrongful or fraudulent trading. Common grounds for director disqualification could include: Failure to maintain proper accounting records for the company Permitting a company which is unable to pay its debts […]
What is Insolvency?
When financial hardship hits your business, and you are forced to consider closing down, working out what to do next can be overwhelming. Understanding the fundamentals behind what insolvency is, what the process entails and what it means for the future of your business can help you to navigate this complex situation. What does […]
Restoring a Company to the Register
There are two processes for restoring a company to the Register, either by Court Order or by ‘administrative restoration’ under section 1024 of the Companies Act 2006. The appropriate route will be determined by a number of factors. Restoring a company to the register by way of administrative restoration requires certain eligibility criteria to be met […]