The End of P11D Forms: Preparing for Mandatory Payrolling of Benefits
Mandatory payrolling of most benefits in kind has not started in April 2026. The planned start date is now April 2027, which gives employers an extra year to prepare. This is important because many businesses still need to use the existing P11D and P11D(b) process for the 2026/27 tax year unless they registered to payroll […]
Business Rates Revaluation 2026: Could Your Premises Cost More This Year?
If your business occupies commercial premises in England, the business rates revaluation that took effect on 1 April 2026 may have changed what you owe your local council. Rateable values have been reassessed to reflect rental market conditions as they stood on 1 April 2024, so your bill may have gone up, stayed broadly the […]
HMRC Late Payment Interest: Why Paying Tax Late Has Become More Expensive
Paying your tax late has always cost you something extra in interest. But the amount it costs has increased sharply in recent years, and many business owners and individuals who used to treat a late payment as a minor inconvenience are now finding it a considerably more expensive habit than it used to be. HMRC’s […]
Corporation Tax Late Filing Penalties Are Rising: How Companies Can Avoid Costly Mistakes
If your company misses its Corporation Tax return deadline, HMRC will issue an automatic penalty. If it also misses the payment deadline, late payment interest starts accruing from the day after the due date. And if late filing happens repeatedly, the flat penalties escalate significantly. This is not a compliance area that forgives you for […]
Thinking of Selling Your Business? Tax Planning Steps Before You Exit
The difference between a well-planned business exit and an unplanned one can easily run to tens of thousands of pounds in tax. If you are considering selling your business in the next 1 to 3 years, the tax planning work needs to start now, well before serious buyer conversations begin. Many of the most effective […]
Dividend Tax, Salary or Pension Contributions: What Is the Best Way for Directors to Pay Themselves?
If you are a director of a limited company, how you extract money from your business is one of the most important financial decisions you make each year. Pay yourself too much salary and you may face unnecessary National Insurance and income tax. Take everything as dividends and you may miss out on National Insurance […]
Why HMRC Is Focusing More on Small Businesses and How to Stay Compliant
If you run a small business in the UK, HMRC is paying closer attention to your tax affairs than ever before. The latest published tax gap figures estimate the shortfall at £46.8 billion for 2023 to 2024. Small businesses account for the largest share by customer group, at 60 percent of the overall tax gap, […]
Small Employers’ Relief: How to Reclaim 109% of Statutory Payments
If one of your employees is going on maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental, parental bereavement or neonatal care leave, Small Employers’ Relief could mean you get back more from HMRC than you actually paid out in statutory payments. From 6 April 2026, qualifying small employers can recover 109% of eligible statutory payments through their PAYE […]
MTD Penalties Explained: What Happens If You Miss a Digital Tax Deadline?
Missing a Making Tax Digital deadline can cost you money, but the penalty system is more nuanced than many people realise. Under HMRC’s points-based model, a single missed submission deadline will not usually result in an immediate financial fine, but points can build up. Once you hit the relevant threshold, penalties follow. There is also […]
Employer National Insurance in 2026: Why Payroll Costs Still Feel So High
If you employ staff and your payroll costs feel noticeably higher than they did two years ago, you are not imagining it. From April 2025, the rate of employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) rose from 13.8% to 15%, and the threshold at which you start paying it dropped from £9,100 to £5,000 per year. That […]