Running a business: tax, accounts and admin
The practical side of running a UK business: registering, filing, paying yourself and staying on top of tax.
Business rates explained, and the reliefs you can claim
How rateable value and the multiplier set your business rates bill in England, the 2026 revaluation and the reliefs that can reduce it.
Capital allowances: the Annual Investment Allowance and full expensing
How the Annual Investment Allowance, full expensing and the 40% first-year allowance work, what qualifies and how they sit alongside business finance.
Confirmation statements: what they are and when to file
What a confirmation statement is, the review period and deadline, the filing fee, what you need before you file and the penalty for missing it.
The Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) explained
How CIS works for contractors and subcontractors: registration, the 20%, 30% and 0% rates, monthly returns and what it does to cash flow.
How to deregister for VAT
When you must or can cancel your VAT registration, how to apply online or by post, what happens next and what the final return involves.
Director’s loan accounts explained: overdrawn, in credit and the tax rules
What a director’s loan account is, how overdrawn and in-credit balances are taxed, the nine-month rule and how to reclaim tax.
Dividend tax for company directors: rates, allowance and how to report it
How dividend tax works for limited company directors: the allowance, the rates, a worked example, the paperwork and when to tell HMRC.
How to file company accounts with Companies House
What your annual accounts must contain, when they are due, how to file them, the late-filing penalties and the move to software-only filing.
How to pay yourself from a limited company: salary, dividends and loans
Salary, dividends and director’s loans compared: what each route involves for you and your company, with the current thresholds.
How to set up a limited company
The steps to register a limited company with Companies House, what you need, the fee, and what to do afterwards.
How to write a business plan a lender will read
The sections a lender expects, how long the plan should be, how to present the numbers and the mistakes that make a plan hard to trust.
Making Tax Digital: what your business has to do and when
Making Tax Digital for VAT and Income Tax: who it covers, the start dates, quarterly updates, software, exemptions and penalties.
PAYE for employers: registering, paying and deadlines
How to register as an employer, what to report each payday, when PAYE is due to HMRC and how to keep the bill from squeezing cash flow.
Payments on account: how Self Assessment instalments work
How Self Assessment instalments work: who pays them, how they are calculated, the balancing payment and how to reduce them.
R&D tax credits: who can claim and how they are paid
Who can claim R&D tax relief, which projects and costs qualify, how the credit is paid and the steps for a valid claim.
Sole trader vs limited company: which suits your business
The two main business structures compared on liability, tax, admin, taking money out and borrowing.
Stamp duty on commercial property
How SDLT works on commercial freeholds and leases, with the bands, worked examples, mixed-use rules and the 14-day deadline.
UTR numbers: what they are and how to get one
What a Unique Taxpayer Reference is, how you get one, where to find it and why a lender may ask for it.
VAT registration: the threshold and how to register
The VAT registration threshold, what counts towards it, the two tests and deadlines, voluntary registration and how to register with HMRC.
What is a sole trader? How it works and how to register
How being a sole trader works, when to register with HMRC, the taxes involved, personal liability and how sole traders can borrow.
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