Each month we share a short round-up of the tax and business news actually worth knowing about, plus a closer look at one or two topics in more depth. No jargon, no filler. Just what's changed and what it might mean for you.
A practical guide for sole traders and landlords approaching £30,000 in income, covering what the April 2027 threshold means, what counts towards it, and how to get ready.
Read article →From April 2027, most unused pensions will count towards your estate for Inheritance Tax for the first time. Why your nominations, will and retirement plans may need a second look.
Read article →Capital Gains Tax can apply in more situations than a straightforward sale: gifting an asset, transferring ownership or exchanging one investment for another can all count as disposals. This month's Spotlight covers what counts as a disposal, the 2026/27 CGT rates and annual exempt amount, and how to work out the real gain before estimating any tax due.
Read article →Late payment costs the UK economy an estimated £11 billion a year, with around 1.5 million businesses affected at any one time and an average £17,000 outstanding per business. This Spotlight looks at the scale of the problem and practical steps to help your business get paid on time.
Read article →The Government has confirmed that e-invoicing will become mandatory for VAT invoices from April 2029, with an implementation roadmap due at Budget 2026 and Peppol set as the UK's core interoperability standard. This Spotlight sets out what e-invoicing actually means and a practical pre-Budget action plan.
Read article →A settlement that looks fair on paper can look very different after tax, because a £200,000 cash payment and a £200,000 share portfolio with a large unrealised gain are not the same thing. This Spotlight covers the no gain/no loss window for transfers between separating spouses, Private Residence Relief, pension sharing, and Child Benefit and Inheritance Tax points.
Read article →Salary sacrifice can still cut tax and National Insurance on pension contributions, electric cars and other benefits, but pension changes due from April 2029 and the Optional Remuneration Arrangement rules mean not every benefit saves what it used to.
Read article →Running more than one limited company is common, but the associated company rules can quietly divide your corporation tax thresholds between them, pushing profits into the 25% main rate sooner than expected.
Read article →Leaving the UK for work doesn't automatically switch off your UK tax liability, and the Statutory Residence Test that decides this runs through a fixed sequence of day-counting and connection tests rather than a simple headcount of days abroad.
Read article →Borrowing from your own company is common, but an overdrawn director's loan account left unpaid nine months and a day after the year end can trigger a section 455 tax charge, increased for loans made from 6 April 2026.
Read article →HMRC research shows most SME owners have heard of e-invoicing but very few actually use it, with PDF and email invoices still the norm. This Spotlight sets out the groundwork SMEs can start now, well ahead of the April 2029 mandate.
Read article →HMRC figures show charity tax reliefs were worth around £6.7 billion last year, but Gift Aid only works if you've actually paid enough tax to cover it. This Spotlight covers the main reliefs on cash gifts, payroll giving, gifts of shares or property, and legacies.
Read article →Pension contributions are one of the most tax-efficient ways to save, but an otherwise sensible contribution can trigger an unexpected tax charge if the annual allowance, tapered allowance or carry-forward rules haven't been checked first.
Read article →Making Tax Digital for income tax started on 6 April 2026 for sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000, with the threshold dropping to £30,000 in 2027 and £20,000 in 2028.
Read article →Our annual tax card brings together the key rates and allowances for the 2026/27 tax year in one printable reference: income tax, National Insurance, Capital Gains Tax, Inheritance Tax, VAT, corporation tax, capital allowances and more, alongside the 2025/26 figures for comparison.
Download the tax card (PDF) →Selling online scales quickly, but a storefront, payment processor and fulfilment partner all produce their own reports that don't automatically line up with what lands in the bank, and digital platforms now report seller income to HMRC every year.
Read article →ISAs and pensions remain the two simplest ways to keep savings tax-efficient, but used the wrong way round they can waste allowances that don't carry forward to next year.
Read article →The Chancellor's March statement introduced no major new tax measures, but the OBR's updated forecast still matters. Growth for 2026 was revised down to 1.1%, and the tax burden is on track to reach a post-war high of 38.5% of GDP by 2030/31.
Read article →A number of allowances and reliefs reset on 6 April 2026 rather than carrying forward, so this is the last real chance to use this year's ISA allowance, review pension contributions, or take stock of capital gains and inheritance tax planning.
Read article →Identity verification for directors and people with significant control became a legal requirement from 18 November 2025, with a 12-month transition period and due dates that vary by role rather than one single deadline for everyone.
Read article →There's no single "best" way to pay yourself from your own business; the right mix of salary, dividends and pension contributions depends on profits, cashflow, and thresholds that shift the answer.
Read article →Making Tax Digital for income tax becomes mandatory for many sole traders and landlords from 6 April 2026, and the Autumn Budget added easements to the penalty regime rather than any delay to the start date.
Read article →HMRC completed around 316,000 compliance checks in 2024/25 and continues investing in staff and technology, so audits and compliance checks aren't going away.
Read article →Borrowing can fund growth and smooth seasonality, but problems tend to start when visibility slips or deadlines are missed, not when the borrowing itself happens.
Read article →Passing on wealth tax-efficiently works best when tax, investment, family governance and timing are planned together, rather than as separate decisions made at different times.
Read article →Practical efficiency steps can trim a smaller firm's energy bills by 18-25%, and UK greenhouse gas emissions fell by around 4% in 2024 as more businesses upgraded fleets, equipment and buildings.
Read article →The FCA reports that one in 10 UK adults has no cash savings at all, and a further 21% have less than £1,000 set aside for emergencies, a bigger risk when there's no employer sick pay to fall back on.
Read article →The Chancellor froze income tax thresholds until 2031 and left headline income tax and NI rates unchanged, instead raising revenue through frozen allowances, higher dividend tax rates, and a cap on salary-sacrifice pension relief.
Read article →Many small businesses rely on contractors for flexibility and skills, but getting IR35 status wrong protects neither cashflow nor the working relationship if HMRC later disagrees with how an engagement was taxed.
Read article →Self Assessment rarely sits at the top of anyone's to-do list, and the rules shift just enough each year to raise new questions even for people who've filed for years.
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