Plain-English tax and accounting for UK small business
A dividend is a company-law distribution, not merely a label attached to a bank transfer. This article explains the records that support a lawful dividend in 2026/27, from board minutes and interim accounts to distributable profits, and sets out a practical checklist for small companies.
The £50,000 and £250,000 corporation tax limits are not always available to each company in full. Where companies are associated, the thresholds are shared — and that can move a modestly profitable company onto the 25% main rate. This guide explains the rule and the checks to make in 2026/27.
A PAYE Settlement Agreement lets an employer meet the tax and NIC on minor staff gifts without individual P11D entries. This guide compares a PSA with the trivial benefits exemption and the £150 staff party rule, and works through a practical Christmas-gift calculation for 2026/27.
AI tools now categorise transactions, reconcile feeds and draft VAT figures, but HMRC's expectations of the business owner have not moved with the technology. This checklist sets out the review, audit trail and record-keeping steps that keep an automated bookkeeping process defensible.
The VAT Flat Rate Scheme remains a useful simplification for some small businesses, but it is not a universal saving. This 2026 review explains the limited-cost trader test, the 16.5% rate, and how to decide whether standard VAT accounting would leave you better off.
VAT bad debt relief can recover output tax on invoices a customer never pays, but the claim depends on timing, write-off and evidence. This checklist explains the six-month rule, partial payments, credit notes and the records HMRC expects in 2026.
HMRC's simplified mileage rates are straightforward until business travel passes 10,000 miles. This guide explains the 2026/27 rates for sole traders and directors, the business and private travel boundary, electric vehicle considerations and the records that make a claim defensible.
Owner-managers often settle the salary-versus-dividend question on instinct or on last year's figures. Working through five sequential questions — cash need, salary level, band position, total cost and retained reserves — produces a more reliable answer, and exposes the traps that quietly erode the saving.
Platforms such as eBay, Etsy and Vinted now pass seller data to HMRC each January, and information letters are arriving on doormats across the UK. This guide explains how to tell a genuine clear-out from a taxable trade, how the £1,000 trading allowance actually works, and how to answer HMRC in a measured, well-documented way.
Hiring a first employee brings payroll duties that begin before day one. This adviser-led checklist sets out the registrations, reporting habits and records that keep small mistakes from becoming avoidable HMRC bills in 2026.
Identity verification now sits alongside confirmation statements and director appointments at Companies House. This plain-English action plan explains who must verify, how the filing link works and what small company owners should diarise in 2026.
A Christmas party can be a tax-free thank-you, but only if the details are right. This guide covers the £150 per head limit, plus-ones, VAT and the staff-versus-client entertaining divide.
A first profitable year can feel like progress until HMRC asks for this year’s tax and a down payment on the next. Here is how payments on account work, with a worked example and a cash-flow checklist for sole traders and partners.
HMRC late payment charges grow quietly and then quickly. This practical guide explains how interest and penalties work in the 2026/27 tax year, when a Time to Pay arrangement is sensible and why early action almost always costs less.
VAT registration is easier to manage when it is planned rather than discovered. This checklist-style audit helps UK freelancers monitor the £90,000 threshold, understand which turnover counts and prepare records before the first VAT return.
MTD for Income Tax is live in 2026 for sole traders above the £50,000 threshold. This practical workflow shows how to keep digital records, review the quarter and submit an update in around 30 minutes.
Director’s loan accounts rarely cause trouble on day one. They become a problem when routine withdrawals, personal expenses and year-end timing collide. This check-up explains the warning signs, the questions to ask your accountant and the clean-up steps that reduce the risk of a section 455 charge or benefit-in-kind bill.
Christmas trading can hide a January cash problem. This 2026 checklist covers debtor chasing, stock planning, VAT, PAYE and the 31 January payment on account, with practical steps to protect cash before the festive slowdown.
The £1,000 trading allowance is often presented as a simple default for sole traders. In 2026/27, choosing it without comparing actual expenses, capital allowances and loss relief can increase taxable profit. This guide sets out the comparison, the record-keeping consequences and a practical checklist.