Export VAT Rules Explained: What UK Businesses Actually Need to Get Right
Somewhere between “we’ve just landed our first overseas order” and “why has HMRC written to us about that invoice from March,” a lot of small UK businesses discover that export VAT is not the formality they assumed it was. It sounds simple on paper — sell goods abroad, don’t charge VAT, done. Except it isn’t […]
VAT on Imports: The 2026 Guide Nobody Bothered to Simplify
Here’s the thing about VAT on imports that catches out even seasoned business owners: it isn’t just “VAT, but at customs.” It’s a slightly different beast, with its own paperwork, its own deadlines, and its own way of quietly draining cash flow if you don’t understand how the mechanics work. If you bring goods into […]
How long should you keep accounting records (2026 Guide)
How long should you keep accounting records? Somewhere in a filing cabinet, loft, or long-forgotten Dropbox folder sits the answer most business owners get slightly wrong. Sole traders and partnerships must keep their accounting records for at least five years after the 31 January Self Assessment deadline. Limited companies need six years from the end […]
Dormant Company Accounts Explained | UK Filing Guide 2026
Somewhere in London right now, a director is staring at a Companies House email with the subject line “Accounts overdue” and thinking: but my company hasn’t done anything. That’s the trap. Dormant company accounts exist precisely for businesses that haven’t traded — and yet the filing obligation doesn’t care that nothing happened. Companies House still […]
Companies House Filing Deadlines: Director Should Know 2026
There’s a particular flavour of dread that hits when a brown envelope from Companies House lands on the doormat. You know the one. Half junk mail energy, half “oh no, what have I forgotten.” If you run a UK limited company, that envelope usually means one thing: a Companies House filing deadline has crept up […]
PAYE Registration: When Does Your Business Need It?
There’s a particular kind of dread that hits new employers around week three of hiring their first member of staff. You’ve sorted the desk, the laptop, maybe even a half-decent welcome mug — and then someone mentions PAYE registration, and the colour drains from your face a bit. What is it? Do you need it? […]
VAT on Services: What Businesses Need to Know 2026
VAT on service is one of the most misunderstood corners of UK tax law, and it catches out even experienced business owners. Somewhere between “I’ll sort the VAT later” and an unexpected letter from HMRC, a lot of people learn a painful lesson: VAT on services does not behave like VAT on goods, and treating […]
P11D Guide: What Employers Need to Report 2026
Somewhere between “we gave the sales team gym memberships” and “HMRC wants a form about it,” most business owners lose the plot entirely. That’s the P11D for you. Quietly unglamorous, easy to forget, and expensive to get wrong. Did your company hand out anything beyond straight salary this tax year? A car, private medical cover, […]
Reverse Charge VAT Explained: What It Is & Why It Trips Up UK Businesses
Here’s a confession from behind the desk. I’ve lost count of how many times a client has phoned in a mild panic because an invoice “looked wrong.” No VAT on it. Some odd sentence at the bottom about HMRC. A nagging feeling they’d been short-changed. Nine times out of ten, they hadn’t been. What they […]
