Treating your team to a night out or saying thank you to a subcontractor can feel like a well-earned reward after a busy period. But when it comes to putting it through the books, HMRC doesn’t always share the same sense of celebration! Here’s what counts (and what doesn’t) when entertaining staff, subcontractors – and
Category Archives: Tax Planning & Saving Tips
Corporation Tax, Director’s Pay vs Dividends, Tax Planning & Saving Tips, Year-End Preparation Tips
So you want to take a dividend from your company?
Thinking about taking some money out of your limited company? Before you hit ‘transfer’, it’s worth understanding how dividends actually work — and what to check before you pay yourself. Dividends can be a brilliant, tax-efficient way to pay yourself as a business owner, but they come with a few rules and responsibilities. Let’s break
start-ups, Tax Planning & Saving Tips, Year-End Preparation Tips
Why Every Business Owner Should Keep Their Will Up to Date
Running a business keeps most of us busy enough without thinking too far ahead. But one of the most practical – and caring – things you can do for your family and your business is to make sure you have a Will in place, and that it’s kept up to date. It’s not the cheeriest
Changes to Tax Rates & Thresholds, Tax Planning & Saving Tips
Understanding Top Slicing Relief: Why It Doesn’t Always Save You Tax
When you cash in a life insurance bond or certain investment policies, you might face something called a “chargeable event gain.” This is the profit built up inside the policy, which HMRC treats as income in the year you cash it in. The problem? The whole gain is added to your income for that year,
I was recently asked a really good question by a client. This husband and wife couple had been running their company together for many years. The husband started the business, and over time his wife became more and more involved, eventually taking on the admin and day-to-day running. At the start, some alphabet shares were
Allowable Limited Company Expenses, Changes to Tax Rates & Thresholds, Director’s Pay vs Dividends, P11D's, Tax Planning & Saving Tips
Should You Have a Company Car? The most asked Question we get!
If I were to create a hit list of questions asked by clients, the one that would be in our top 3 would be around company cars and company car tax implications. A company car is often seen as a desirable perk — but in reality, whether it’s a good idea depends on who you
Government Support & Reliefs, Pensions, Tax Planning & Saving Tips
Busting the Myths About Taking Your Pension Tax-Free
Over the years, many of us end up with several pensions from different jobs — some large, some small, and sometimes a bit forgotten about until retirement looms. When it comes time to draw from them, one question comes up again and again: “Can I take the whole thing tax-free?” The rules around pensions can
Corporation Tax, Director’s Pay vs Dividends, MTD for Income Tax (ITSA), P11D's, PAYE, Self-Assessment Tips for Sole Traders, Self-Assessment/ Personal Tax, Tax Planning & Saving Tips
Sole Trader vs Limited Company director – what’s best for your business?
Why it matters Setting up as a sole trader or limited company director isn’t just a bureaucratic choice—it’s a strategic decision that affects your taxes, your rights, and your long‑term goals. Whether you’re nearing £50K income and facing MTD ITSA, or edging over £100K and losing your personal allowance, this clear breakdown will help you
Allowable Limited Company Expenses, Tax Planning & Saving Tips
Not All That Glitters Is R&D: Why HMRC Is Clamping Down on Dodgy Claims
At DNA Accountants, we’ve seen a worrying pattern lately: clients who were encouraged by so-called Research & Development (R&D) “specialist” firms to make claims they never should have submitted. The result? HMRC is now knocking on the door, asking for the money back – and in some cases, charging penalties on top. R&D tax relief
Allowable Limited Company Expenses, Director’s Pay vs Dividends, Tax Planning & Saving Tips, Year-End Preparation Tips
Salary, dividends or both? What you need to know about directors’ loans
If you run a limited company, one of the biggest perks is the flexibility in how you pay yourself. But with that flexibility comes confusion. Should you take a salary, dividends… or a bit of both? And what’s this “director’s loan account” everyone keeps talking about? Let’s break it down in plain English (with no