Business bank account separation: why UK freelancers must keep finances apart
Legal requirements for Ltd companies, best practice for sole traders, MTD record-keeping, and how mixed accounts trigger HMRC enquiries.
UK blog
Guides for the UK market. Article URLs here use a uk- prefix so they stay separate from other locales.
Patent Box relief overview: 10% corporation tax rate on qualifying profits
Patent Box reduces corporation tax to 10% on profits from patented inventions. Qualifying IP, calculation method, and interaction with R&D relief.
Voluntary Class 2 NIC 2025/26: protecting your State Pension as a low earner
Pay Class 2 voluntarily when profits are below £12,570 to protect State Pension qualifying years. £3.45/week cost and when it makes financial sense.
Working from home simplified expenses: flat rates for self-employed 2025/26
HMRC simplified expenses for home working: £6/£10/£26 per week by hours, vs actual cost method, and when each approach saves more tax.
Self Assessment deadlines and penalties: key dates every UK taxpayer must know
Register by 5 October, file by 31 January, pay by 31 January and 31 July. Late filing penalties, late payment interest, and how to appeal.
Ltd vs sole trader at £60,000 profit: full tax comparison 2025/26
Side-by-side tax breakdown at £60,000 profit: sole trader income tax + NIC vs Ltd corporation tax + salary + dividends. Which structure wins?
VAT cash accounting scheme: when to use it and eligibility rules
VAT cash accounting pays tax when customers pay, not when invoiced. Eligibility up to £1.35m turnover, bad debt relief, and comparison with standard accounting.
IR35 inside vs outside: tax comparison for UK contractors in 2025/26
Inside IR35 deemed payment vs outside IR35 Ltd extraction: PAYE/NIC comparison, dividend route savings, and documentation that supports outside status.
Trading allowance for side hustles: £1,000 tax-free limit explained
The £1,000 trading allowance lets casual earners skip Self Assessment. When it applies, gross vs net election, and interaction with other income.
Annual Investment Allowance 2025/26: £1 million capital allowances for equipment
AIA permanent £1m cap, qualifying plant and machinery, cars excluded, and how to claim full expensing on main rate assets for 2025/26.
Allowable business expenses for self-employed: HMRC-approved categories list
HMRC allowable expenses for sole traders: office costs, travel, subsistence, professional fees, marketing, and the wholly-and-exclusively test explained.
Director pension contributions through a Ltd company: tax relief and limits
How Ltd companies fund director pensions: employer contributions as allowable expense, annual allowance £60,000, taper rules, and carry-forward unused allowance.
R&D tax relief for SMEs: qualifying costs, rates and claim process overview
SME R&D tax relief overview: qualifying activities, enhanced deduction rates, RDEC for larger companies, and how to document a robust HMRC claim.
Sole trader vs limited company 2025/26: cash extraction and risk
Compare income tax + Class 4 NIC against CT + PAYE + dividend stacking; tables, examples, and HMRC sources.
IR35 and off-payroll working: what founders still get wrong
Status tests at high level, client vs small company responsibilities, and why our calculators do not auto-score CEST.
VAT registration threshold £90,000: planning for services businesses
Taxable turnover tests, monitoring window, cash vs invoice accounting basics, and links to GOV.UK VAT notices.
Director salary and dividends optimization 2025/26 (education)
Employer NIC, employee NIC, corporation tax, dividend tax stacking, and why “zero salary” is usually a bad idea.
UK: Class 2 and Class 4 NIC for self-employed 2025/26
How Class 2 and Class 4 interact with profit bands, payment deadlines, and why our simulator treats Class 2 as £0 until you confirm HMRC rates.
UK: MTD for Income Tax Self Assessment — what to prepare
Digital records, quarterly updates vs end-of-year myths, and software choices — high-level roadmap with GOV.UK links (not MTD legal advice).
VAT flat rate scheme 2025/26: rates, limited cost trader rules and examples
How the VAT flat rate scheme works in 2025/26: sector percentages, limited cost trader 16.5%, eligibility, and when to leave the scheme.
Making Tax Digital quarterly filing: what UK freelancers must prepare
MTD quarterly updates explained: who is mandated, digital record rules, software choices, and how quarterly filing differs from the annual Self Assessment return.
Dividend tax rates 2025/26: worked examples for company directors
Dividend allowance £500, basic 8.75%, higher 33.75%, additional 39.35% — three numeric examples for directors extracting profit in 2025/26.
Corporation tax small profits rate 2025/26: 19% and marginal relief explained
Small profits rate 19% up to £50,000, main rate 25% above £250,000, and marginal relief between — formulas and numeric examples for 2025/26.
Self-employed NIC rates 2025/26: Class 2, Class 4 bands and payment deadlines
Detailed NIC guide for sole traders: Class 2 weekly charge, Class 4 at 6% and 2%, profit thresholds, and January/July payment schedule for 2025/26.