Inheritance Tax (IHT) is paid on all items of your estate after you pass away if you exceed certain thresholds. Whilst many people focus on their savings, properties and investments, the items you own, commonly referred to as personal chattels, are also included in the calculation of the estate’s value. There has been a growing […]

When Rachel Reeves announced a temporary cut in VAT from 20 per cent to five per cent for family attractions and children’s dining over the summer holidays, the hospitality and leisure sectors broadly welcomed it. The scheme runs from 25 June to 1 September and is funded, according to the Treasury, by closing a tax […]

The £2,000 cap on National Insurance (NI) free salary sacrifice pension contributions was sold as a tax on high earners but, if you look closer, the opposite is true. In fact, the people most exposed are middle-income savers and the small businesses that employ them. For the so-called “squeezed middle”, it is yet another quiet […]

Do you know what your Personal Savings Allowance is? While most taxpayers in the UK will know the thresholds for Income Tax, a worrying few know the way in which personal savings can be subject to tax. With ISAs set for a significant overhaul, understanding the less tax-efficient saving options will soon be more important. […]

There was a time when SMEs relied on their main bank for all of their finance options. Recent economic pressures are leading to more cash flow challenges for SMEs and the old approach may no longer be sufficient. Greater financial awareness is causing more SMEs to explore asset and invoice financing, with search enquiries for […]

If you have been one of the lucky ones to secure a pay rise this year, be mindful that the High‑Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) does not crash the party. How does HICBC work? The HICBC can kick in if either you or your partner earns more than £60,000 a year and Child Benefit is […]

For sole traders, self-employed individuals and landlords with gross incomes exceeding £50,000 from self-employment or property, you are now mandated to abide by Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax regulations. Applied from 6 April 2026, these new responsibilities require those affected to provide quarterly updates of their income and expenses to HMRC. The first […]

Rising costs seem to be coming at UK businesses from all directions, resulting in many difficult financial decisions needing to be made. New research by the Liquidation Centre found that some employers are opting for job cuts to manage these expenses and 315,605 jobs have already been flagged for redundancy this year. Times are tough […]

Employers’ predictions seem to be coming true as National Insurance Contributions (NICs) have skyrocketed to £28 billion, exceeding the Government’s original forecast of £23.9 billion. On 6 April 2025, the employer NIC rate increased from 13.8 per cent to 15 per cent and the threshold for employee earnings that require employer NICs dropped to £5000 […]

Employers are facing growing uncertainty over the future of salary sacrifice pension schemes following the Government’s decision to introduce a £2,000 annual cap on National Insurance (NI) relief for pension contributions made through salary sacrifice. Although the cap will not take effect until April 2029, research suggests businesses are already reassessing whether these arrangements remain […]