How a prolonged Iran war could affect the UK cost of living
The continuing conflict involving Iran has raised concerns about its potential impact on the global economy. While the fighting is taking place thousands of miles from the UK, events in the Middle East often have significant economic consequences around the world. If the conflict continues for an extended period, it could place renewed pressure on […]
Why UK businesses are accelerating their adoption of artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence has moved from a future concept to a present day business issue, and over the past week it has been one of the most talked about topics among UK companies. What is driving this surge of interest is not just innovation, but a growing fear of being left behind. Many businesses now see […]
Spring Statement 2026
The Chancellor’s Spring Statement, presented to Parliament 3 March 2026, was packed with political content that has no real impact for UK taxpayers, business owners or employees. The substance of her presentation was a summary of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) Economic and fiscal outlook released on the same date. Our summary that follows […]
Inheriting Additional State Pension
The Additional State Pension is only available to those who reached the state pension age before 6 April 2016 and are receiving the Old State Pension. The Additional State Pension is an extra amount of money paid on top of the basic Old State Pension. The Old State Pension is designed to provide individuals of […]
HMRC reminder for self-employed and landlords
If you have not yet checked whether you need to use Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax, you should do so urgently. HMRC has issued a timely reminder that for many self-employed and landlords the way to report tax to HMRC will change significantly from 6 April 2026. MTD for Income Tax is a […]
Filling in NIC contribution gaps
National Insurance credits can help qualifying applicants to fill contribution gaps in their National Insurance record. This can help taxpayers increase their number of qualifying National Insurance years, which may increase the number of benefits they are entitled to, such as the State Pension. This could happen if someone was: employed but had low earnings […]
Tax Diary March/April 2026
1 March 2026 – Due date for Corporation Tax due for the year ended 31 May 2025. 2 March 2026 – Self-Assessment tax for 2024-25 paid after this date will incur a 5% surcharge unless liabilities are cleared by 1 April 2026, or an agreement has been reached with HMRC under their time to pay […]
Car and travel costs if self employed
If you are self-employed, it is important to understand which car and travel costs can be claimed. You can claim allowable business expenses for car, van, or travel costs, which reduce your taxable profit. Typical allowable costs include: Vehicle insurance Repairs and servicing Fuel Parking Hire charges Vehicle tax and licence fees Breakdown cover Train, […]
Rising employment costs and the pressure on UK businesses
Over the past week, one topic has dominated discussion among UK businesses, rising employment costs and the difficult decisions they are forcing on employers. This issue is particularly visible in the retail and hospitality sectors, but the underlying pressures apply across much of the economy. Employers are facing a combination of higher National Living Wage […]
Government campaign highlights growing cyber risk for UK businesses
The UK Government has launched a new campaign urging businesses to strengthen their defences against cybercrime, reflecting growing concern about the scale and cost of online attacks on UK firms. The announcement, published on gov.uk this week, has attracted strong interest from business owners, particularly small and medium sized enterprises that may lack dedicated IT […]
