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Election 2024: How Party Manifestoes Could Impact Small Businesses in the UK As the 2024 UK election draws nearer, small business owners are keenly aware of how the potential shift in power could impact their operations. Understanding the manifestoes of the main political parties – Labour, Conservative, Green Party, and Liberal Democrats – is crucial […]

Election 2024: What Business Owners Need to Know As the 2024 election approaches, business owners across the UK are keen to understand how potential changes in government policies might impact their operations. The outcome of this election could bring about significant shifts in economic, tax, and regulatory environments. To help you stay informed and prepared, […]

On March 6, 2024, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivered a spring budget aimed at boosting public morale and securing voter support, especially important as an election looms and the UK faces economic challenges. This budget focuses on easing financial strains by lowering National Insurance for everyone, tweaking VAT rules for small businesses, and adjusting child benefit […]

Attention Business Owners, We’ve got the latest scoop on the recent Spring Budget announcement by the chancellor. Buckle up because there’s a lot to unravel, but we’ve got you covered with the need-to-knows. Let’s dive into the highlights: National Insurance Contributions Relief Good news! National Insurance Contributions are getting slashed again. This means more money […]

Simplified Guide for Business Owners: Understanding the Spring Budget Predictions Attention all business owners! The Spring Budget is set to be announced on March 6th, and it will be aired live on BBC1 at 12pm. This is a crucial event, especially with the general election on the horizon. We anticipate significant announcements that could impact […]

Understanding the Changing Tax Landscape Current Tax Benefits: A Favorable Position Double cab pickups are the backbone of the construction industry, serving as both reliable haulers for equipment and convenient transportation for workers and their families. Yet, looming changes in tax regulations could reshape the landscape for these indispensable vehicles. The Impact of Tax Changes […]

Navigating HMRC Time to Pay Arrangements: A Lifeline for UK Businesses In the complex world of business finance, one of the challenges UK businesses often face is managing their tax obligations effectively. The HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) understands that businesses sometimes encounter cash flow difficulties, making it hard to pay their tax bills on […]

Hello, business owners! Let’s talk about what the UK Autumn Statement means for you in plain English, with all the important bits you need to know: Our director Paul breaks down the Autumn budget with a quick synopsis Cash Cushion for Growth The government has a safety net of funds aimed at supporting businesses making […]

The Autumn Statement is more than just a financial forecast; it’s a roadmap that can influence your business decisions for the upcoming year. At 1 Accounts Online Ltd, we understand its significance and are here to simplify what it means for you. What is the Autumn Statement? This annual announcement by the Chancellor of the […]

We’re back with another blog post and this time we’re diving into a topic that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea – taxes. But don’t worry, we’re here to make it as enjoyable and straightforward as possible. Strap in and let’s demystify the new corporation tax rules together. What are the changes? As of April 1st, […]

Are you ready for some capital allowances fun? 🙌 🥳 Yeah, we know it’s not the most exciting topic, but stick with us because it’s important. Capital allowances are like the superhero of the UK tax system, providing businesses with tax relief on certain types of capital expenditure. However from April 2023, they’re changing!  Super […]

The Chancellor announced his March budget today.   Similar to the budgets, autumn statements and ‘non-budget’ statements of the last few years we knew most of the details in advance. What we did find out yesterday is that UK PLC is in a better position than feared. It is believed that inflation will fall to […]

The Chancellor announced his Autumn Statement yesterday.  We already knew that he was going to raise taxes and reverse most, if not all of the Truss Budget. Indeed, the Chancellor set out his priorities as Stability, Growth and Public Services. What this means is that we are back in Austerity 2.0 mode. Oh, and inflation […]

Here is another blog with yet more changes and reversals to the Kwarteng mini-budget that wasn’t a budget. In short, most of what he announced has been ditched by the new chancellor Jeremy Hunt. I am hesitant to say that these new announcements are ones that are going to remain. After all, we are living […]

On Friday afternoon the UK Prime Minister, Liz Truss held a press conference. Ahead of this press conference, it was announced that the Chancellor had resigned/been sacked (depending on whose version of the truth you are listening to). In this press conference, the September tax cuts as promised in the mini-budget have been watered down even further. What we […]

Last week, as part of the mini-budget, the government began announcing help for small businesses. This blog gives you the details of what matters and how this could impact your business. At a top level, the mini-budget, the government’s Growth Plan and announcements on energy caps are very good news for small businesses. Excuse the […]

Back in his Spring Statement in March of 2022, then Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced significant changes to National Insurance. The first of which came into effect in April when NI contributions were raised from 12% to 13.25%. What is changing in July? This month sees some respite however with the implementation of Sunak’s second change; […]

The Chancellor recently unveiled his Spring Statement. With a background of increasing wage, fuel and raw material costs and rising inflation, it was hoped the Chancellor would bring some respite for small businesses and sole traders. Thankfully there is some small respite coming for small business owners and sole traders. Before you get too excited, […]

With costs going up across the board it is unsurprising that the national living wage is also being increased. However, for businesses, particularly small ones, this could have a dramatic effect on wage bills going forward. From April 1st 2022, the minimum wage will be increasing from £8.91PH to £9.50PH. This is a 6.6% increase […]

What exactly is a registered office? A registered office is the address which your Limited Company is registered to. This is a legal requirement for all companies that are incorporated in the UK and you cannot form a company without one. This address will be placed on the public record and will also serve as […]

Have you heard your accountant talking about your confirmation statement and been puzzled by what it is? Are you wondering about who needs to file one, when, or how? Wonder no more! We have all the answers for you. Read on below… What is a confirmation statement? A confirmation statement is a yearly statement that […]

Small business owners hopes for some crumbs of comfort from the chancellor in his budget and autumn statement were dashed. The triple hit on small businesses coming from April 2022 is still very much happening.

The UK budget took place on the 3rd of March 2021. Since then we have been getting more information through regarding the changes announced by the chancellor. Here is what we know so far: CORPORATION TAX RATES TO INCREASE TO 25% BUT NOT FOR ALL COMPANIES The UK corporation tax rate is currently one of the […]

In line with the further extension of the CJRS furlough scheme for employees the chancellor has also set out further support for the self-employed. We had been waiting for the details of the calculation of the fourth SEISS grant covering the period to 30 April and we now know that the support will continue to […]

The current version of the furlough scheme that started on 1 November 2020 was scheduled to end on 30 April 2021. In order to avoid a “cliff-edge” with resulting widespread redundancies the chancellor has announced a further extension of the scheme and also a phased reduction in support to employers. The CJRS furlough grant for […]

For the last 12 months the chancellor has been pouring money to support the UK economy through the COVID-19 pandemic. The good news from yesterday’s budget is this isn’t stopping yet and support for business and the self-employed carries on for the next 6 months. We also know now how the chancellor is going to […]

Yesterday the English government formally announced it’s 4 steps out of lockdown and all social distancing restrictions. The welsh and scottish governments will follow a largely similar timescale. The good news is that there is FINALLY an end in sight to the restrictions on trade and movement. However, COVID-19 is now with us permanently, and […]

Lockdown 3.0 has felt like an eternity. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccinations being rolled out. Hopefully everyone will have some more clarity when the Prime Minister announces his road map to normality on Monday the 22nd of Feb. Many businesses have taken on the Government support […]

Yesterday the Scottish and English governments announced national lockdowns with schools being closed. The net result being all of England and Scotland must stay at home except for a handful of permitted reasons. Wales has already been on a lockdown since mid December. If you had been looking at the daily cases of COVID-19 it […]

The UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, UK Chief negotiator David Frost and EU negotiator Michel Barnier continue to offer differing messages to the public about Brexit, some are positive, some ambivalent and occasionally negative remarks about the negotiations. It is hard to see through the comments made and whether we can take them at face […]

The Chancellor’s update to the House of Commons yesterday made pretty grim listening. It’s not going to surprise anyone to hear that due to two national lockdowns and a myriad of local lockdowns, the economy has shrunk in 2020 by 11.3%. The economy is forecast to recover back to pre-pandemic levels in 2022. You can […]

What are the new business support schemes for covid-19? Yesterday the government announced more support for businesses and the self-employed. This blog takes you through the announcements and what it means for your business. On the one hand, it is great to see the government making available this help. But this probably means we will […]

Last night the prime minister addressed the nation and announced a month long lockdown for England. Something we never considered happening in our lifetimes is now happening twice. Businesses all over the country are being forced to shut once again, and people told to stay home and save lives. If you own a business, the […]

The chancellor, Rishi, on Friday popped up with an announcement of more support for businesses in the next 6 months. Sadly this announcement is a sure indicator, for businesses in areas where they are failing to get COVID-19 under control, that tougher lockdowns are about to hit their ability to trade. The news is also […]

Yesterday the chancellor delivered his Winter Economy Plan to the nation. And whatever the colour of your politics this was good news for small business owners. And many an accountant will be having a cheeky drink or 2 to celebrate the end of ‘Furlough’. In this blog you will find the key headlines and how […]

Thousands of smaller businesses in England are set to benefit from £20 million of new government funding to help them recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government has announced. Small and medium sized businesses will have access to grants of between £1,000 – £5,000 to help […]

Ask HMRC to verify you had a new child which affected your eligibility for the self-employed income support scheme.  If you are self-employed or a member of a partnership, and having a new child affected the trading profits or total income you reported for the tax year 2018 to 2019, use the HMRC form to […]

Employers will be able to claim a one-off payment of £1,000 for every employee they have previously received a grant for under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), and who remains continuously employed through to the end of January 2021. To be eligible, the employee must have received earnings in November, December and January, and […]

The Government has announced details on how to claim the reimbursement for discounts given to diners with the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme. Please talk to us if you need help with your claim and record keeping.  Who can claim? If you have registered your establishment for the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme […]

“Should I buy a car or a van” is a question we frequently get asked at 1 Accounts. Our recommendation is usually van. This is because you can claim back the VAT and the taxable benefit in kind is usually much less than a car (unless electric). As the benefits of buying a van outweigh […]

Business Bounce Back Loans – what are they and should you apply for one? Since the scheme launched in May 2020 (just 3 months ago), more than 860,000 bounce back loans have been issued. This means that thousands of small businesses who are struggling due to the coronavirus have applied for and received financial help; […]

Boris Johnson announces grants for Electric Bikes, but are they a good idea for small business owners? Bikes (including E-bikes) costing over £1000 will now be included in the Governments ‘Cycle to Work’ scheme. If any of your team members are keen to cycle to work, this is a great opportunity for your business to […]

In March 2020, CH introduced temporary easement measures to suspend voluntary strike off action in response to coronavirus (COVID-19) and they have reviewed these measures each month. Following the July review, this temporary measure will be lifted from 10 September 2020. From this date, CH restart the process to dissolve companies that have applied for […]

Restaurants and other establishments serving food for on-premises consumption can now sign up to a new government initiative aimed at protecting jobs in the hospitality industry and encouraging people to safely return to dining out. The Eat Out to Help Out registration service went live on the 13th of July on GOV.UK, allowing businesses to […]

CORONAVIRUS JOB RETENTION SCHEME (CJRS) UPDATE. From 1st July “Flexible Furlough” was introduced and the calculations and time recording of full-time, part-time and fully furloughed employees has become more complicated. Changes are occurring regularly as the Government and HMRC make clarifications to the scheme. If you have any queries regarding your claim talk to us […]

We spent a large part of yesterday afternoon listening and reflecting on the budget update from the chancellor. In this blog, we will take you through what this actually means for you. If you furloughed a member of staff you probably received this excellent summary from the government of the changes being announced. (It’s probably […]

The deferral of VAT payments due to coronavirus comes to an end on 30 June and businesses need to take action to reinstate their direct debit mandates. The Institute of Chartered accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) Tax Faculty has reminded its members. The VAT payment deferral means that all UK VAT-registered businesses have the […]

What’s Going On Now? As time goes on it is getting harder and harder to keep track of all the Government changes. We have put together this blog to summarise the latest changes. STAYING ALERT AND SAFE (SOCIAL DISTANCING) Everyone’s actions have helped to reduce the transmission of coronavirus in our communities. Fatalities and infection […]

Sole Traders to get second grant from the Government. The government’s Self-Employment Income Support Scheme will be extended, giving more security to individuals whose livelihoods are adversely affected by coronavirus in the coming months, the Chancellor announced on Friday 29 May 2020. Rishi Sunak announced the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme will be extended – with […]

The portal opens this week to claim your grant is you are self-employed. This is capped as a taxable lump sum of £7500. Once your claim is approved the money will be in your bank account within 6 working days. To check whether you are eligible for this grant click here. Directors of limited companies are NOT […]

The government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will remain open until the end of October,  The key points announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak are:  Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will continue until end of October  furloughed workers across UK will continue to receive 80% of their current salary, up to £2,500  new flexibility will be introduced from […]

On Sunday Boris Johnson addressed the UK and gave a speech that confused the nation. Stay alert, control the virus, save lives. Full of contradictions the speech lacked clarity and direction leaving the UK feeling lost. Yesterday, in parliament we gained a little more clarity on the road map, however each step is conditional to […]

The help and advice that is available from the Government is forever changing. This is the latest update we have on how to apply for the self-employed grant.  For those who are eligible, you will receive an EMAIL, not a letter as we had thought. Be aware that there are lots of phishing emails out […]

New loans for small businesses announced. Sadly, lockdown doesn’t seem to be ending soon. This means that we are going to be seeing more pressure on the economy and the chances of this being a 12-week blip to the economy with a large bounce back are getting less and less as lockdown trundles on. Cheesy […]

DO YOU RUN A CHILDREN’S NURSERY? Beware of the new furlough rules!  If you operate a Childs Nursery or playground and receive funding from the County, please be aware of the new rules that were introduced by the Government on Friday. Click here for government guidelines Due to this change in guidance you will now need to calculate the […]

What we know so far update! We now have some more guidance on the government’s help for individuals, businesses and the self-employed. For full details of all the help available see the government web page here. The Small Business Grant Fund and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund Most local authorities who are administering […]

Claim Your Small Business Grant – TODAY If your business is eligible for small business rate relief OR rural rate relief: Your local authority will provide you with a one-off grant of £10,000. (So, doesn’t need to be paid back). If you are a retail, hospitality or leisure business: The government is giving you a […]

Business Interruption Loan Update We don’t have full details yet, but we wanted to let you know that the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan (CBIL) Scheme is going to be revamped after it has come under considerable criticism. And this is very positive news for small businesses. As a firm we were personally very disappointed with […]

What help is there for Sole Traders! Lockdown has most likely left you anxious about your future and desperate to find away to financially survive until June. Regardless of your political persuasion the government are doing there very best to help you get through. Click here to look at our blog issued after Rishi’s announcement. […]

More information on the job retention scheme … Under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, all UK employers with a PAYE scheme will be able to access support to continue paying part of their employees’ salary for those that would otherwise have been laid off during this crisis. This applies to employees who have been asked […]

What did Rishi mean I get 80%? The government has at last announced a package of support for self-employed individuals and clarified more about how to access the coronavirus job retention scheme. Let’s start with the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: In terms of the clarified advice on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, we have learnt: […]

Here to Help You and Your Business TOGETHER On Friday the 21st of March the Chancellor set out a package of measures to support public services, people and businesses through the period of disruption caused by COVID-19. The package of measures to support businesses includes: The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme Deferring VAT and Income Tax […]

What help is there for the self employed? It seems that every day the realities of the situation the economy is in just gets worse. I am sure you are like us you are pleased that the government is pumping money into small businesses. But what happens if you are self-employed or trade as a […]

Working From Home where possible Due to the current Covid-19 crisis, the government has issued measures stating that everyone should work from home if they can. It is important to recognise that for many businesses, working from home is impossible as they are customer facing or perform manual work that requires employees to be present. […]

Tough Times Ahead – We Are All In This Together Without doubt we are facing an unprecedented difficult time. Small business owners are trying to make money for themselves, their family and staff. It is looking likely that we will have to make some cutbacks and decisions that go against the grain. As a small […]

Capital Gains rules are changing! If you are a property investor or “accidental” landlord this is the blog for you. From the 6th of April 2020 the changes to Capital Gains tax rules will affect the sale of second homes and rental properties. . Capital Gains Tax Capital Gains Tax is paid at the following […]

Lately we have seen an increase in HMRC asking people if they have received rental income. This comes in the form of a ‘love letter’ from HMRC.

No one wants a Tax Investigation. It is true that as business owners we don’t want HMRC asking awkward questions and taking up our precious time by visiting us on a routine (or not!) compliance visit. This week two of our clients have been subject to compliance visits from HMRC, one for PAYE and CIS, […]

Making Tax Digital – Are You Ready? July 2019 marks the period that you have to submit your VAT returns using HMRC’s new Making Tax Digital (MTD) regime. Already Accountants, VAT registered businesses and HMRC are struggling to cope. Take a look at Accounting Web’s report on how HMRC’s systems were already struggling in May […]

POSSIBLE CHANGES TO CGT PRIVATE RESIDENCE RELIEF The government is currently consulting on important changes to private residence relief that are likely to be introduced from 6 April 2020. The two possible changes, announced in the Autumn 2018 Budget are: Firstly to limit to just 9 months the period prior to disposal that counts as […]

“RENT A ROOM” RELIEF TO CONTINUE FOR AIR BNB LANDLORDS Last year HMRC carried out a review of rent a room relief and it was proposed that the availability of this generous relief would be restricted to situations where the taxpayer was resident for at least part of the time when the “lodger” was paying […]

Happy New Year The 6th of April marked the first day of the financial year. This brings a few changes to individuals and businesses. The Personal Allowance  The personal allowance (the amount you can earn before paying Income Tax) has increased from £11850 to £12500. This will lead to a small reduction in tax. For […]

1 Accounts March Update We have stepped into spring with March, the clocks have changed meaning lighter evenings leaving the office very cheery.Here are just a few of the things we got up to in March. Jade Went To Prision… … but unfortunately they let her out! Jade went to Highpoint Prision to see how […]