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Helping you plan for your retirement is one of our core services, ensuring you are prepared when the time comes to call it a day. With medical advances enabling more […]

Most company directors and their staff see an audit as a compliance burden or a box ticking exercise, but actually there are various benefits to be gained from the process. […]

Offering a company car as a benefit can be a valuable and attractive perk to any valued employee. Unfortunately, it is not necessarily a tax-free perk and it may be […]

High earners could face large tax bills if they fail to declare pension contributions on their 2018/19 tax returns, according to a report. When completing self-assessment, taxpayers are asked if […]

You’ve got a business idea, you’ve got the skills, the concept, the motivation and maybe even someone that’s keen to pay for your services, but where do you start? What […]

The new government intends to announce the 2020/21 tax rates, bands and allowances in a full Budget on Wednesday 11th March 2020. Prime Minister Boris Johnson secured a handsome majority […]

The UK tax system is complicated but research and development (R&D) tax credits can be especially tricky to understand. That’s partly because what counts as R&D, and what amounts to […]

Plans to increase probate fees that were due to take effect earlier this year have been abandoned. Families currently pay a flat fee of up to £215 to obtain the […]

Extending off-payroll rules to the private sector in April 2020 should be delayed by a year, a tax group has said. Chancellor Sajid Javid intended to deliver his first Budget […]

So you’ve got a business idea, and you think it might be a runner. But then again, just as you’ve geared yourself up to commit, all sorts of midnight worries […]

With only two months left until the 31 January deadline for online returns, self-assessment is very much on our minds. There’s a first flurry of activity around the deadline for […]

Business groups want more support to help employers meet the Chancellor’s pledge to raise the national living wage to £10.50 an hour by 2024. Chancellor Sajid Javid announced his intention […]

Fraud costs the UK around £190 billion a year, with businesses bearing almost three quarters – £140bn – of those losses. This worrying picture is backed up by the 2019 […]

More than 28,100 estates were liable for death duties in 2016/17 – a new high for the number of estates charged. The latest figure represented a 15% rise on the […]

From 6 April 2020, HMRC is proposing three significant changes which will potentially increase the capital gains tax paid on the disposal of any residential property by an individual.  These […]

New figures show self-assessment taxpayers owe HMRC more than £1.6 billion in late payments on 2017/18 tax bills. The deadline for 2017/18 submissions came and went on 31 January 2019, […]

Large and medium-sized organisations have just six months left to prepare for changes to off-payroll working rules, which are due to extend to the private sector next spring.  From 6 […]

As the global financial crisis began to bite in 2008, central banks in several nations took action, attempting to shock the world economy back to life by slashing base interest […]

A major change to the way VAT is collected in the building and construction industry has been delayed until 1 October 2020.   The domestic reverse charge VAT for construction services […]

For most people living in the UK, the question of what income and gains should be included on their tax return is an easily answered question because they are both […]

Are Jaffa Cakes biscuits or, as the name implies, cakes? This question is one of the most famous examples of the kind of debate that happens frequently in the world […]

The Government is being urged to stop its crackdown on the buy-to-let market, following evidence showing the negative effects of a string of tax changes. The Intermediary Mortgage Lenders’ Association […]

All of us dream of the day we can retire, saying goodbye to the alarm clock and commute, filling our days with sun-soaked beach holidays, leisurely rounds of golf, or […]

Few sectors have such an impact in the UK as the construction industry. It not only provides the fabric of our nation – the places where we live and work […]

Most people making gifts of money or assets are unaware of inheritance tax rules that might apply to them. HMRC polled 2,090 people and found that only 25% of those […]

Businesses that flout their workplace pension duties face being subjected to random spot-checks by the Pensions Regulator. Employers that provide details to HMRC are having that data cross-referenced by the […]

The tapered annual pension allowance for high net-worth individuals was in the headlines again recently. Concerns were raised that its impact on doctors within the NHS pension scheme is prompting […]

Accountants, as a breed, are fans of efficiency. We tend to appreciate optimised systems and abhor waste, whether it’s time, effort or resources being frittered away. The concept of efficiency […]

The Government is facing calls to announce a stamp duty holiday for homeowners who seek to downsize. Saga polled 2,000 people over the age of 50 and found that 73% […]

When you supply goods and services, you expect to be paid, and promptly, but Britain has a deeply embedded culture of late payments. Indeed, for some businesses, delaying payment is […]

Working from home offers all kinds of benefits, from the opportunity to create the perfect environment in which you can be most productive, to the improvements to work-life balance that […]

More than a million VAT-registered businesses have now been mandated into the Government’s Making Tax Digital (MTD) programme, which came into force on 1 April 2019. Under the scheme, businesses […]

It has been a challenging and eventful three years for UK businesses with a series of high-profile incidents highlighting how situations can change suddenly and often without warning. From the […]

Changes to probate fees – due to take effect last month – have been delayed as Parliament wrangles to resolve the Brexit stalemate. Bereaved families currently pay a flat fee […]

If you’re in charge of running a charity, you will know how it differs from operating a business and how its motives and goals vary. Non-profit organisations are treated very […]

The Government is considering introducing a new stamp duty surcharge, which is designed to clamp down on overseas wealth being used to buy homes in England. Ministers have expressed concerns […]

Affluent families in England and Wales face paying probate charges of up to £6,000 from this month after ministers confirmed it as a fee rather than a tax. Families have […]

What you need to know for 2019/20. With the Brexit process rumbling on, Making Tax Digital finally coming into force, and Easter around the corner, now is the time to […]

MTD zero-hour is here. The moment has come: if your business has a taxable turnover above the VAT-registration threshold, which is currently £85,000, you’re now obliged to keep records in […]

  The Government has launched a new website service to help businesses prepare for the UK’s exit from the EU. ‘Prepare your business for leaving the EU’ is an online […]

If there’s one thing accountants love, it’s identifying obscure tax reliefs to which you may be entitled and using them to reduce your tax bills. Tax reliefs, or tax breaks […]

Most employers in the UK will see minimum contributions towards their workers’ occupational pension schemes rise from 2% to 3% next month. Businesses are legally obliged to automatically enrol all […]

Preparing businesses for leaving the EU As the clock continues to tick down to the 29 March 2019, when the UK is scheduled to officially leave the EU at 11pm, […]

The first batch of VAT-registered businesses have less than a month to go until they enter into the Government’s Making Tax Digital (MTD) regime. All VAT-registered businesses turning over more […]

From April 2019, some estates in England and Wales could be required to pay almost £6,000 for a service that currently costs less than 4% of that amount. This is […]

It’s a fact – humans are bad at assessing risk. We’re terrified of things that rarely happen (plane crashes, power station meltdowns) but relatively blasé about things that are statistically […]

Around 1.4 million businesses in the UK employed members of staff in 2018, and all of them shared one thing in common: the legal requirement to run payroll. This task […]

National insurance contributions (NICs) are set aside to pay the state pension and other benefits, but due to the UK’s ageing population the National Insurance Fund is under increasing strain, […]

    There are now less than 100 days to go until HMRC roll out one of the most significant changes to VAT and how it is reported. For most […]

Individuals set to benefit from an increase to the higher-rate threshold in 2019 will only see half of the tax reduction expected, as a result of a Budget measure not […]

The annual investment allowance is set to temporarily increase from £200,000 to £1 million, allowing businesses to gain more tax relief on their investments. This will take effect from 1 […]

Most people don’t like to think about their own mortality, but planning for the future is important to ensure your property, money and possessions are distributed the way you intend. […]

It’s a common scenario. As the year draws to a close, the thought of your tax return is there, at the back of your mind. But with so much time […]

These days VAT thresholds are the subject of much speculation, with the Government concerned that many business owners deliberately choose to stay below the VAT-registration threshold. Limiting your ambition in […]

As communities around the UK geared up to take part in Mitzvah Day 2018 – the country’ s biggest multi faith day of social action – here at Sobell Rhodes […]

Britain is a nation of fearless entrepreneurs, but the likes of Richard Branson and James Dyson didn’t go from rags to riches instantly. Branson needed a £300 loan to get […]

People run businesses for a variety of reasons from passion to pride, but making a living is high up the list for most people. How do you go about drawing […]

Introduction Going into Budget 2018, between leaks and political instability, few expected Chancellor Philip Hammond would have surprises left to spring.  How wrong we were. Under pressure to support No […]

Personal allowance The personal allowance increases from £11,850 to £12,500 from 6 April 2019. The allowance will also remain at this level for the 2020/21 tax year. Basic-rate band The […]

Corporation tax The main rate of corporation tax remains at 19% for 2019/20. The intention to cut the rate of corporation tax to 17% in 2020/21 was reiterated. Annual investment […]

As traditional loans fall out of favour with increasing numbers of business owners, you may be looking for an alternative route for financing – and your pension could be the […]

If there’s one thing that keeps us awake at night it’s the thought of how many British businesses are failing to claim capital allowances to which they are entitled – […]

On 21st September 2018 we came into the office wearing our Jeans in order to raise money and awareness for Genetic Disorders UK.  We are proud to have been able […]

First-time buyers in England, Northern Ireland – and for a short time in Wales – were the biggest winners in the most recent shake-up to affect property taxes in Autumn […]

Whether you’re a buy-to-let landlord, a shareholder, an art dealer or you fall somewhere in between, the chances are you will be familiar with paying capital gains tax (CGT). CGT […]

Millions of married couples and civil partners in the UK are eligible for the marriage allowance, but take-up has remained subdued since the tax break came into force on 6 […]

Although the Making Tax Digital (MTD) regime has suffered several setbacks and delays, MTD for VAT remains on course to take effect from its planned implementation date of 1 April […]

You’ve built your business from the ground up and decided it’s time to start planning your departure, but how can you guarantee that you pass it on to the right […]

Smaller employers may require more support in operating workplace pension schemes through auto-enrolment, statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions show. Both small employers (defined as those with 5 […]

After years of hard work and careful saving, you might be looking forward to spending the wealth you’ve built up on a comfortable, relaxing retirement. On the other hand, you […]

Most employers are currently getting their houses in order when it comes to reporting employee benefits and expenses ahead of the 6 July 2018 deadline. At the end of the […]

Many employees need to travel as part of their job for various reasons, whether it’s acquiring new customers, working with current ones or attending conferences and events. The system of […]

A number of selected small businesses have begun submitting tax returns under HMRC’s Making Tax Digital (MTD) pilot scheme. The Revenue asked for businesses to step forward and trial the […]

Despite year-on-year tax rises, company cars remain a popular benefit. While the tax cost of expensive high-emission cars can be eye-watering, by choosing carefully it’s possible to enjoy the convenience […]

Nobody wants the taxman to take more than his fair share, and planning your finances early on can ensure you adopt the most tax-efficient strategy for the months and years […]

Companies can fail for several reasons and, for the most part, these aren’t the result of wrongdoing by the directors. For this reason, it’s perfectly legal to start a new […]

With a new tax year almost upon us, many sole traders will be reviewing their business structure and considering whether it’s worth switching to a limited company. There’s no denying […]

Most employers choose to recognise the ongoing commitment made by their members of staff by providing various benefits and rewards. Whether that’s in the form of the Christmas party or […]

A total of 745,588 people run the risk of being fined by HMRC after missing the deadline to submit their self-assessment tax return. About one in 15 taxpayers failed to […]

Vulnerable and elderly people are being told they owe large amounts of tax which they can only pay off through digital vouchers and gift cards. HMRC has issued a warning […]

The overwhelming majority of business owners and landlords remain in the dark over making tax digital (MTD), government research shows. Ipsos Mori polled 2,900 small businesses and landlords on behalf […]

Anyone whose business comes under the Revenue’s microscope is usually in for a roller-coaster ride. HMRC has upped its game in recent years when it comes to probing businesses or […]

Incorporating charitable giving into your tax planning strategy can be a useful way to reduce both your income tax and the inheritance tax (IHT) that will eventually become payable on […]

Audits may be a thing of the past, but certain annual reports still apply. If you’re a business owner, you may be familiar with the process of submitting your accounts […]

  What is a forensic accountant’s role in divorce proceedings? A forensic accountant has a number of functions. If they are the single joint expert (SJE) in the context of […]

For self-employed people, company directors and those receiving other sources of income, it’s the time of the year to send your self-assessment tax return. Self-assessment is the process used by […]

As communities around the UK geared up to take part in Mitzvah Day 2017 – the country’s biggest multi faith day of social action – here at Sobell Rhodes we […]

As the owner and director of your own company, you can choose how and when to extract funds from your company. As almost all the funds you take out will […]

Most employers provide a range of benefits in kind to their employees. You may be able to choose which benefits to take up, so you should be aware of the […]

Do you spend a lot of time travelling or have little time to oversee your company’s management accounts?  If your answer to these questions is “yes” we would recommend that […]

Trusts are a legal arrangement whereby assets are placed into the care of an individual who manages them for the benefit of someone else. For the person placing the assets […]

Starting a business is rarely glamourous. Many of the globe-straddling behemoths of the business world had low key beginnings. Both Apple and Hewlett-Packard were famously started in their founder’s garages […]

Whether you own one or 50 let properties, you need to be aware of the tax changes that have already started to take effect – and which will accelerate over […]

Most businesses don’t do this (believe it or not) but the information obtained can be really helpful in keeping you out in front. Obtain your competitors’ brochures and promotional materials […]

What your customers say about you is infinitely more persuasive to a prospect than anything you could possibly say about yourself, hence the popularity of websites such as tripadvisor.co.uk and […]

Social media utilises the internet to maximise contact with your current network. It also helps you to grow your group of connections at an exponential rate. LinkedIn allows you to […]

Referrals are the lifeblood of a successful business – there’s no better way of building sales than by increasing referrals. They are not only the number one source of new business; […]

Stephen Covey, who wrote one of the bestselling business books of all time “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” said that all success starts in one place:- your mind. He calls […]

Historical precedents within a particular industry force customers to make compromises or concessions. Why, for example: • Do most hotels prohibit you from checking in before 3pm? [Hotel maids generally start […]