Plain-English answers to the questions UK business owners and sole traders actually ask Google - written by a qualified AAT accountant, anchored to current legislation, and updated each tax year.
Each question below is a dedicated page with a direct answer, worked examples, related questions, and links to the official HMRC or Companies House source.
The UK VAT registration threshold is £90,000. Rolling 12-month test, the 30-day forward rule, what counts as taxable turnover, and the zero-rated trap that catches food retailers and book sellers.
Read the answer →Personal allowance £12,570. All three income tax bands, the hidden 60% marginal rate between £100k and £125k, pensioner and self-employed thresholds, and dividend tax for 2026/27.
Read the answer →We are building this library in priority order based on the questions our clients ask most often, and on the volume of UK searches for each query. New pages added every 1–2 weeks throughout 2026.
The two tests that trigger compulsory registration, the 30-day rule, and what happens if you register late.
Coming soonHow CIS works, who must register, the 20% / 30% / gross deduction rates, and the monthly CIS300 filing cycle.
Coming soonThe 9-months-and-1-day payment deadline, 12-month filing window, instalment payments for larger companies, and HMRC's interest charges on late payments.
Coming soonWho must file, registration deadlines, paper vs online deadlines, payments on account, and the most common mistakes.
Coming soonMTD for VAT (live now), MTD for Income Tax Self Assessment (phased in 2026 onwards), and the software requirements.
Coming soon31 October (paper) and 31 January (online), payments on account due dates, and the late-filing penalty structure.
Coming soonThe "wholly and exclusively" rule, allowable categories, the simplified expenses option, and the receipts you need to keep.
Coming soonThe 19% small-profits rate, the 25% main rate, marginal relief between £50k and £250k, and associated company rules.
Coming soonWe are platform-agnostic and certified across the three main cloud accounting platforms. If you are not yet on a cloud platform, we can migrate you as part of the onboarding.
Xero Certified Adviser. Preferred platform for most SMEs - strong bank feed connectivity, excellent MTD compliance, and the best management reporting add-ons.
QBO ProAdvisor certified. Strong for construction and trade businesses. Excellent payroll integration and CIS module. Cost-effective for smaller entities.
Sage 50 and Sage Business Cloud. Preferred by some industries and established businesses. Full bookkeeping and VAT support across both versions.
The consequence of poor bookkeeping is not visible each month - it accumulates and surfaces at year-end when your accountant bills you for the additional hours to untangle miscoded transactions, find missing accruals, and reconcile discrepancies your bookkeeper missed.
Poor bookkeeping also means your VAT returns may be incorrect (miscoded transactions change the VAT position), your management accounts cannot be relied upon, and your year-end accounts take significantly longer to prepare.
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