Cancel your VAT registration
How to deregister for VAT, including when you must notify HMRC, completing your final VAT return, and accounting for VAT on stock and assets you keep.
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Tax & Finance
Business taxation, accounting, and financial management
VAT
Check if you need to register for VAT
Find out if your business must register for VAT based on your taxable turnover. Covers the £90,000 threshold, what counts as taxable turnover, the rolling 12-month test, and when voluntary registration makes sense.
Read guideChoose the correct VAT rate
Find out which VAT rate applies to your goods or services - standard, reduced, zero-rated, or exempt. This guide helps VAT-registered businesses determine the correct treatment for their supplies and understand the implications of each rate.
Read guideHow to charge VAT correctly
Learn how to charge VAT on your sales, choose the right rate, and create compliant invoices. Essential guidance for VAT-registered businesses on meeting their charging obligations.
Read guideHow to complete your VAT return
Step-by-step guidance on what to include in each box of your VAT return. Covers boxes 1-9, rounding rules, common mistakes to avoid, submission deadlines, and how to submit using Making Tax Digital software.
Read guideJoin the VAT Flat Rate Scheme
How to join the Flat Rate Scheme and calculate your VAT using a fixed percentage of turnover. Includes eligibility criteria, flat rate percentages by sector, the limited cost trader rules, and when you must leave.
Read guideReclaim VAT on business purchases
Understand when and how you can reclaim VAT paid on goods and services for your business. Covers evidence requirements, time limits, blocked input tax, and partial exemption basics.
Read guideUse VAT Cash Accounting
How Cash Accounting can help your cash flow by paying VAT only when you receive payment from customers. Includes eligibility criteria, how to join, record keeping requirements, and when you must leave the scheme.
Read guideVAT and tax on exports
Zero-rating exports, evidence requirements, rules of origin, and claiming tariff-free trade under UK agreements.
Read guideVAT invoice requirements
Learn what information must appear on a VAT invoice and when different invoice types apply. This guide covers full, simplified, and modified invoices, electronic invoicing rules, self-billing, and record retention requirements.
Read guideVAT registration
When and how to register for VAT, including mandatory and voluntary registration, what counts as taxable turnover, registration timing, group registration, transfers of going concern, and deregistration.
Read guideVAT schemes: choosing the right one for your business
A guide to the three main VAT schemes for small businesses: Flat Rate Scheme, Cash Accounting, and Annual Accounting. Explains eligibility, advantages, disadvantages, and helps you decide which scheme suits your business.
Read guideVAT when selling online to customers abroad
Understanding VAT obligations when selling to overseas customers through your website or online marketplaces. Covers place of supply rules, B2B vs B2C requirements, and simplified schemes for EU sales.
Read guideVAT you cannot reclaim
Understand the items where you cannot reclaim VAT on business purchases. Covers blocked input tax categories including business entertainment, motor cars, non-business use, exempt supplies, and when partial recovery may be possible.
Read guideVoluntary VAT registration - pros and cons
Understand the benefits and drawbacks of registering for VAT when you're below the £90,000 threshold. Covers who should consider voluntary registration, who should avoid it, and how to register or cancel.
Read guideCorporation Tax
Associated companies and Corporation Tax
How associated companies rules affect your Corporation Tax rate thresholds and quarterly instalment obligations.
Read guideClaim capital allowances for your company
How to claim AIA, full expensing, and writing down allowances on your Corporation Tax return.
Read guideClaim R&D tax relief for your company
How to claim R&D tax relief under the merged scheme and ERIS for innovative UK companies.
Read guideClose company tax rules for owner-managed businesses
What close company status means for your tax obligations, including Section 455 tax on director's loans.
Read guideCorporation Tax annual compliance checklist
Year-end checklist to verify your Corporation Tax compliance is complete.
Read guideCorporation tax loss relief
How to use trading losses to reduce your company's corporation tax bill. Covers carry-back, carry-forward, group relief, terminal loss relief, and anti-avoidance rules.
Read guideCorporation tax rates and small profits relief
Understanding the Corporation Tax rate structure following Finance Act 2022 changes. Covers the 25% main rate, 19% small profits rate, marginal relief for profits between £50,000 and £250,000, associated companies rules, and quarterly instalment requirements.
Read guideDigital Services Tax (DST) Compliance
Guide to Digital Services Tax for large digital platforms. Understand the 2% tax rate, revenue thresholds, registration process, and filing requirements for social media, search engines, and online marketplaces.
Read guideDirector's loans
Tax implications when directors borrow from or loan money to their limited company.
Read guideDiverted Profits Tax for multinationals
Guide to Diverted Profits Tax (DPT) for multinational businesses operating in the UK. Understand the 25% tax rate, two charging scenarios (avoided PE and mismatch arrangements), exemption thresholds, notification requirements, and the 2026 reform integrating DPT into Corporation Tax.
Read guideFile your Company Tax Return (CT600)
How to file your Company Tax Return (CT600) including deadlines, payment requirements, iXBRL tagging, and quarterly instalment rules for large companies. Critical: payment deadline is 9 months, filing deadline is 12 months.
Read guideFile your final Self Assessment return
How to file your final Self Assessment tax return when you stop being self-employed. Covers deadlines, tax calculations, overlap relief, terminal loss relief, capital allowances, and record-keeping requirements.
Read guidePatent Box: reduce Corporation Tax on patented profits
How the Patent Box regime reduces the effective Corporation Tax rate to 10% on profits derived from patented inventions. Covers eligibility, qualifying IP rights, the modified nexus approach, the streaming calculation, and interaction with R&D relief.
Read guidePlan your Corporation Tax payments
How to pay Corporation Tax on time, including quarterly instalments for large companies and Time to Pay arrangements.
Read guideRegister your company for Corporation Tax
Step-by-step Corporation Tax registration for new companies.
Read guideTransfer pricing rules for UK businesses
When transfer pricing rules apply to UK businesses, how the arm's length principle works, the SME exemption and its exceptions, documentation requirements for larger companies, and HMRC's approach to enforcement including Advance Pricing Agreements.
Read guideUnderstanding HMRC enquiries
What happens during an HMRC enquiry and how to respond. Covers types of enquiries, time limits, discovery assessments, penalties, taxpayer rights, and the appeals process.
Read guideIncome Tax
Claim business expenses as a sole trader
How to claim allowable expenses to reduce your tax bill, including simplified expenses options for vehicles, working from home, and living at business premises.
Read guideCorrect your Self Assessment return
How to amend your Self Assessment return within the 12-month window, claim overpayments after the window closes, and understand when HMRC can reassess your return through discovery assessments.
Read guideFile your Self Assessment tax return
Step-by-step guidance for sole traders on completing and submitting your Self Assessment tax return to HMRC, including key deadlines, payment schedules, and how to avoid penalties.
Read guideFiling your Self Assessment tax return
Who must file a Self Assessment return, how to complete and submit it, what expenses you can claim, and how to avoid penalties. Covers deadlines, payments on account, record keeping, common mistakes, and Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.
Read guideGet your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR)
How to get a UTR number for Self Assessment. Covers registration for sole traders and partnerships, delivery timelines, and what to do if you lose your UTR.
Read guideGo full-time with your business
Practical guidance for transitioning from employment to full-time self-employment. Covers financial preparation, legal obligations, tax registration, replacing employer benefits, and avoiding common mistakes when making the leap.
Read guideKeep business records as a sole trader
What records you must keep as a sole trader, how long to retain them, and how to prepare for Making Tax Digital.
Read guidePay National Insurance when self-employed
How to pay Class 2 and Class 4 National Insurance contributions when you're self-employed. Covers current rates, thresholds, voluntary contributions for protecting your State Pension, and how payments are collected through Self Assessment.
Read guidePay your Self Assessment tax bill
How to pay your Self Assessment tax bill, including payment methods, payments on account, Budget Payment Plan, and Time to Pay arrangements.
Read guidePrepare for Making Tax Digital
How to get ready for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, including when you must join, what software you need, and expected costs.
Read guideRegister as self-employed with HMRC
How to register for Self Assessment as a sole trader, get your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR), and understand your National Insurance obligations.
Read guideReport capital gains on your Self Assessment
How to report capital gains using SA108, including the annual exempt amount, CGT rates, the 60-day residential property reporting rule, key reliefs, and how to offset losses.
Read guideReport property income on your Self Assessment
How to report rental income on your Self Assessment using SA105 - allowable expenses, mortgage interest restriction, property allowance, and FHL abolition.
Read guideSet up as a sole trader
How to register as self-employed and start trading as a sole trader.
Read guideUnderstand Self Assessment supplementary pages
Reference guide to all SA100 supplementary pages. Find out which pages you need to complete, what each one covers, and whether to use the short or full version.
Read guideUse the trading allowance
When to use the £1,000 trading allowance versus claiming actual expenses. Includes eligibility rules, relief types, and the interaction with property allowance.
Read guidePAYE & Payroll
Auto-enrolment compliance checklist
Verify your auto-enrolment setup meets all requirements from The Pensions Regulator. Covers scheme selection, staff assessment, enrolment, contributions, communications, record-keeping, and declaration of compliance.
Read guideAuto-enrolment penalties and TPR enforcement
Reference guide to The Pensions Regulator enforcement powers for auto-enrolment. Covers the enforcement ladder from compliance notices through financial penalties to criminal prosecution, with penalty amounts by employer size.
Read guideChoose a workplace pension scheme
How to select a qualifying pension scheme for auto-enrolment. Compares master trusts (NEST, People's Pension), group personal pensions, and occupational schemes by charges, features, and suitability for different employer sizes.
Read guideClose your PAYE scheme
How to permanently close your PAYE scheme with HMRC, including final FPS submission, issuing P45s to all employees, paying outstanding tax and National Insurance, and understanding scheme reopening rules.
Read guideComplete your declaration of compliance
How to complete the declaration of compliance with The Pensions Regulator, confirming you have met your auto-enrolment duties. Covers what information you need, the 5-month deadline, and penalties for late declarations.
Read guideHandle a new starter without a P45
What to do when a new employee does not provide a P45 from their previous employer.
Read guideMaternity leave and pay
How to handle statutory maternity leave and Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) for the 2026/27 tax year. Paternity, adoption, and shared parental leave are covered in dedicated guides linked from this page.
Read guidePAYE year-end tasks
What employers must do at the end of the tax year for PAYE compliance.
Read guidePrepare for an HMRC PAYE compliance check
What to expect and how to prepare when HMRC reviews your PAYE records.
Read guideRecover statutory payments from HMRC
How to claim back statutory payments (SMP, SPP, SAP, ShPP) from HMRC.
Read guideRe-enrolment: your three-year duties
How to manage the three-year re-enrolment cycle for auto-enrolment. Covers calculating your re-enrolment date, assessing opted-out workers, the re-enrolment process, and re-declaring compliance with The Pensions Regulator.
Read guideRegister as an employer (PAYE)
How to register with HMRC as an employer before your first payday.
Read guideReport expenses and benefits (P11D)
How to report taxable benefits in kind to HMRC, including company cars, medical insurance, loans, and share schemes. Covers P11D forms, Class 1A NICs, payrolling, and Employment Related Securities returns.
Read guideRun payroll and submit RTI
How to run your payroll and submit Real Time Information to HMRC each pay period.
Read guideSalary sacrifice pension arrangements
How salary sacrifice works for pension contributions. Covers NI savings for employer and employee, contractual requirements, interaction with the National Minimum Wage, and auto-enrolment compliance.
Read guideStudent loan deductions for employers
How to calculate and process student loan and postgraduate loan deductions from employee pay.
Read guideWorker categories for auto-enrolment
Explains the three worker categories for auto-enrolment — eligible jobholder, non-eligible jobholder, and entitled worker — and what each means for employer duties. Covers edge cases including agency workers, directors, and workers with multiple jobs.
Read guideWorkplace pensions: your auto-enrolment duties
Your legal duties to automatically enrol eligible employees into a workplace pension scheme and contribute to their pension. Covers eligibility criteria, contribution rates, employer duties, opt-out rights, re-enrolment requirements, and The Pensions Regulator enforcement.
Read guideBusiness Finance
Banking regulation and PRA authorisation
Dual PRA and FCA authorisation requirements for UK banks, including capital requirements, mobilisation routes, and ongoing regulatory obligations under SM&CR and Consumer Duty.
Read guideBusiness support and grants in Northern Ireland
Key business support organisations and grant programmes available to businesses in Northern Ireland. Covers Invest NI, Go For It, Enterprise NI, InterTradeIreland, DAERA rural grants, and city deal programmes.
Read guideBuy a franchise
How to research, evaluate, and purchase a franchise in the UK. Includes costs, BFA verification, due diligence steps, funding options, and legal requirements.
Read guideEnterprise Investment Scheme (EIS)
Use EIS to raise up to £5 million by offering investors 30% income tax relief on their investment.
Read guideFinding government grants
How to search for and apply for government grants, subsidies, and financial support for your business.
Read guideHow taxes work for limited companies
Understanding Corporation Tax, VAT, PAYE, and Self Assessment - how they interconnect and your obligations to Companies House and HMRC.
Read guideInsurance Act 2015 compliance for businesses
Understanding your disclosure duties and rights when purchasing commercial insurance under the Insurance Act 2015.
Read guideLate payment: your rights as a business
Claim statutory interest and debt recovery costs when business customers pay invoices late. Covers the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act, the substantial remedy test for contract terms, Prompt Payment Code, public sector payment requirements, and how to enforce your rights.
Read guideOpening a business bank account
Open a business bank account to separate your finances, simplify tax returns, and accept payments professionally.
Read guideOrganising your business finances
Essential financial management practices - bank accounts, bookkeeping, and record keeping.
Read guidePayment systems and banking protections for businesses
How the Financial Services (Banking Reform) Act 2013 protects your business through the Payment Systems Regulator, FSCS deposit insurance, and ring-fencing rules. Covers what happens if your bank fails.
Read guidePay stamp duty on shares
How to pay stamp duty or SDRT when buying UK company shares, including rates, exemptions, and the stamping process.
Read guidePrepare a cash flow forecast
Create a detailed cash flow forecast showing when money enters and leaves your business. Essential for securing bank loans and preventing cash shortages that could sink an otherwise profitable business.
Read guideRaising equity investment
How to attract investment from angel investors, VCs, and crowdfunding platforms in exchange for company shares.
Read guideSeed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS)
Raise up to £250,000 in seed capital with SEIS, offering investors 50% income tax relief.
Read guideSelf-funding and bootstrapping
Start and grow your business using personal funds and reinvested profits without external investment.
Read guideStart Up Loans
Government-backed loans from £500 to £25,000 with fixed 6% interest and free business mentoring.
Read guideOther Taxes
Land Transaction Tax in Wales
How Land Transaction Tax (LTT) works in Wales, including current rates for residential, non-residential, and additional property purchases. LTT replaced Stamp Duty Land Tax in Wales from April 2018 and is administered by the Welsh Revenue Authority.
Read guidePay Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT)
When and how to pay SDLT on property purchases in England and Northern Ireland, including rates, reliefs, and deadlines.
Read guideSet up an Employee Ownership Trust
How to sell your business to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT). Covers CGT relief conditions, structure requirements, the setup process, and ongoing compliance for EOT-owned companies.
Read guideUnderstand property transaction taxes
Overview of SDLT, LBTT, and LTT -- the three separate property transaction taxes across the UK. Covers rates, thresholds, reliefs, filing processes, and penalties for England/Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
Read guideHMRC Compliance
Avoid Self Assessment penalties
Complete guide to Self Assessment penalties - how late filing charges escalate from a £100 fixed penalty to thousands of pounds, how late payment surcharges and interest compound, what happens if you fail to register, and how to appeal if you have a reasonable excuse.
Read guideCorrect VAT return errors
How to fix mistakes on your VAT return and when to tell HMRC. Covers error correction thresholds, adjusting your next return, voluntary disclosure, time limits, and avoiding penalties.
Read guideHandle an HMRC Self Assessment enquiry
What happens when HMRC opens an enquiry into your Self Assessment return, what triggers one, your rights, how to respond, and when to get professional help.
Read guidePrepare for Making Tax Digital for VAT
What you need to do to comply with Making Tax Digital requirements for VAT, including digital record keeping, choosing software, and setting up digital links.
Read guideGuides
Business rates relief schemes
Relief schemes that can reduce or eliminate your business rates bill, including small business rate relief, retail hospitality and leisure relief, empty property relief, and charitable rate relief across all UK nations.
Read guideChallenging your business rates and revaluation
How to challenge your rateable value through the Check, Challenge, Appeal process, understand revaluation cycles across UK nations, and manage your business rates payments.
Read guideUnderstanding business rates
How business rates are calculated from your property's rateable value and the multiplier, including how rates differ across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
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