Posts by category
- Category: Accounts & Expenses
- What counts as proof of income when you are a sole trader
- How to claim parking, tolls and congestion charges as travel expenses
- Can you claim gym memberships and wellbeing costs as a sole trader?
- Eye tests and glasses for the self-employed: what you can claim
- Phone and internet expenses for sole traders: HMRC rules and allowances
- Entertainment expenses for sole traders: what you can and can’t claim
- What training expenses can you claim if you work for yourself?
- What business expenses can you claim as a sole trader?
- What is ‘turnover’ and how do you calculate it?
- What is my business worth? How to value a small business
- Business owners warned as HMRC cracks down on personal expense claims
- Simplified expenses – how to claim flat-rate business costs as a sole trader
- How to invoice as a sole trader – with VAT and non-VAT templates
- 15 smart questions to ask before choosing an accountant
- What payment terms should I use when invoicing clients?
- Chasing unpaid invoices as a sole trader: practical steps and your legal rights
- Claiming subsistence as a sole trader – meals, hotels, and what HMRC allows
- Can I backdate business expenses before I registered as self-employed?
- Mileage allowance for sole traders: HMRC rules and rates (2025/26)
- Home office expenses for the self-employed: what you can claim
- Should you use accounting software or stick with spreadsheets?
- Can I claim clothing as a business expense if I’m self-employed?
- What happens if a client doesn’t pay – what are your options?
- Do you still need an accountant if you use FreeAgent or Xero?
- What happens if your accountant makes a mistake on your tax return?
- How to claim for equipment and tools as a sole trader – what HMRC allows
- Accounting deadlines every self-employed person should know
- How to switch accountants as a sole trader (without the stress)
- How much should you pay for an accountant if you’re self-employed?
- Do you need an accountant as a self-employed person?
- How to write a quote email – template for sole traders and freelancers
- Self-employed bookkeeping tips: stay organised and avoid HMRC trouble
- Compare Sole Trader Accountants – Monthly Fees & Features (2025)
- What’s the best accounting software for the self employed (sole traders)?
- HMRC’s new ‘tax gap’ report – what it means if you’re self employed
- Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax – guide for the self-employed
- UK SMEs that hire accountants report higher revenue and lower stress levels
- Late payment debt recovery service for ByteStart visitors (with Safe Collections)
- Setting up accounts if you’re self-employed – a beginner’s guide
- Why you need a cash flow forecast, how to produce one + downloadable templates
- Category: Banking
- What is the £120,000 FSCS and does it apply to business bank accounts?
- Can you have multiple business bank accounts as a sole trader?
- How to raise money to start and grow your own business
- Tide small business bank account – £50 cashback!
- Can I open a business bank account with bad credit as a sole trader?
- Can you open a business bank account before you start trading?
- Should I use a card reader for my small business or self-employed work?
- Can you use a personal bank account for your business – and should you?
- Do I need a merchant account to take card payments?
- Zempler Business Go bank account fees + review
- How Tide and Zempler plug into Xero, FreeAgent & QuickBooks
- Joint business bank accounts – are they right for your partnership?
- Do you need a separate bank account if you’re self-employed?
- How to reduce your small business bank charges in 2025
- Sole trader bank accounts: what to look for when comparing providers
- Business loans for the self-employed: what banks really look for
- Category: Go Self Employed
- What happens if I register as self-employed late?
- Selling up as a sole trader: tax, valuation and practical steps
- Sole trader vs limited company – pros and cons explained
- 15 steps to take when you become self-employed in 2025
- Can I register as self-employed while claiming Universal Credit or other benefits?
- Professional membership and registration for sole traders
- Jury service and how it affects the self-employed
- Can you be self-employed and employed at the same time?
- Can you run multiple sole trader businesses at once?
- When does your business officially start trading?
- Can sole traders use a PO Box as a business address?
- Data protection for the self-employed – what you need to know
- Can sole traders pay family to help with the business?
- How to choose a name for your UK sole trader business
- Checklist for hiring your first employee (for UK sole traders)
- What happens to your business if you die – planning ahead as a sole trader
- Closing down your sole trader business? What to do step by step
- 10 self-employed business ideas you can start for under £100
- Do you have to register with Companies House if you’re a sole trader?
- How to set up in business as a partnership in 2025
- How to successfully start a small business in the evenings
- Top driver for becoming self employed is the desire to “be my own boss.”
- How to start an eBay business: what you need to know
- Category: Insurance
- Does your small business need tax investigation insurance?
- Public liability for tradespeople – builders, plumbers, electricians and more
- Professional Indemnity Insurance for sole traders – do you need it?
- Do you need insurance if you hire subcontractors or freelancers?
- Cyber insurance for the self-employed – is it really necessary?
- Do I need insurance to work from home if I’m self-employed?
- What insurance do I need for part-time work or a side hustle?
- What insurance do I need to sell online (e.g. Etsy, Shopify, eBay)?
- Can I cancel or pause my business insurance if I stop trading?
- Do I need public liability insurance to sell at markets or fairs?
- What is employers liability insurance? Is it a legal requirement?
- Sole trader insurance – what’s required, recommended & worth having?
- The self-employed guide to public liability insurance (and when it matters)
- Category: Limited Company
- How to set up a limited company in the UK (step-by-step guide)
- What is Companies House? Functions, forms and director obligations
- Micro-entity annual accounts – what small limited companies must file
- What is a dormant limited company?
- Confirmation Statement and PSC rules explained for UK company directors
- Limited company dividend tax guide – 2025/26 tax year
- Tax efficient life cover through your own limited company
- Setting up and running payroll: a guide for small limited companies
- 15 advantages of setting up a limited company in 2025 (UK guide)
- Corporation Tax guide – CT600, rates & deadlines for small companies
- What responsibilities and duties does a limited company director have?
- Memorandum and Articles of Association – what you need to know
- Limited company accountants: 10 key things to look for
- Professional Indemnity Insurance for limited company directors
- Why your limited company should have a Shareholders’ Agreement
- Can your business claim the £10,500 Employment Allowance?
- The best salary and dividend split for directors in 2025/26
- Limited Company Tax Calculator – 2025/26
- Do limited company directors need income protection insurance?
- What business expenses can your limited company claim for?
- Tax-efficient ways to pay yourself through a limited company
- What is IR35? – Guide for UK limited company owners and contractors
- Umbrella companies explained – pros, cons and what to watch out for
- Understanding limited company taxes: what you need to know
- Trivial benefits – how to provide tax-free gifts to your employees
- £150 per head Christmas party expense exemption for limited companies
- Do directors also have to be shareholders in a limited company?
- Guide to insolvency, liquidation and bankruptcy for business owners
- Choose a limited company name – rules you need to know
- Directors – be aware of new Companies House rules in 2024
- How much has the April 2023 Corporation Tax rise cost you?
- Issuing new shares in your limited company explained
- Category: News & Insights
- Small company owners hit hard by April 2026 dividend tax increase
- Autumn Budget ’25 – Chancellor hammers small business owners again
- Willow Ethos – unlocking staff potential in small businesses
- Increase in home-based side hustles raises questions for insurers
- HMRC reminds Christmas side hustlers to check if they need to pay tax
- Autumn Budget 2025: Small businesses braced for major tax hikes
- 31st October paper Self Assessment deadline: who it applies to
- 2025 Autumn Budget predictions for the self-employed, by a tax expert
- 5 common pitfalls new small UK property investors make – and how to avoid them with Marco Robinson
- New Google AI initiative aims to give UK small businesses back a day a week
- New ‘Great British Pitch’ to help UK small firms take their products global
- Getting a mortgage as a sole trader vs. limited company director
- What is the October 5th Self Assessment deadline and what happens if you miss it?
- Working from a garden office: a practical guide for start-ups
- One in three UK entrepreneurs are dyslexic, research shows
- Gen Z leading the charge as UK’s next generation of business owners
- How 4Com helps small businesses improve efficiency through smarter communication
- Crackdown on late payments: key changes for small business owners
- Pensions Commission relaunched as millions of self-employed fall behind
- Self-employed? 31st July Payment on Account tax deadline looms
- What the 2027 Inheritance Tax changes mean for your pension
- BT warns small businesses they’re in the firing line for cyber attacks
- Maple Review launched to explore barriers to starting a business
- 10 common self-employed accidents and injuries to watch for
- Why Emailmovers is one of the UK’s only providers enhancing email databases with UPRNs
- Self-employed unprepared for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (April 2026 deadline!)
- How many small businesses and limited companies are there in the UK? (2025)
- Managing your time with Covey’s Matrix – a simple tool for business owners
- The 7 principles of PRINCE2 Project Management
- Start Up Idea of the Year Competition offers grants of up to £10,000
- 2025’s most inspiring female entrepreneurs unveiled by Small Business Britain
- Online platforms must provide HMRC with sales reports on ‘side hustle’ businesses
- 25% of 18-24 year olds want to start a new business in 2025
- Small employers concerned about unfair dismissal proposals
- Over 5m yet to file self assessment returns – don’t miss the 31st Jan deadline!
- What is Small Business Saturday? This year it’s on 7th December
- Women-run companies ‘less likely to go bust’ than those led by men
- Half of UK businesses have experienced a cyber attack. How can you protect yourself?
- Has business confidence taken a “decisive turn for the worse”?
- Big gap between HMRC interest rate on late payments vs. refunds
- Autumn Budget 2024 – How does it impact small business owners?
- Virgin StartUp welcomes new mentors ahead of National Mentoring Day
- How to set up in business as an IT contractor
- 79% of women self-fund their start-up businesses
- Small firms responsible for most tax evasion in the UK according to NAO report
- 55% of self employed will have no private pension savings at retirement if trends continue
- Top 10 business planning tips for start-ups + template downloads
- Number of self-employed aged 60 and over in the UK hits a record 991,000
- How to successfully manage your time via the OATS method
- 20 tips to make your day more productive as a business owner
- Category: Pensions
- How pension tax relief works for the self-employed
- Should you pay into a pension or an ISA if you’re self-employed?
- Self-employed and the State Pension – NI rules, rates and gaps explained
- How much do you need to save for retirement if you’re self-employed?
- It’s never too late to start saving for a pension if you’re self-employed
- How do pensions work if you’re a sole trader?
- Simple guide to SIPPs for the self-employed
- Category: Protection
- Category: Tax & HMRC
- How do student loan repayments work if you’re a sole trader?
- How to check if a UK or EU VAT registration number is valid
- What to do if you accidentally register twice with HMRC as a sole trader
- Business Asset Disposal Relief (BADR) – was 10%, now 14%, rising to 18%
- Business rates and small business rate relief explained
- UTR number explained – what it is, when you need one, and how to get it
- High Income Child Benefit Charge – what self-employed people need to know
- Sole trader tax and National Insurance calculator – 2025/26
- Self assessment tax return help for sole traders
- Why the VAT registration threshold is a problem for small businesses
- How the Flat Rate VAT Scheme works (and the Limited Cost Trader rule)
- Claiming capital allowances as a sole trader – what’s allowed
- How to register for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD ITSA)
- What is the £1,000 trading allowance – how does it work?
- Can I pay myself a salary if I’m a sole trader?
- Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: exemptions explained
- MTD ITSA deadlines explained: when you need to submit and what to file
- VAT for the self-employed – what you need to know in 2025
- What National Insurance do self-employed people pay in 2025/26?
- How to register as self-employed with HMRC – the key steps
- How tax works if you’re self-employed (2025/26)
- How long should small businesses keep tax records for?
- VAT registration – when should you register for VAT? Try HMRC’s handy estimator