Budget · 20 October 2026
Before the Budget: what company directors can do now
The Autumn Budget is on 28 October 2026. Six sensible steps company directors can take now under the rules they know, and what not to do.
Notes from the ledger
Plain-English guides on running a limited company: bookkeeping, VAT, payroll, dividends and tax. No jargon, no scaremongering, just what you actually need to know.
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Suggest a topicFees · 13 October 2026
How much does an accountant cost for a growing limited company?
What drives accountancy fees, what a growing limited company needs, and exactly what our fixed monthly plans cost and include, with the sums shown.
Self Assessment · 6 October 2026
Payments on account for company directors: why your first January tax bill is so high
Why a director's first January tax bill can be one and a half times the year's tax, when payments on account apply, and how to plan for them.
Pensions · 29 September 2026
Should your company pay into your pension? Employer contributions explained
Why an employer contribution beats salary and dividends, how much you can pay in, carry forward, the wholly and exclusively test, and why timing matters.
New companies · 22 September 2026
Just incorporated? Your first 90 days as a company director
What to register, what to set up, how to pay yourself, the deadlines fixed by your incorporation date, and the five mistakes new directors make in month one.
Limited companies · 16 September 2026
Limited company expenses: what you can and cannot put through in 2026/27
What is clearly allowed, what is not and the grey areas, including the mileage rate that rose to 55p this year, trivial benefits, entertaining, and the director's loan trap.
Business structure · 9 September 2026
Sole trader or limited company in 2026/27? The honest numbers, and they have changed
If you draw all your profit out, a sole trader now keeps as much or more than a company director at every profit level we modelled. Where a company still wins, with full workings.
Limited companies · 3 September 2026
Director salary and dividends 2026/27: the £12,570 answer, and when it is wrong
Worked numbers for paying yourself this tax year, including the dividend rate rise and the Employment Allowance twist that changes the answer for two-director companies.
VAT · 2 September 2026
Do I need to register for VAT? The £90,000 question
How the rolling 12-month threshold really works, the 30-day deadline that catches people out, and when registering voluntarily is the smarter move.