Category: Money & Tax for the Self-Employed

In lean times, businesses need to be on top of their game, but when testing the financial fitness of a group of entrepreneurs, Intuit, the makers of QuickBooks accounting software, found many in dire need of a workout.

A new survey has revealed that ten per cent of small and medium-sized businesses are actively considering acquiring a competing business.

HM Revenues & Customs (HMRC) is proposing a complete overhaul of the way employee information is filed, with the introduction of its Real Time Information (RTI) reporting initiative. Employers and Payroll Managers are amongst those most affected by these changes, but effective planning and preparation will minimise disruption and allow for a smoother transition to the new system.

Exporters would value sector and country market intelligence in order to grow according to the ICAEW. This news comes as research shows that the rise in export activity will stagnate in 2012 due to turmoil in key global markets.

Vince Cable has spent the last few days squirming over a £1000 fine for failing to register for VAT on his reported £192,000 income from external sources but vowed he would continue to chase duty dodgers.

Hundreds of thousands of SMEs across the UK are still facing a lucky dip when it comes to getting a credit rating. The news follows a recent investigation into the practices of credit rating agencies leading to calls for the Government to force the credit ratings agencies to be more transparent in how they arrive at their recommendations.

Experian, the global information services company, have announced the launch of SME Finance Finder, a free online service for SMEs designed to match their particular finance needs to the most appropriate brokers and lenders.

This summer, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has been contacting small businesses across the country with information and warnings on who is eligible to pay VAT, what the deadlines are, and the penalties of either not taking action within the deadline, or disguising revenues for VAT avoidance Diana Flier, senior compliance analyst, Intuit UK explains what you need to be prepared for.

Small businesses across the UK are being offered free expert advice from ICAEW Chartered Accountants as part of a new initiative.

Small businesses outraged at plans by the Payments Council to end cheque clearing from 2018 have been given a lifeline as Mark Hoban, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, said that cheques could not be scrapped until “a suitable alternative is found”.

How successful is your business? We spoke to Emily Coltman, Chief Accountant at online accounting system providers FreeAgent to suggest five clues to look for in your accounts in order to reveal what your accounts are actually telling you, and how can they show you whether your business is successful?

Few SMEs would dispute that managing and administering payroll is one of those necessary headaches that smaller enterprises have to endure; only the big beasts – large corporations –can afford to pay for large-scale payroll outsourcing contacts, after all. But if assumptions like this are organising the affairs of the UK’s small to medium sized enterprises, they’re mistaken.

Through boom and bust, it’s a well-known saying that “cash is king,” and in times of macroeconomic uncertainty the emphasis on this only grows. Even more important than cash in the bank is the need to ensure consistent flow of cash from your customers.

A UK personal finance survey of over a 1,000 workers with expense accounts has revealed that two out of three aren’t claiming everything owed to them, creating a black hole in personal budgets.

It was a case of seizing the moment for Alex Brown, a Business Partner at Clydesdale Bank, as he paid for his lunch at La Lanterna, the Italian restaurant near his home in Tower Bridge, London.