Guides
Written for the situation you are actually in, not for search engines. Every one is the answer we would give you on a first call — which is deliberate: if a guide solves it, you do not need to hire anybody.
Every HMRC letter, explainedP800s, nudge letters, penalties, compliance checks — what each one means, how urgent it really is, and what to do this week.Your first UK tax yearResidence, split-year treatment, the 4-year FIG regime and foreign income — the decisions that shape your first return.SA302: what it is and how to get yoursThe document every lender and visa application asks for — where to find it, what must match it, and what to do when it is refused.How to pay corporation taxThe deadline is 9 months and 1 day after your year end — three months before the return. Methods, references and what happens if you are late.The CT600 company tax returnWhat goes in it, the 12-month deadline, why it has to be iXBRL, and penalties from £200 to 10% of the unpaid tax.The director's loan accountThe 33.75% S455 charge, the nine-month deadline, the £10,000 benefit-in-kind line, and why repaying then re-borrowing does not work.How to pay yourself from a limited companySalary, dividends and pension contributions compared on the 2026/27 rates — and why there is no single right split.How to register as a sole traderThe 5 October deadline, what HMRC asks for, how long the UTR takes to arrive, and what to do if you have been trading unregistered.Do I need to file a tax return?The triggers that pull you into Self Assessment, the £1,000 trading allowance, and why an HMRC notice overrides all of them.Self Assessment deadlinesEvery date in one place — and why filing on time but paying late still costs you.How to pay your Self Assessment billThe reference, how long each method takes, and why the January bill is half again as big as the tax you expected.Registering for CISTwo registrations, not one — and why contractors keep deducting 30% months after you thought it was sorted.CIS deductions explained20% of labour only — not materials, not VAT — and why the deduction was never the same number as your tax bill.CIS gross payment statusThe three tests, the turnover thresholds, and the compliance record you have to keep clean afterwards.CIS monthly returnsThe 19th deadline, nil returns, verification, and a penalty scale that compounds monthly.The Let Property CampaignDeclaring rental income you never reported: the 90-day window, how many years are at risk, and why coming forward first costs so much less.Making a disclosure to HMRCWhich route applies, what unprompted means and why it decides the penalty, and what to do if a letter has already arrived.HMRC payment plansTime to Pay explained: when you can arrange it online, what happens to interest and penalties, and why timing decides the cost.HMRC compliance checksWhat an enquiry actually is, why scope matters more than anything else, and what decides the eventual cost.Appealing an HMRC penaltyThe 30-day window, what counts as a reasonable excuse and what does not, and why you file the return first.Tax on rental incomeWhat counts as profit, what you can deduct, and why the mortgage sits outside the subtraction.The Rent a Room Scheme£7,500 tax-free from a lodger — halved if the income is shared, and gone entirely once you move out.The non-resident landlord scheme20% withheld unless you have approval — and the tenant has to do it when there is no agent.Making Tax Digital for landlordsThe £50,000, £30,000 and £20,000 phases, what qualifying income means, and what quarterly updates involve.Split-year treatmentDividing the year you arrive or leave, so foreign income from before you moved stays outside UK tax — if you claim it.The 4-year FIG regimeWho qualifies, what claiming costs you in allowances, and why the window runs from arrival rather than from your first claim.Form P85: leaving the UKWhy leaving mid-year usually means a refund, what the form does not settle, and the four things that change at once.Overseas Workday ReliefFour years instead of three, a new cap, and the end of the offshore account requirement.Sole trader or limited company?How each is taxed, what a company really costs to run, and why starting as a sole trader risks less.How to close a limited companyStrike off or liquidation, what happens to money left inside, and why letting it lapse is the expensive route.Late filing penalties at Companies HouseThe £150 to £1,500 scale, the doubling on repeat, and why appeals almost never work.IR35 explainedWhat the rules test, who makes the determination, what actually decides status, and how to dispute one.Inside or outside IR35?The practical differences, what decides status, and whether an inside determination is worth changing anything over.Umbrella companiesWhy the assignment rate is not your salary, what legitimately comes out of it, and how to spot a scheme.
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