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With the introduction of Jack’s Law in April 2020, paid bereavement pay came onto the statute books and should not be confused with bereavement leave or bereavement support payments.   Bereavement Leave Bereavement leave generally refers to time off an employee takes due to the death of a close family member or dependant. This time…

Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 10 will reach its end of support on 14 October 2025. After this date, the operating system will no longer receive security updates or technical support. While devices running Windows 10 will continue to function, they will become increasingly vulnerable to security threats and software incompatibilities.   This milestone presents…

Following previous updates, Companies House has now confirmed the timeline and requirements for mandatory identity verification, which will begin on 18 November 2025.   This initiative, which is part of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, aims to improve the accuracy of the companies register and reduce fraud. It is expected to affect around 6–7 million individuals.…

Set in Stone… or at least, paper. On 21st July 2025 the government published the long-awaited policy paper on changes to Inheritance Tax Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) following the Autumn 2024 Budget.   Despite much lobbying from farmers, professionals and industry leaders, and indeed a lot of wishful thinking, there…

IHT on pensions pushing ahead, more burden placed on personal representatives.   On 21 July the Government released draft legislation on the changes to Inheritance Tax (IHT) in bringing unused pension funds into the charge to IHT from 6 April 2027.   These changes include both UK registered pension schemes and certain non-UK pension schemes,…

There is a vast array of options available to business owners when choosing accounting software. Choosing the right software for you and the business is an important decision, how well you work with and understand your chosen software can make bookkeeping a chore or a simple task.   What should you be looking for when…

The Government is proposing to overhaul the leasehold sector and has recently published a White Paper on the matter. They are proposing to abolish the leasehold tenure and replace this with a form of property ownership called commonhold.   Commonhold is a form of freehold which will remove the need for a freehold landlord. Common…

Are We Nearly There Yet? Well, yes is the answer and Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD for IT) will finally begin from 6 April 2026, when it becomes mandatory for landlords and the self-employed whose gross income is over £50,000 in the tax year just passed 2024/25, with the introduction of quarterly returns.…

Farming can happen under many different arrangements. Whether that’s in-house, a tenancy where a landowner lets their land to another to farm, a Contract Farming Agreement (CFA) between a landowner (or tenant farmer) and a contractor, casual contracting on an ad hoc basis or machinery sharing. It’s important to understand each option to consider which…

What is a HMRC Nudge Letter? HMRC have been using nudge letters since 2017 to encourage taxpayers to check their previously declared taxable income and submitted returns. These are used to help identify whether there is any undeclared taxable income. A nudge letter is a type of communication that HMRC use to encourage individuals or…