Latest Business Support

ECJ Ruling: Holiday pay must be calculated based on all elements of normal earnings. A new case (British Gas v Lock) has confirmed that holiday pay calculations should take account of commission earnings as well as overtime. Mr. Lock, a salesman for British Gas received a basic salary plus commission on a results based. The commission element…

Meal Allowances for Road Hauliers: All change. The position regarding meal allowances in the haulage industry is changing. The RHA is meeting HMRC shortly to discuss aspects of the change (RHA briefing note).

How do I keep my business records? Have you just started in business? Are you at the stage of wondering what bookkeeping records you should keep? The law states: “That if you have to send H M Revenue and Customs a tax return you must keep all records and documents you need to complete the…

Green Finance: Santander now lending on energy efficient CapEx. Santander, through their partners Macquarie Equipment Finance, have recently announced that they will lend on the following energy efficient asset purchases: Batteries/storage Biomass Boilers Boilers (condensing/gas) Building Management Systems CHP systems Energy Efficient Lighting (LED) Gas turbines Heating/ventilation air conditioning systems Metering Power factor correction Roof ventilation Solar…

Slow Broadband: £3k grants available. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport have grants available for up to £3,000 to cover the broadband installation costs of upgrading to a faster and more reliable connection for your business. They say you could get a fibre optic, cable or wireless broadband connection,n amongst other options.  Most businesses…

The Banks that like to say ‘No’: Raise finance through CrowdFunding instead. The green shoots have sprouted, the UK economy is on the rise and it’s never been a better time to start that expansion programme you were considering before the recession. However, you’ve seen your bank manager and they’ve DECLINED your funding application. All…

Love the Lorry:  National lorry week (26-31 October). The Road Haulage Association is calling on all members all over the country to get involved with its national week-long awareness campaign to educate the British public about trucks and is inviting hauliers to sign up.   The savvy haulier will be aware of recent changes to…

QuickBooks Cloud: Invoice on the road. One of the facilities which has evolved through cloud accounting is the ability to raise invoices on a portable device; be it a mobile phone, tablet or laptop, and to submit these electronically to a customer whilst at their premises. Not only can the job be invoiced but payment…

VAT Errors: Penalties or independent audit ? In an interesting development we have recently received instructions to undertake an independent audit of the UK VAT records of an overseas trader. The client, who is registered for VAT in this country, had completed VAT returns but made a mistake which resulted in a penalty being levied…

Abbreviated Accounts: keep your business finances confidential. Instead of filing full statutory accounts on the public record and revealing your sales and gross margin to your competitors and suppliers, you may be eligible to choose instead to file abbreviated accounts if certain conditions are met. Abbreviated accounts are shorter accounts and as such do not include…