Latest Whiting’s Advice

Exit Planning

We have set up a specialist corporate finance team to offer bespoke services in business exit planning, including assisting with: Deciding how you are going to exit: Purchase of own shares, where eligible and not all shareholders wish to exit, Recruit a capable and ambitious middle manager, to run the business day to day (perhaps with…

Tax Efficient Remuneration

Examining whether it is best to run the business as a limited company or otherwise (sole trader, partnership or LLP), If operated as a limited company: Looking at the combined business and personal tax ‘picture’ and optimising the mix of retained profits, salary, bonus and dividends (for the business owner and, where relevant, immediate family…

Limited Company v Sole Trader

As the tax calculations below illustrate, based on the UK tax rates and thresholds for 2016/17 (ie applying the new dividend taxation rules), a limited company still results in a lower overall tax/NIC charge than a sole trader (allowing for the extra accountancy fees incurred through trading as a limited company), whilst profits are above…

Protect Valuable Assets from Business Risks

We can assist in this process by assisting in assessing risk and then advising on introducing appropriate mitigation: Robust Financial Management Undertaking a voluntary or statutory audit as, both, a preventative and detective measure. Introducing appropriate financial controls, timely financial reporting procedures and other examples of best practice governance. Registering for the Companies House PROOF…

Delay Payment of VAT to HMRC

Requests for Payment If you supply goods, the taxpoint for accounting for VAT on these sales is the sooner of: The raising of a tax invoice, or Receipt of payment. To delay this taxpoint, it will usually, therefore, be beneficial, prior to dispatching goods, to raise a “Request for Payment”,  “Application” or “Proforma Invoice” instead…

Company Pre Year End Planning

Reviewing business financial performance just before the year end, then taking actions to influence how the year end results will look, should be a key element of the annual financial management routine for larger more pro-active businesses. Although tax mitigation is usually the key aim of most company pre year end planning, performing this task,…

Top 10 Tax Elections to Minimise Tax

Examples of the most helpful and generous tax elections and claims include: s222(5a) TCGA 1992 (Nomination of main residence) This capital gains tax election, often referred to as ‘flipping’, enables taxpayers, who own and reside in more than one home, to inform HMRC which of these homes is their principal private residence. For those who…

Tax Free Benefits in Kind

Certain payments made by businesses on behalf of employees are tax free, so are useful for profit extraction and within flexible remuneration structures: Employer pension scheme contributions (up to £60,000 per employee per annum, plus potential ‘catch-up’ from previous 3 years. This assumes your personal income is not above £260,000 and you are not already…