Given that anyone can set up in business as an ‘accountant’, how can you be sure that accountants hold the necessary qualifications to provide a good quality, regulated service to their clients?
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The Autumn Statement didn’t contain any headline-grabbing concessions for business owners – and it wasn’t expected to. However, there were some interesting announcements made, including a shake-up of the business rates regime. Here, we summarise the main points from the Chancellor’s speech on Wednesday.
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Carol Cheesman left the corporate world to set up a thriving accountancy firm which has hundreds of small business owners as clients. She tells us what the most frequently-made mistakes are by business owners, and what to look out for when choosing an accountant.
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The number of UK businesses has reached a record 5.2m, with 330,000 new businesses formed over the past year alone, thanks mainly to record numbers of people leaving traditional employment and becoming self-employed.
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It has to be said, women have come such a long way in business. We are doing well on the surface of things and yet, if we scratch this same surface, there are many things that still need to be addressed.
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As a new study shows that less that one-third of businesses have a savings account, we look at the benefits of setting up a separate deposit account for your surplus funds, and take a look at the best rates available to small firms.
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We talk to Luke Lang, co-founder of Crowdcube, about the rapid growth in popularity of crowdfunding, and the benefits this investment model offers to both business owners and investors.
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In a compromise agreement, the Government is to water down the ‘Patent Box’ scheme, which provides tax incentives to companies who can attribute profits to patents and other types of intellectual property.
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The Late Payments of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 was originally devised as a way of ensuring small businesses are not left out of pocket by late payments, and sets out the entitlement to charge a statutory rate of interest on any overdue invoices.
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Once you’ve submitted your company formation details to Companies House, and your application has been accepted, you will be sent a certificate of incorporation, which states your company name and other details.
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Employers should be aware of a recent Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling which means that regular overtime must be included when calculating the holiday pay entitlement of employees. An HR expert examines the likely implications for business owners.
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To coincide with National Export Week, we look at some important things prospective small business exporters should consider before entering a new overseas market, and list some essential online exporting resources.
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Business owners are using new technology to help their employees to work remotely, driving down fixed costs which may be better used elsewhere. He we look at how collaboration apps can save you time and money.
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A new study has found that most potential investors in small businesses projects are completely unaware that they can take advantage of a range of Government-backed tax relief schemes.
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If you want to form a limited company, in addition to Form IN01 (application to register a company), you must also provide a copy of your company Memorandum and Articles of Association to Companies House.
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Marginal Relief bridges the gap between paying Corporation Tax at the ‘small profits rate’, and the main rate. Businesses are eligible to claim Marginal Relief on profits falling between £300,000 and £1.5m.
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Companies House is the Registrar of Companies in the UK. It oversees the incorporation and dissolution of all incorporated business structures, and acts as a central repository for information relating to all limited companies.
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In this interview, we talk to Ed Molyneux, the CEO and co-founder of FreeAgent, the UK’s market-leading online accounting system, which has been designed specifically for small business owners and freelancers.
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However good a company name may seem at the time of initial incorporation, there may be reasons why you want to change the name at a later date. So, how can this be achieved?
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