Getting started

Our guide to the difficult early steps when starting up…

A mission statement

Defining your business purpose.

Allowable expenses

What can you claim tax relief for?

An introduction to the tax system for the self employed

Key tax issues you need to know about.

Building a brand

Key tips for developing a memorable image.

Choosing a year end

Be tax efficient when deciding a year end date.

Choosing your accounting date

What is the best date to choose?

Incorporation

Considerations when operating as a company on incorporation.

Insuring your business

Are you sufficiently covered?

Limited liability partnerships

LLPs explained.

Names, trademarks, patents and other registrations

The key legal requirements.

Premises and location

Essential considerations when choosing your base.

Raising finance

Maximise your chances of gaining funding.

Should you buy a franchise?

The pros and cons of buying 'off-the-shelf'.

Which business structure?

Choosing the structure that best suits your needs.

Working from home

Home working do's and don'ts.

Writing a business plan

How to write an effective business plan.

Your business vision

What are your ultimate goals?

15 Jan 2021

COVID-19 is reasonable excuse for self assessment late filing, says HMRC

HMRC says it will accept coronavirus (COVID-19) as a reasonable excuse for the late filing of self assessment tax returns.

14 Jan 2021

Taxpayers using Time to Pay to spread cost of tax payments

Tax payments worth over £69 million are being spread through HMRC's Time to Pay facility, according to the tax authority.

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Budget report

Our summary of the key announcements from the Chancellor's latest Budget .

Read about the budget

Accessibility links

Getting started

COVID-19 is reasonable excuse for self assessment late filing, says HMRC

Taxpayers using Time to Pay to spread cost of tax payments

Register

Budget report

Useful links