Blog

As the deadline for Self Assessment passes, new data from HMRC shows that taxpayers paid a staggering £325 million in fines and interest last year after failing to meet the 31 January deadline.

Recent analysis of HMRC’s publicly available statistics found that around 600,000 individuals were hit with penalties for filing or paying late, which serves as a clear warning to those who still have returns or payments outstanding.

Fines for late tax returns and payments

HMRC’s systems automatically issue a £100 penalty for missing the filing deadline, even if no tax is owed, with further fines issued if payment or filing of a tax return isn’t completed within certain time frames.

Fines for late filing are as follows:

Fines for late payments are as follows:

HMRC estimates that £8.7 billion of Self Assessment tax went unpaid in the 2023/24 cycle. This represents 12.5 per cent of the £69.6 billion it expected to collect for the year.

Across all taxes, around £44 billion is now overdue, with the vast majority already in line for formal debt collection.

Be prepared for Self Assessment

For many taxpayers, the real issue is a lack of preparation rather than an unwillingness to pay.

Underestimating a tax bill, poor record keeping or leaving everything until the last minute can lead to panic and costly mistakes.

Once penalties and interest start to accumulate, the situation can quickly spiral out of control.

Setting aside funds throughout the year and seeking advice well before the deadline can make a significant difference.

If you are unsure about your Self Assessment obligations or are worried about an existing liability, speak to us as soon as you can.

Energy bills, staffing, borrowing costs, taxes and supplier expenses are just a few of the reasons behind the added financial pressure business owners are currently facing.

As we get closer to the new tax year, it is the ideal time to review your business plans and check that your pricing strategy remains fit for purpose.

Why you should review your pricing strategy now

Reviewing pricing regularly is a key part of maintaining a viable and sustainable business.

Many businesses set prices once and only revisit them when they encounter challenges.

If you leave your prices unchanged for too long, especially amid current economic pressures, you are likely to see your profit margins shrink.

A more regular review can help avoid this.

How to review your pricing strategy

Before making any changes to your pricing strategy, ask yourself:

• Have your business costs increased in the 2025/26 tax year?
• Have you added any new services or products, or upgraded older ones?
• Are your prices in line with what your competitors charge?
• Are your current prices still yielding a sustainable profit?
• Have your customers’ needs, budgets or buying behaviour changed recently?

These are just a few of the questions we ask our clients to think about.

Pricing decisions should reflect both the value you deliver and the cost of running your business.

If your prices are not covering your overheads or generating sustainable profits, it may be time to increase them.

Need help reviewing your pricing strategy?

We understand that this can feel uncomfortable for some business owners who worry that raising prices will push customers away.

However, most clients are far more focused on the quality, reliability and expertise they receive from the service or product than on small price changes.

As long as increases are fair and correlate to the value you deliver, clients often accept the added costs without issue.

It is good practice to review your prices regularly so that you can make smarter decisions for your business’s future.

Our team are happy to assist you with this, so that you create a strategy that works well for you.

Get in touch if you would like help reviewing your pricing strategy.

Recent media coverage has publicised the possibility of a new tax on people who leave the UK, calling it an “exit tax”.

This type of regime already exists in several countries, including France, Spain, Canada and Australia, and is now being discussed as a possible option for the UK Government to raise revenue.

What is an exit tax?

An exit tax in the UK would impose a levy, likely 20 per cent, on gains accumulated while a person was a UK tax resident.

Unlike Capital Gains Tax (CGT), which applies to assets when you sell them, a regime like this could mean assets, such as shares and property, could be treated as though they had been sold at the point a person leaves the UK.

Tax would then be calculated on the increase in value to date.

What is the current tax situation when you leave the UK?

Currently, individuals who leave the UK can typically dispose of assets after departure without incurring UK CGT, as long as they remain abroad for a minimum of five years.

However, a move towards a more immediate exit tax could have a consequential impact on those considering a change in residence, potentially restricting international mobility.

How could an exit tax affect you?

Business owners would need to take extra care because shareholdings in trading companies, growth shares and other long-term investments may carry unrealised gains.

An unexpected tax charge at the point of departure could prove challenging, particularly where assets are difficult to sell, as the individual may not have the cash available to settle the bill at that time.

What should you do now?

At this point in time, there is no certainty as to whether an exit tax will even be introduced or what it might entail, making it difficult to effectively plan.

However, the ongoing discussions serve as a reminder that decisions around residence, investment timing and business succession should be made carefully, with future implications in mind.

Professional advice can help ensure that long-term plans remain in tandem with your goals. Get in touch today to discuss your tax liabilities.

Small businesses have been given a reprieve, after Companies House confirmed that its plans to require the filing of profit and loss accounts from April 2027 are on hold.

A new update to official guidance confirms that the change will not go ahead on that date, with the reforms currently under review.

Companies House has said businesses will receive at least 21 months’ notice before any new implementation date is introduced.

Reforms under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA) 2023

The proposal had formed part of wider reforms under the ECCTA 2023, aimed at improving corporate transparency.

Under the original plans, micro entities would have been required to file both a balance sheet and a profit and loss account.

Meanwhile, small companies would have needed to submit a balance sheet, profit and loss account, directors’ report and, where relevant, an auditor’s report.

However, concerns were raised about whether the move struck the right balance between tackling economic crime and placing additional burdens on smaller businesses.

There was also a notable fear that it would make sensitive financial data public that could risk the competitive viability of smaller businesses.

As a result, the timeline has been paused by Companies House while the reforms are reconsidered.

Only a temporary reprieve for small business owners

For many small business owners, this will be welcome news, but it is only a temporary reprieve.

It is important not to see this as the end of the story. The reforms have only been delayed and not scrapped entirely.

A revised timetable could still bring profit and loss accounts into the public filing framework in the future.

Next steps for small businesses

Businesses should continue to keep their financial records in good order and maintain strong internal reporting processes.

Greater transparency remains a clear direction of travel for Companies House and HMRC, even if the pace of change has slowed for now.

We will continue to monitor developments closely and keep you updated as soon as further details are confirmed.

In the meantime, if you require any assistance with your Companies House responsibilities, please get in touch.

Companies House fees have increased from 1 February 2026, affecting both the cost of incorporation of new limited companies and many ongoing reporting requirements.

Many of the fees have increased substantially and it is important that you factor in these additional fees.

For example, the fee for incorporating a limited company is increasing as follows:

Similar increases are being made to the cost of the confirmation statement as follows:

The full list of fee increases can be found here.

Why are the fees changing?

Companies House has said that the increases are used to cover the cost of incorporating companies and support the publishing “of company information worth billions to the UK economy”.

It also confirmed that the additional funding would be used to support its enhanced powers under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA) 2023.

These allow Companies House to query and remove false and misleading information from its registers.

If you have any additional queries about the increase in Companies House fees, please get in touch.