As the saying goes, 'Fail to plan, plan to fail.' If you're going to create an effective, successful, and profitable business, you need to create a solid strategic plan.

Here’s our small business summary of the Autumn Statement, with all the major tax, National Insurance and minimum wage changes explained for you.

Have you been hit with an unexpectedly large tax bill? One way to manage this is to apply for a Time to Pay arrangement with HMRC. We’ve got the lowdown on how to do this.

Are you pursuing a hobby, or carrying out a trade? It can be hard to define in some circumstances, so we’ve explained the nine ‘badges of trade’ as used by HMRC.

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD for ITSA) comes into force from April 2026. We’ve got all the advice you need for getting ready for digital record-keeping and tax submissions.

Are you making any of these accounting mistakes? We’ve outlined the top 5 accounting issues that small business owners trip over so that you don’t have to make the same mistakes.

Charging interest on your Directors' Loan Accounts (DLA) could be smart, helping you become more tax efficient. Dive into our DLA explainer and find out how to do it.

Are you VAT-registered? Are you complying with the regulations when sending out VAT invoices and claiming against supplier invoices?

Did you know that private school fees will have VAT charged on them from 1 January 2025? We’ve outlined the key changes and how they may impact your spending on education.

The spring budget presents opportunities for small business owners, including cuts to National Insurance, VAT registration amounts

The spring budget presents opportunities for small business owners, including cuts to National Insurance, VAT registration amounts

Here are the forthcoming deadlines and cut-off points for Q3 of 2023 to add to your diary.

53% of business owners suffer from stress and anxiety. But it doesn’t have to be that way. We can help you talk through your worries and focus on your personal well-being.

Wondering if your business should be registered for VAT? We’ve got the lowdown on when (and how) to get VAT registered, and the key reasons for doing so.

Turning a profit is at the heart of running any successful company - But without cash flow, you can't run your day-to-day operations or grow the business.

Spring Budget 2023 brought in some significant changes to the Research and Development (R&D) tax relief scheme. Here’s our update on the big changes to be aware of.

HMRC has recently made significant changes to its VAT online account system, which affects VAT-registered businesses in the UK.

Let’s face it, there are times when we want to do the right thing, like pay our tax bill on time, but we haven’t got the cash available.

Our company seeks new technology to improve efficiency and processes. If you're a business owner who prefers not to send bank statements, we have a solution.

Choosing an electric vehicle (EV) as a company car makes a lot of sense in 2022. We outline the eco and tax benefits of opting for an EV over an internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV).

Do you know the risks of offering a personal guarantee on a business loan? We’ve outlined all the key risks to think about when entering into a loan agreement.

The UK government has extended the deadline for voluntary National Insurance contributions to 31 July 2023. Act soon to avoid missing out on this opportunity.

Get these Q2 2023 dates and deadlines in your diary – and make sure you don’t miss any important filing and tax cut-off dates.

As the end of the financial year approaches, business owners should take some important steps to ensure a smooth transition into the new year.

Don’t stress about your work/life balance - a little stress can actually be good for you as long as you keep it within bounds. Talk to us.

Even if your business is about following your passion, you still need to pay yourself fairly, but that figure can be difficult to arrive at.

Have you heard the exciting news? Lenah Oduor, Director and founder of ghawk Accounting, will be speaking at Oxfordshire's 'BIG buzz' business networking event!

gHawk Accounting attended QuickBooks Connect London to connect with strategic partners in the accounting industry and pick up on best practice for small business owners.

Do you have advances that have been paid to you? Under certain circumstances, these could trigger Section 455 tax. We explain the main rules and considerations.

We’ve highlighted the tax benefits of a profit split and how we can help you overcome any capital gains issues.

Not sure about the tax implications of giving gifts to your employees? We’ll help you draw up internal guidance to make sure any gifts don’t unintentionally fall outside HMRC’s Trivial Benefits rules.

Yes. If I gave you £8,791 today, what difference would that make? I ask that because that is how much we saved our clients by recommending an alternative way of doing things in their business.

From 1 April 2023, the rate of corporation tax will change from 19% to a variable rate between 19% to 25%, depending on the profits made by your business.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is about to update and change its penalty regime – and these new penalties could affect your tax submissions as early as January 2023.

Have you heard about ChatGPT? What is it? ChatGPT is the new software everyone is talking about. What is Chat GPT?

When sales are slow, there are still overheads and salaries that need to be sorted. Pre-planning and being proactive can help you weather tighter economic periods and allow you to continue to thrive.

Do you regularly monitor your KPIs to ensure continuous improvement? Are you measuring the KPIs which have the greatest impact on your business? Have you set targets to improve them?

You receive a letter from HM Revenue and Customs that they will be starting a VAT Compliance Check on your business. What do you do?

Using an industry-leading cloud accounting system like QuickBooks Online or Xero gives you instant access to the information you really need in real time.

Many businesses find that they are missing out on potential tax relief due to expenses they didn’t know they could claim.

Taxes don’t have to be difficult or confusing. If you’re a freelancer or sole trader, it can be much easier to keep on top of your tax contributions than you might think.

automate the process of entering your bills, receipts and expenses by using AutoEntry. AutoEntry helps to save time by eliminating the manual entering of expenses.

The deadline for filing a self-assessment tax return is 31 January. If you don’t submit your tax return, submit it late or submit incorrect information – you could face fines and penalties from HMRC.

When you start running a business, it’s important to be able to clearly separate your own personal money from the cash that’s been generated by the business.