Proactive advice —
not just compliance.

Tax planning means using legitimate reliefs, allowances, and structures that Parliament intended to be available — pension contributions, ISAs, the dividend allowance, capital gains annual exemption, business reliefs, and so on. Tax avoidance means artificial arrangements designed to exploit loopholes in ways not intended by Parliament. We advise on tax planning only. Everything we recommend is fully compliant and disclosed correctly to HMRC.

Ideally before the tax year ends, not after. The most effective planning opportunities — pension contributions, timing of income and expenses, dividend declarations, asset disposals — require action before 5 April each year. Many businesses come to us in January when it is too late to do much. We begin conversations with clients in October or November to ensure every option is available.

The standard approach in 2025/26 is to pay a salary at the National Insurance secondary threshold (£9,100) to preserve your State Pension entitlement without triggering employer NICs, then extract further income as dividends. The basic rate dividend tax rate is 8.75%, which is significantly lower than Income Tax and NICs on employment income. The right balance depends on your total income, pension position, and whether other household members are involved in the business.

A cash flow forecast models your expected receipts and payments over a future period — typically 13 weeks or 12 months. It tells you when you might be short of cash before it happens, enabling you to act in advance: draw on a facility, delay a purchase, or accelerate an invoice. For growing businesses, positive profit on paper coexists with serious cash pressure — a forecast makes that visible early.

Common triggers include: profit consistently above £40,000 per year (when a limited company typically becomes tax-efficient), taking on employees or significant contracts, bringing in a business partner, planning to sell in the next 3–5 years, or separating trading activity from property assets. Restructuring has timing implications — doing it too early or too late can create unnecessary tax charges. We advise on the right time and the right structure.

For most clients we recommend at least two substantive reviews per year: one mid-year to identify planning opportunities ahead of year-end, and one after the year closes to confirm filings and plan the next year. For businesses going through rapid change — growth, acquisition, exit — we typically review quarterly. Ad hoc calls in between are always available.