What might change for businesses after the general election?

The Elizabeth Tower on the right and a plaque saying ‘General Election 2024’ on the left

After a whirlwind six weeks, canvassers are nursing their sore feet, ballot papers are off to be recycled and the country is recovering from the excitement (or terminal boredom depending on your interest levels!) of the 2024 general election. As the new Labour government gets its feet under the table, what can businesses expect to […]

How data analytics can improve profit in a small business

Businesswoman pointing out data analytics on a whiteboard

For a small business owner who is juggling sales, finances, customer service, tax returns and any number of other responsibilities, investigating the use of data analytics as a business tool is probably not at the top of the to-do list, or even on it at all. However, data analytics can be an extremely effective way […]

How to protect your business from industrial fraud

White computer screen against a red background, with a red octagonal sign on the screen saying ‘Fraud Alert’

As a business owner, you’ll have a lot to juggle on a daily basis – sales and marketing, quality assurance, bookkeeping, HR, tax compliance – and you probably barely have time to grab a coffee, let alone worry about the possibility of industrial fraud. Yet this type of crime is rapidly increasing. According to a […]

Changes to the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act

A glass jar labelled ‘tips’ on a wooden table

Tips are an important part of the income accumulated by hotel, restaurant and bar staff. However, it’s not always been the case that the people for whom tips were intended have ended up getting the money; some unscrupulous employers keep back a large percentage, or even all, of the tips received. In the UK, hospitality […]

June Newsletter

June Newsletter

Hello, June holds the longest day of the year, also known as the summer solstice and where the earth’s axis is titled at its closest point from the sun.  As L.M. Montgomery said, “I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June” – it certainly gets our […]

5 bookkeeping tips for independent estate agents

A small model of a white house surrounded by piles of coins

Estate agents’ ‘For Sale’ boards are a familiar sight along streets throughout the UK, and many of us regularly Google houses in our neighbourhood to check on both the prices and the interior décor of our neighbours! There are a variety of major national chains with branches all over the country, but competing with these […]

Changes in paternity pay and leave – what businesses need to know

A father sitting on the floor holding a baby with a laptop on his lap

Managing maternity and paternity leave can be a juggling act, mostly for the new parents, but also for the businesses they work for. In June 2023 the government published the results of its consultation on parental leave and pay, and the March 2024 budget contained the resulting changes in the paternity leave regulations. All employers […]

Bookkeeping cybersecurity risk assessment – will your business pass?

A graphic of a closed padlock standing on a plinth over a traffic intersection in a city. The buildings are dark blue blocks and the traffic is a flow of red lights. Light blue lines stream towards the padlock which stops them going beyond it.

Every operational business in 2024 is interwoven to a greater or lesser extent with the digital world. Identities are forged and developed online and there are few aspects of our corporate lives which aren’t managed by and dependent on technology. However, with that dependence comes corresponding risk. Cybersecurity is the process of protecting computer systems, […]

The importance of communication with clients when handling their bookkeeping

A man and woman shaking hands at a meeting while another man looks on, all smiling

Professional bookkeepers have many strings to their bows. They’re responsible for recording and maintaining the financial transactions of a business; managing payroll, monitoring cash flow, credit control, HMRC compliance, management accounts, budgeting . . . however, something which is often left off the list of important skills for bookkeepers is that of being an effective […]

2024 budget – what bookkeepers need to know

The red budget briefcase

Anyone with an interest in business finance was keeping their ears well to the ground on Wednesday 6th March when Jeremy Hunt stepped up to the despatch box to deliver the 2024 budget, almost certainly the last one prior to a general election. If you’re responsible for bookkeeping, whether as a sole trader or a […]