Cashflow & Finance
The April 2027 minimum wage: what the LPC projection adds to your wage bill
The £13.18 LPC projection adds £977.60 in annual wages at 40 hours a week. Compare three scenarios, youth alignment and Employment Allowance.
Cashflow & Finance
Funding, invoicing, VAT, and keeping the lights on.
Cashflow & Finance
What a card machine really costs a small firm, and why you cannot pass it on
Calculate card fees from ticket size and your merchant statement, check VAT recovery and terminal terms, and avoid an unlawful surcharge or disguised discount.
Cashflow & Finance
Chair rent and the VAT threshold: the income salon owners must count
Chair rent counts towards your £90,000 VAT threshold. See how three £400-a-month chairs push £78,000 of salon sales into registration, and what happens to the rent.
Cashflow & Finance
Business energy bills could fall up to 20% under a plan to move green levies
UK business electricity bills could fall up to 20% under a CBI and Energy UK plan to move renewable costs and the Climate Change Levy off them. What it means for SMEs, and why it is only a proposal.
Cashflow & Finance
Growth Guarantee Scheme expansion 2026: 10-year loans and a £54m turnover cap
Rachel Reeves is expanding the Growth Guarantee Scheme: loan terms up to 10 years, the turnover cap rising from £45m to £54m, and £6.5bn more lending expected. What changes and how to apply.
Cashflow & Finance
Plan ahead for your tax payments: the bill is predictable, the cash squeeze is optional
VAT and Corporation Tax dates are predictable, but the lump-sum hit still catches growing firms. What lateness costs in 2026, when Time to Pay fits, and when short-term finance is the better route.
Cashflow & Finance
Growth Guarantee Scheme Accredited Lenders List (2026)
Every accredited Growth Guarantee Scheme lender at a glance, including HSBC, Barclays, NatWest, Lloyds and Santander: who lends what, typical terms, and how to choose. Checked 3 July 2026.
Cashflow & Finance
The average business energy bill in 2026, by usage not size
There is no single average business energy bill, and no price cap for firms. What UK SMEs pay in 2026 by usage, from about £4,300 for a micro business.
Cashflow & Finance
Growth Guarantee Scheme Explained: Eligibility, Lenders and How to Apply (2026)
The Growth Guarantee Scheme backs facilities of up to £2 million with a 70% government guarantee to the lender. What it really costs, who qualifies, which banks offer it and how to apply.
Cashflow & Finance
What the late-payment rules actually let a small firm charge
A £2,400 invoice paid 60 days late earns you £116.20: statutory interest at 11.75% plus a fixed £70, no contract or court needed. Rate holds until 1 July.
Cashflow & Finance
The £90,000 VAT cliff: what crossing the threshold really costs
Cross £90,000 rolling turnover and a consumer-facing firm faces a 20% price rise or a VAT bill near 12.5% of sales, plus the schemes that soften the blow.
Cashflow & Finance
How much should a sole trader set aside for tax?
Sole traders, set aside about 20% of profit for tax in 2026/27, rising to 25% above £50,000, and brace for the first 31 January bill that lands at 150%.