Key Takeaways Multifactor authentication (MFA) is being added to all HMRC agent accounts during 2026. Early opt-in activation is possibleor you can wait until it’s switched on for all accounts in later 2026. Web sign-in for your agent services account (ASA) and online services account (OSA) are affected, but not things like sign-in for MTD … [Read more…]
Key Takeaways The first quarterly update under Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is due by 7 August 2026. The month-long window for quarterly update submission opened for taxpayers on 25 June, at the earliest, although for most taxpayers the window effectively opens 6 July. You can’t submit a quarterly update without digital records, so … [Read more…]
Making Tax Digital (MTD) was first announced back in 2015, with Income Tax the first planned inclusion. History shows things didn’t run quite to plan. But now, here we are over a decade later: the clock is ticking down to 7 August, the first-ever quarterly update deadline for Income Tax. For most accountancy or bookkeeping … [Read more…]
In partnership with Smart Data Foundry and The Centre for Economics and Business Research, Sage has published its latest SME Monthly Workforce Pulse research. This is drawn from anonymised payroll data from approximately 200,000 small businesses and provides unheralded insight into pay across the UK. The data is part of Data for Good, Sage’s commitment to help Small … [Read more…]
Key takeaways AI is already transforming HR: The majority of HR leaders expect AI to reshape HR and payroll within the next five years, with many teams already using it for recruitment, onboarding, analytics, and learning. The biggest benefit is time back for strategic work: AI helps reduce admin-heavy workloads, allowing HR teams to focus … [Read more…]
Key Takeaways The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 updates UK data protection law, but does not replace UK GDPR or the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, known as PECR. For the majority of smaller businesses, practices for cookie, marketing, Subject Access Requests (SAR), and automated decision-making may need refreshing. Data-focused businesses and enterprises may … [Read more…]
Key Takeaways The Renters’ Rights Act brought the biggest shake-up to private home rental in England in decades—and is still being rolled out. Awaab’s Law will soon be applied to private housing, and introduces hazard categories and timelines for action. The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) has simplified the number of hazards—and you … [Read more…]
Key Takeaways A temporary VAT cut from 20% to 5% runs across the UK from 25 June to 1 September 2026, covering qualifying children’s meals, children’s, and family tickets. At qualifying family attractions with a single, flat rate admission, the 5% rate applies to admission for every visitor, adults included. Children’s meals get the 5% … [Read more…]
Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the threat landscape. It is making attacks faster to develop, easier to scale and harder to distinguish from legitimate activity. For small and medium-sized businesses, this matters because the pace of change is accelerating faster than many can strengthen the governance, visibility and operational discipline needed to keep up. That’s … [Read more…]
Late payments have long been a challenge for UK small businesses, affecting everything from cash flow and growth plans to day-to-day financial stability. But the true cost often extends beyond the invoice itself. At Accountex 2026, Small Business Commissioner Emma Jones and AAT President Lucy Cohen highlighted a less visible impact: the time spent managing … [Read more…]