Fusion Accountants

23/10/2026

Sole traders and landlords: 7 November is your next MTD date. 📅

If your income is over £50,000, Making Tax Digital has been part of life since April.

The first quarterly update was due back in August, and Which? reported that nearly half of the 800,000+ people facing it may have missed it.

So if that was you, you’re definitely not alone. 🙋

Here’s the good news.

This first year is a “soft landing”, with the penalty system not starting until April 2027. That makes right now the perfect time to get into the habit while the pressure’s off.

Your second update is due by Saturday 7 November.

A few things that make it easier:
✅ Keep your records in MTD-compatible software as you go
✅ Pop 7 February and 7 May in your diary too
✅ Spend 10 minutes a week on your books, not one stressful weekend a quarter

Or let us take care of it. At Fusion Accountants, we help sole traders and landlords keep their digital records and tax updates on track, so deadlines quietly happen in the background.

💬 Quick poll for anyone on MTD: how’s it going so far?
👍 Smooth sailing
😅 Still getting the hang of it
🤷 Wait, what’s MTD?

21/10/2026

📅 31 January 2027 is the deadline to file your 2025/26 Self Assessment tax return online and pay any tax due.

Self-employed, a landlord, or earning outside PAYE? Our free guide walks you through it step by step:

✅ Who needs to file (being a director doesn’t automatically mean you do)
✅ The records to gather before you start
✅ Why your January bill might be bigger than expected (hint: Payments on Account)
✅ The £100 late-filing penalty that applies even if you owe nothing
✅ How your 2025/26 figures decide whether Making Tax Digital applies to you from April 2027

Plus a quick checklist to run through before you hit submit.

👉 Read the full guide: https://www.fusionaccountants.co.uk/blogs/self-assessment-tax-return-guide/

Know a freelancer, sole trader or landlord who leaves their tax return until the last minute? Share this with them 🔁

Complete your 2025/26 Self Assessment tax return with key deadlines, records to prepare, filing steps, payment rules and cmistakes to avoid.

16/10/2026

⏰ Waiting on unpaid invoices again?

Late payments are one of the biggest frustrations for small businesses. The work is done, but the money has not arrived.

A few habits that help you get paid faster:

📝 Agree payment terms upfront: put them in writing before you start.
📤 Invoice immediately: do not wait until the end of the month.
💳 Make paying easy: offer card or online payment options.
🔔 Follow up politely and consistently: a friendly reminder often works.

Getting paid on time is not being pushy. It is running a healthy business.

💬 What is the longest you have waited to be paid for a job?

14/10/2026

🤔 In-house or outsourced accounting? Which is right for your business?

As businesses grow, many owners wonder whether to hire an in-house accountant or work with an external firm.

Here is how they compare:

🏢 In-house: direct control and internal knowledge, but higher salary, pension and software costs.
🌐 Outsourced: access to a whole team of specialists at a predictable monthly fee.
📈 Scalability: outsourced support can grow with your business without new hires.
🛡️ Continuity: no gaps in cover when someone is on holiday or leaves.

For many SMEs, outsourcing gives expert support at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire.

Read the comparison: https://bit.ly/4986c2P

💬 Which would you choose for your business: in-house or outsourced?

14/10/2026

1257L, BR, 0T, K, W1… what does the tax code on your payslip actually mean? 🧾

Your tax code tells your employer how much Income Tax to take from your pay. If it’s wrong, you could be paying the wrong amount every month without realising.

Our free 2026/27 guide explains:
✅ What 1257L means and when it applies
✅ Why second jobs often get BR, D0 or D1
✅ What K codes and emergency codes (W1, M1, X) mean
✅ How Scottish (S) and Welsh (C) codes work
✅ What to do if your code looks wrong

Running payroll? It also covers what employers should and shouldn’t do when an employee questions their code.

👉 Read the full guide: https://www.fusionaccountants.co.uk/blogs/hmrc-tax-codes-explained/

Use this list of tax codes and what they mean to understand 1257L, BR, D0, D1, K codes and emergency codes for the 2026/27 UK tax year.

12/10/2026

📢 MTD for Income Tax: Your Next Deadline Is 7 November

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax went live in April 2026. If your qualifying income was over £50,000, quarterly updates are no longer optional.

Your second quarter (6 July – 5 October) is due by 7 November 2026.

✔️ 📲 Digital records must be kept in MTD-compatible software
✔️ 🗓️ Four quarterly updates per year — not one annual return
✔️ 🧾 The final declaration still lands on 31 January
✔️ ⚙️ Xero, QuickBooks and FreeAgent all handle it — if set up correctly

⚠️ The most common problem we see isn't the deadline. It's records that were never made digital in the first place.

👉 Not sure if you're compliant? A 15-minute conversation is cheaper than a penalty.

09/10/2026

🧾 Where are your business receipts right now?

In a wallet, a car glovebox, an email inbox or a shoebox? You are not alone.

Good record keeping does not need to be complicated:

📱 Snap receipts straight away: use an app instead of keeping paper.
🏦 Connect bank feeds: let your software pull in transactions automatically.
🗓️ Set a weekly admin slot: 15 minutes a week beats a whole weekend in January.
📁 Keep everything in one place: it makes tax time much easier.

Tidy records mean more accurate accounts, fewer missed expenses and less stress.

💬 Be honest: where do your receipts usually end up? 👇

07/10/2026

📈 Has your payroll cost gone up this year?

Employer National Insurance changed in April 2025, and many small businesses are now feeling the full impact on their staffing costs.

What changed:

📊 Employer NI rate: increased from 13.8% to 15%.
📉 Secondary threshold: reduced from £9,100 to £5,000 per employee.
🧾 More payroll is now taxed: employer NI starts at a lower salary level.
💷 Employment Allowance: eligible employers can reduce their NI bill by up to £5,000 a year.

Reviewing salaries, benefits and cash flow forecasts now can help you manage the extra cost.

Read the full guide: https://bit.ly/3LmnfoA

💬 Has the NI increase changed your hiring plans this year?

05/10/2026

📊 Your Year-End Accounts Tell You What Happened. They Don't Help You Decide.

By the time statutory accounts are filed, the year is over. Every decision you could have made has already been made.

Management accounts are different:

✔️ 📈 Monthly or quarterly — while you can still act
✔️ 💷 Real margin visibility, not just turnover
✔️ 🔍 Which products, clients or sites actually make money
✔️ 🏦 The numbers lenders and investors actually ask for

⚠️ Growing businesses rarely fail from lack of sales. They fail from lack of visibility.

👉 If you're only seeing your numbers once a year, you're flying on instruments that update annually.