Moore Accountancy

02/10/2026

Fortnightly Friday at Moore Accountancy

It’s been another full and fun couple of weeks for team Moore Accountancy! Im sending this week’s post out early as I’m setting off down south today to drop my youngest off at university. It’s definitely a moment of mixed emotions on the home front, but were excited for her next big chapter!

On Our Radar:
The Latest Tax News Simple Assessment Letters (1.8 Million Incoming): HMRC is currently issuing around 1.8 million Simple Assessment (PA302) letters for the 2025/26 tax year. These go to individuals with untaxed income—like savings interest, pension adjustments, or dividends—that cant be collected automatically through PAYE. If one lands on your doormat, dont ignore it, but do check the math carefully against your records before paying. If youre unsure whether yours is correct, just drop it over to us.

New Self-Assessment Rules for Company Directors: For 2025/26 tax returns, HMRC requires close company directors to fill out additional disclosure boxes regarding company names, CRNs, shareholding percentages, and dividends received. Clarification has now landed: these boxes must be completed even for unpaid directors (with zeroes entered), though unpaid directors of charities are exempt. A software issue regarding multiple directorships is still being resolved, so we are keeping a very close eye on this as we prepare returns.

Proposed Automated Tax Recovery: Under new government consultation proposals, HMRC plans to introduce automated monthly deductions straight from taxpayer bank accounts for lower-value, uncollected tax debts (up to £5,000 for individuals and £10,000 for businesses) where taxpayers repeatedly fail to engage. It highlights just how vital early communication with HMRC (or your accountant!) is if you ever struggle with a tax bill.

Team Updates & What We’ve Been Up To
Altrincham BID Event at Lane 7: As a team, we took a trip out to the Altrincham BID event at Lane 7! Massive congratulations to Susie, who proved to be an absolute natural and won on the bowling lane. The less said about our collective attempts at AR darts, the better... lets just say accountancy is definitely our true calling!

Birthday Donuts: We celebrated Chi’s birthday yesterday in the best way possible—with a serious supply of delicious donuts! (Check out the team photo attached!)

MTD Planning: On the operational side, we’ve been running planning meetings to prepare for our upcoming Trafford College work placement student, who joins us for the next 9 weeks. We’ve also been mapping out our MTD communications strategy for sole traders and landlords with turnover over £30,000, ensuring our clients are fully supported and ready well ahead of time.

How is your October starting off? I’m actually looking forward to a few long weekends away now that we’ll be (temporary) empty nesters!

25/09/2026

Bookkeeping vs Accounting: What’s the Difference?

Bookkeeping and accounting go hand-in-hand, but what exactly is the difference?

Bookkeeping records your day-to-day finances, while accounting turns those records into accounts, tax returns and useful financial information.

Our latest blog breaks down the differences and explains how they work together to support your business.

Read the full article to find out more.

The processes involved in bookkeeping and accounting frequently overlap—after all, bookkeeping is the essential first step in the accounting journey. However, there are fundamental differences between the two responsibilities. Understanding who does what ensures your business stays organised, tax-...

18/09/2026

It’s been another packed couple of weeks at Moore Accountancy! Between industry events, local community catch-ups, and the general September logistics, autumn is well and truly keeping us on our toes.

On Our Radar: Tax & Business Updates

Winter Fuel Payment Opt-Out: Taxpayers with an income over £35,000 who receive the Winter Fuel Payment will have it clawed back through the tax system. To avoid receiving it only to repay it later via a tax code change, pensioners can opt out. The deadline to opt out by phone is 6pm today (18th September), or 11:59pm on Sunday 20th September if done online.

Pre-Budget Planning (28th October): Chancellor John Healey has set the Autumn Budget for Wednesday 28th October. With potential policy changes always looming, late September and October offer the ideal window for limited company directors and property investors to review their tax planning and dividend extractions.

Accountex Summit North: I spent a fantastic day at Manchester Central earlier this week for Accountex Summit North. Beyond catching up with our cloud software partners like FreeAgent and QuickBooks, there was huge discussion around AI in accountancy. While AI might streamline entry-level task ex*****on, our view at Moore Accountancy remains unchanged: software processes the numbers, but clients rely on us for human insight—minimising tax, extracting profit efficiently, and providing proper advice.

What We’ve Been Up To

Local Networking: It was great to connect with fellow local business owners recently at events hosted by Altrincham BID and Altrincham HQ ("Alex and his sisters"!). Altrincham has such a vibrant small business community, and it's always brilliant to share ideas and support one another locally.

Altrincham 10k Done! Following on from my mention in the last blog post, I completed the Altrincham 10k on Sunday in 1 hour 6 minutes! I wasn't feeling terribly race-fit beforehand, but compared to walking the entire course with a double foot fracture last year, I am absolutely delighted with that.

University Drop-Offs & A Quick Getaway
On the family front, we successfully dropped my middle daughter back to Nottingham for her final year, and my youngest is about to head off to start her first year at university.
To take a breath amidst all the packing and logistics, my youngest daughter and I have managed to sneak away for a short mother-daughter break in Istanbul before she heads off.

How has your September been shaping up so far? Big hugs to any other parents currently feeling that quiet sadness after dropping kids off at uni—it’s always an adjustment!

11/09/2026

Our September Newsletter is now available!

This month, we’ve highlighted some important tax and business updates, including:

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax and HMRC’s automatic sign-up process
The increase to the approved mileage allowance rate, backdated to 6 April 2026
Updates on energy prices
The confirmed date for the Autumn Budget

Our newsletter brings together the latest updates and information to help you stay up to date with changes that could affect you or your business.

Read our September Newsletter here: https://sh1.sendinblue.com/3g5f0ww2iklpfe.html?t=1789118409273

September has arrived, which means the summer is officially behind us and the nights are starting to draw in. Rather than filling your inbox with pages of tax jargon, we've picked out a few things worth knowing this month from changes affecting businesses and employers to the latest energy price upd...

04/09/2026

Fortnightly Friday at Moore Accountancy – 04/09/26

It’s been another full-on couple of weeks at Moore Accountancy, with plenty happening across client work, local community events, and getting ready for the autumn rush.

On Our Radar: Tax & Business Updates

HMRC Auto-Enrolment for MTD Starts: Following the first MTD for ITSA deadline last month, HMRC is starting to automatically sign up eligible sole traders and landlords who haven’t registered yet. If an HMRC letter lands on your doormat about this, please don’t ignore it or panic—pass it over to us so we can check that your details and turnover figures are correct, and help set you up for future quarters.

Student Lets & University Move-Ins: It’s student season again! Landlords getting student properties ready for September arrivals should ensure all late-summer repairs, safety certificates, and agent fees are logged straight into their record-keeping software. And for any parents sending kids off to uni this month (good luck – I did IKEA last night with 2 of mine!), keep in mind that student loan interest rates for Plan 2 and Postgraduate loans have just been capped at 6% from 1st September.

Back to Routine for Directors: With schools opening back up this week, many limited company directors and small business owners are back at their desks full-time. September is a great time to review your dividend strategy and profit extraction plans ahead of the autumn budget announcements later this season.

Team Updates & What We’ve Been Up To
T Level Interviews: We interviewed prospective T Level students from Trafford College over the past weeks. It’s always fantastic to speak with enthusiastic local students who want hands-on experience in accountancy, and we’re looking forward to bringing our chosen candidate on board.

Full Contingent Returning: With primary and secondary schools starting back up this week, staff members with school-aged children are returning from summer leave. We’ve kept everything running smoothly in the background, but it will be great to have the whole team back together under one roof.

Bank Holiday Catch-Up & Volunteering: Over the bank holiday, I enjoyed catching up with a friend visiting from Germany (my Brieffreundin 😊) —getting into Manchester and taking in a Pulp gig! On the community front, I spent some time volunteering at Tatton Park for the RunThrough “Chase the Sun” event, which was brilliant as always.

Looking Ahead: Sunday’s Altrincham 10k!
This Sunday is the Altrincham 10k. I’m definitely not feeling at peak fitness this year, but it will certainly be an improvement on last year’s event, which I had to walk with a double foot fracture! Upright, mobile, and ready to get round—do wave if you see me on the route! Visit Altrincham

How has your week been? Are you settling back into a normal routine after the summer break?

01/09/2026

Do you know the difference between your Profit & Loss (P&L) and your Balance Sheet?

They both provide important information about your business, but they answer very different questions. Getting the difference right is important, particularly when it comes to recording transactions correctly.

Did you know that dividends, Corporation Tax payments and Director’s Loan repayments are all commonly posted incorrectly in bookkeeping software?

Getting these wrong can affect your reported profit and cause problems when it comes to preparing your year-end accounts.

Read our latest blog to learn more about P&L and Balance Sheets, and some of the common bookkeeping mistakes to look out for.
https://mooreaccountancy.co.uk/2026/09/01/bookkeeping-fundamentals-balance-sheet-vs-profit-loss/

21/08/2026

Fortnightly Friday at Moore Accountancy – 21/08/26

It’s been another busy couple of weeks at Moore Accountancy, with plenty happening in the business, some important MTD developments, and a few personal reasons to celebrate!

📢 MTD – keep an eye out for that HMRC letter
The first MTD for Income Tax quarterly deadline has now passed, and HMRC has confirmed that from September it will start signing up customers who should already be using MTD but haven’t yet registered.

So, if you’re a sole trader or landlord and receive a letter from HMRC saying they’ve signed you up for Making Tax Digital, please don’t ignore it!
If you’re unsure why you’ve received it or what you need to do next, get in touch with us and we’ll be happy to help.

👥 Keeping the team moving
We continued with our annual team appraisals, giving everyone some dedicated time to talk about how things are going, what they’d like to achieve and where we can improve.

Summer holidays have also meant plenty of covering for colleagues who are enjoying some well-earned time off. I’m always grateful for how willing everyone is to step in and support each other.

Looking ahead, we’re preparing to support T Level students, with interviews for potential candidates taking place next week. We’ve really enjoyed having students join us previously, so I’m looking forward to welcoming some new faces.
And, of course, there have been cakes in the office for birthdays! 🎂

🎓 A very proud mum moment
Last week was A Level results day, and I’m absolutely delighted that my youngest smashed her results and secured her place at her first-choice university to study Chinese.

There has been a lot of hard work behind those results, so we’re incredibly proud. Now we just need to get our heads around the fact that she’s actually going — and we’re going to have no children in the Moore household (for at least 8 weeks!) 😭

🩸 Finally, I managed to give blood!
I tried a few months ago but my iron levels weren’t quite high enough. After plenty of spinach and a little more attention to what I’m eating, I finally managed it on my second attempt!

So, as August starts to wind down, there’s plenty keeping us busy — MTD, students, clients, holidays and everything in between.

What’s keeping you busy at the moment?

07/08/2026

Another fortnight has flown by at Moore Accountancy, and as always, it’s been a mix of client deadlines, team development, and looking ahead to the future!

Here is a quick round-up of what’s been happening here in Altrincham and across the industry:

On Our Radar & In the News

MTD First Deadline Cleared: Today (7th August) marks the very first official submission deadline for MTD for Income Tax. While HMRC has implemented a 'soft landing' penalty regime to help everyone adjust, getting into the rhythm of quarterly digital filing is a huge shift for sole traders and landlords.

HMRC Tech Under the Spotlight: Unsurprisingly, the HMRC portals have been under immense strain this week with the combined pressure of the MTD deadline and quarterly VAT submissions. It is a practical reminder of why getting bookkeeping done early saves so much stress.

Tackling Late Payments: Late payment reform is back at the top of the agenda for small business policy. With cash flow being the lifeblood of micro-businesses, any movement towards tougher penalties for late-paying larger corporations is something we will always champion.

What We’ve Been Up To

Volunteering at Wilderness Festival: I was out of the office for three days volunteering for Child.org at Wilderness Festival. It was a privilege to give my time to help raise funds for maternal and child health programs for mothers and babies in Kenya. A brilliant cause I am proud to support each year; and a great experience to boot.

Team Appraisals Done: We completed our annual team appraisals this week. We run a very flat structure at Moore Accountancy, especially with many of our team working part-time, but I think it’s so important to carve out dedicated time once a year to sit down, chat through aspirations, and address any niggles. How do other small business owners approach appraisals—do you keep them formal, or go for an informal catch-up?

MTD Success & Looking to 2027: I’m delighted to say we successfully filed all our required MTD returns ahead of today's deadline! Even with the soft penalty regime in place, we wanted to ensure our clients got straight into the habit of quarterly filing. We’ve also had a team strategy meeting to start preparing for the April 2027 wave, which will bring in landlords and sole traders earning over £30k. Early preparation makes all the difference.

Fresh Newsletter Out Now: Our latest email newsletter landed in inboxes today! We’ve packed it with updates for employers, companies, and key deadlines. If you are a client or subscriber, do have a read and let us know your thoughts.

As always, I would love to hear how your fortnight has been. Enjoy the weekend, whatever you have planned (We’ve got a trip to Newborough Forest parkrun, having drinks with friends and a Sunday night family outing to watch Spiderman 😊 )

Child.org works with communities and government health officials in Kenya to spark progress in maternal and neonatal health.

06/08/2026

Our August Newsletter Has Arrived!

We know summer is a busy time, so we’ve kept this month’s newsletter short, practical, and packed with the updates that matter most.

This month’s edition includes:

📌 Mandatory Payrolling of Benefits in Kind (BIKs) – the latest HMRC update

⚡ VAT on residential electricity reduced from October 2026

🏢 Companies House filing changes delayed

📅 Important tax and filing deadlines coming up

🏖️ A quick update on our summer team availability

Whether you’re a limited company, sole trader, landlord or employer, our monthly newsletter is designed to help you stay informed without the jargon.

If you’d like to receive our monthly newsletters, simply email us and we’ll be happy to add you to our mailing list.

If you have any questions about any of the updates, we’re always happy to help.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

31/07/2026

Not sure what business expenses you can claim? 🤔

Whether you’re self-employed or running a limited company, knowing what’s allowable (and what isn’t) can save you money and stress.

We’ve put together a clear, practical guide covering:
• Common allowable expenses
• What HMRC won’t allow
• Key differences between sole traders and limited companies

Take a look here 👉 https://mooreaccountancy.co.uk/what-business-expenses-can-i-claim-uk/

If you’re still unsure, we offer a free 30-minute consultation for new clients.

What Expenses Can I Claim? A Guide for UK Small Business (Self-Employed and Limited Companies)   If you run a small business, understanding allowable expenses is the easiest way to legally reduce your tax bill. Every legitimate business expense you claim lowers your taxable profit, meaning you pay ...