Berkshire Accountants Limited

19/10/2026

💷 Company directors: dividend tax went up in April 2026

If you pay yourself through a mix of salary and dividends, the numbers have changed for 2026/27:

🔹 £500: tax-free dividend allowance
🔹 10.75%: basic rate (was 8.75%)
🔹 35.75%: higher rate (was 33.75%)
🔹 39.35%: additional rate (unchanged)

The way you set your salary and dividends last year may no longer be the most tax-efficient. A quick review now could save you tax for the rest of the year.

📞 0118 327 4200
🌐 www.berkshireaccountants.com



Instagram

💷 Directors: dividend tax rose 2% in April 2026

Basic rate: 10.75%
Higher rate: 35.75%
Allowance: just £500

Is your salary and dividend mix still right? DM us or call 0118 327 4200.

16/10/2026

Back for another season! 💙⚽

We're delighted to have renewed our sponsorship Barton Rovers Football Club, our second season supporting this brilliant Tilehurst club. The Under-15s are looking sharp in their kits!

Good luck for the season, lads, and thank you to all the coaches, volunteers and parents who make it happen. 🙌

Berkshire Accountants Ltd
📞 0118 327 4200 | 🌐 www.berkshireaccountants.com

12/10/2026

💻 Making Tax Digital is coming for more sole traders and landlords

MTD for Income Tax started in April 2026. If your gross income from self-employment and/or property is:

✅ Over £50,000: you're already in
✅ Over £30,000: you join from April 2027
✅ Over £20,000: you join from April 2028

MTD means keeping digital records, using HMRC-compatible software and sending quarterly updates, not just one return a year.

HMRC will use your 2025/26 tax return to decide whether you're in from April 2027, so now is the time to get your bookkeeping ready.

We can help you choose the right software and set it up properly.

📞 0118 327 4200
🌐 www.berkshireaccountants.com

12/10/2026

🏠 Sold a second home or buy-to-let? You have 60 days.

When you sell a UK residential property that isn't your main home, any Capital Gains Tax must be reported and paid to HMRC within 60 days of completion. It can't wait for your tax return.

📌 60 days from completion to report and pay
📌 18% CGT for basic-rate taxpayers, 24% for higher-rate taxpayers
📌 £3,000 annual tax-free allowance per person

Miss the deadline and HMRC charges a £100 penalty plus interest.

Allowable costs, such as improvements and buying and selling fees, as well as reliefs and joint ownership, can all reduce your bill. Speak to us before you sell, not after.

📞 0118 327 4200
🌐 www.berkshireaccountants.com

12/10/2026

⚖️ Accountants who understand law firms

Solicitors’ practices need more than a general accountant. At Berkshire Accountants, we work with law firms across Berkshire and beyond, and we currently prepare SRA Accountant’s Reports for 18 firms.

For your firm:
✅ SRA Accountant’s Reports
✅ Year-end accounts
✅ Partnership, LLP and company tax returns

For your clients:
✅ Estate and trust tax returns
✅ Capital Gains Tax returns on property sales
✅ CGT reports and calculations for the court

So when a probate, trust or property matter needs specialist tax work, you have a firm you can rely on to handle it promptly and accurately.

📞 0118 327 4200
🌐 www.berkshireaccountants.com

LawyerofLinkendin

10/10/2026

💙 Today is World Mental Health Day.

At Berkshire Accountants, we see every day how money and mental health are connected. A tax bill you weren’t expecting, a deadline getting closer, cash flow keeping you up at night: these pressures are real, and they affect business owners, landlords and families alike.

This year’s theme is “Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change”, and it’s a reminder that talking makes a difference.

A few simple things can help:
🔹 Talk to someone you trust about how you’re feeling
🔹 Ask for help early, because problems often feel smaller once they’re shared
🔹 Don’t avoid the brown envelopes. Most money problems have more solutions than you think

Here in Reading, No5 is a local charity offering free counselling and mental health support. Find out more at no5.org.uk or call 0118 901 5668.

And if it’s tax or finances on your mind, our door is always open. Sometimes a single conversation can take a weight off your shoulders.

Look after yourselves, and check in on the people around you. 💙

05/10/2026

📅 Self Assessment deadline: are you ready?

If you're self-employed, a landlord, a company director or have other untaxed income, your 2025/26 tax return is due soon:

🗓️ 31 October 2026: deadline for paper returns
🗓️ 31 January 2027: deadline for online returns AND for paying any tax due
⚠️ £100: automatic penalty if you file even one day late, with more penalties after 3 months and interest on tax paid late

Every January, thousands of people rush their return and miss reliefs and expenses they could have claimed. Get it done early and you'll know your bill well before you have to pay it.

📞 Call us on 0118 327 4200
🌐 www.berkshireaccountants.com

01/10/2026

🎬 Are you a film or TV production company? Make sure you're getting the most from AVEC.

Since 2024, the Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit (AVEC) has replaced the old film and TV tax reliefs. It pays a cash credit on qualifying UK production spend:

✅ 34% for film and high-end TV (25.5% net)
✅ 39% for animation, children's TV and UK visual effects costs (29.25% net)
✅ 53% for independent films with budgets up to £23.5m (39.75% net)

But claims often lose money through:

Costs that should qualify but are left out, or costs counted that don't qualify
Related-party and production fees that HMRC no longer accepts
Interim claims that are slow or missing, which holds up your cash flow
Errors in the CT600 or the BFI certification that delay payment

At Berkshire Accountants Ltd, we help production companies prepare AVEC claims that are accurate, well supported and on time, so the money gets back into your production.

📞 Book a free AVEC review: 0118 327 4200
🌐 www.berkshireaccountants.com

11/06/2026

📢 IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR COMPANY DIRECTORS & SHAREHOLDERS

The tax on dividends has increased from 6 April 2026.

The new dividend tax rates are:
✅ Basic Rate: 10.75%
✅ Higher Rate: 35.75%
✅ Additional Rate: 39.35%

With the cost of extracting profits from your limited company now higher, it's more important than ever to review your salary and dividend strategy.

A simple tax planning review could help you keep more of your hard-earned profits.

📞 Business owners – book your free, no-obligation consultation with Berkshire Accountants Ltd on 0118 327 4200.

01/06/2026

🚗 Mileage Allowance Increase for 2026/27

If you use your own car or van for business journeys, there's an important update you should know about.

From the 2026/27 tax year, the Approved Mileage Allowance Payment (AMAP) rates have increased to:

✅ 55p per mile for the first 10,000 business miles
✅ 25p per mile for any business miles over 10,000

📅 Better still, this change has been backdated to 6 April 2026.

Keeping accurate mileage records can help ensure you're claiming the correct amount and maximising available tax relief.

Need help with mileage claims, business expenses, or your tax affairs?

📞 Berkshire Accountants Ltd
☎️ 0118 327 4200
🌐 www.berkshireaccountants.com

WELCOME TO BERKSHIRE ACCOUNTANTS LIMITED At Berkshire Accountants Limited, we strive to provide the tailored services that businesses and individuals need. We’re your friendly neighborhood accountancy firm based in Reading and we work with businesses and individuals across the south, on all elemen...