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What is a Confirmation Statement?

The confirmation statement is a document that companies must file at Companies House each year. It gives Companies House a yearly snapshot of the details of your company, including information on ownership, your registered office address, shareholdings, and more.You must file at least one confirmation statement every 12 months. Your 12 month review period starts on either the date your company incorporated, or the date you filed your last confirmation statement. You must file your statement with...

The Autumn Statement

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt unveiled the contents of the Autumn Statement in the House of Commons last week. He started his speech by saying that there were 110 measures being put in place to "help grow the British economy". Growth is better than expected this year according to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), although they state the impact of the Autumn Statement on output growth will be "modest".Below is a summary of the main measures that will impact smaller organisations and organ...

Changes to Charity Commission Online Portal

The Charity Commission has recently changed their systems and therefore all previous log-ins to their online portal will no longer work.In order to create a new log-in, one of the trustees for your charity must set up a new "My Charity Commission Account" here: Setting up "My Charity Commission Account" | GOV UK.Once your account is set up, you will need to invite your accountant to it. Your trustee can also add any internal staff who need access.Accounts cannot be submitted without this changeo...

The Role of the Accountant in Supporting Charity Governance

Accountants can make sure your charity’s finances are working as effectively as possible to promote your mission. Most people think this is achieved through the independent examination at the year-end, but accountants can have a much more thorough role within charities to make sure things are running smoothly. This blog post will highlight how involved the role of the accountant can be in supporting and developing charity governance in multiple areas....

The Importance of Social Impact Reporting for Charities

Social impact reporting is a brilliant tool to use in order to promote the difference your organisation is making in the communities that you support. Often, though, charities do not publish impact reports – this blog hopes to give you a few reasons why you should reconsider this if you are a charity, and the influence impact reporting can have on the growth of your organisation....

New Powers for Charities

New powers from the Charities Act 2022 have now come into effect, resulting in changes for the sector in Wales and England.The Charity Commission has updated its existing guidance to reflect these changes, which includes flexibility for trustees when seeking to dispose of charity land and new powers around the use of permanent endowment.Changes that came into force on 14 June 2023:Selling, leasing or otherwise disposing of charity landCharities must comply with certain legal requirements before ...

Protecting Lone Workers

As an employer, it is vital to manage any health and safety risks before your employees can work alone. There will always be greater risks for lone workers without direct supervision, or anyone to help them if things go wrong.Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, you must manage the risk to lone workers. This includes training, supervising, and monitoring lone workers, as well as keeping in touch with these workers and responding to any incidents should they arise. Impor...

NatWest Accelerator 2023

The NatWest Accelerator supports and empowers UK entrepreneurs to scale their businesses to the next level.If you're a business with ambitions to expand, the NatWest Accelerator programme could help. You may be looking to build your team, venture into new markets or seeking further investment. The programme could help you gain the knowledge and skills to excel in a range of business areas:Accessing new marketsAttracting talent and building an effective teamAccess to growth fundingLeadership dev...

Latest HMRC Employer Webinars

HMRC have scheduled several webinars throughout June and July which will help employers with payroll. The webinars are free and last around an hour. There are multiple topics available including: expenses and benefits; maternity and paternity pay; and sick pay.All webinars are listed below with links to book on to them:Expenses and benefits for your employees – phones, internet, and homeworkingTue 27 Jun at 11:45amExpenses and benefits for your employees - if your employees have more than one ...

Green Claims Code

Green claims (sometimes called ‘environmental claims’ or ‘eco-friendly claims’) are claims that show how a product, service, brand, or business provides a benefit or is less harmful to the environment.Many businesses use green claims to help market their products or services. They do this through a range of methods such as: statements, symbols, emblems, logos, graphics, colours, and product brand names.The government has created a Green Claims Code to help businesses make sure their clai...

New Online Hub for Food Businesses

The new 'Here to Help' hub brings together a range of guides, documentation, and checklists on how to:•  set up a food business,•  achieve a good food hygiene rating, and•  manage allergens to keep customers safe.At a time when new food businesses are facing cost pressures and other challenges, the FSA and local authorities want to make it easier for businesses to do the right thing.The hub aims to encourage businesses to access these free resources and to recognise that the...

Volunteering: Guidance for Employers

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has guidance on how to manage the risks to volunteers.The guidance explains how health and safety law applies to volunteering.It is mainly for employers or organisations who engage volunteers, such as charities, and will help them keep volunteers and and employees who work with them healthy and safe. There is also information on:• when to report incidents involving volunteers, and• including volunteers in your risk assessments.The pages provide some spec...

Data Protection Online Event: 23rd May 2023

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is repeating its data protection and marketing webinar for small businesses, due to the popular demand it received last time it ran.This free event will take place on Microsoft Teams on Tuesday 23 May from 10am to 11am.The ICO's experts will share tips and advice to help small businesses handle people's information confidently and unlock the value of the personal information they hold. The webinar will also offer an opportunity for people to get involv...

Mobility Pathfinder 2023

There is £50k-£70k funding available for inspirational, life-enhancing ideas, prototypes, or plans to reimagine how personal mobility options in the UK can better support a rapidly ageing population to stay connected, active, and independent for longer.Funded by the UKRI Healthy Ageing Challenge, part of Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, Design Age Institute’s Mobility Pathfinder Innovation Programme invites innovators, businesses and entrepreneurs from across the UK to propose pers...

Grant to Boost Domestic Tree Production Re-Opens

Applications are now open for the Forestry Commission’s Tree Production Capital Grant. The funding will drive the production of tree seed and saplings through developments in machinery, automation and the expansion of facilities.In line with the aims of the England Trees Action Plan and Government ambitions to treble tree planting rates by the end of this Parliament, the Tree Production Capital Grant will support efforts to build nursery capacity and grow long-term tree seed and sapling supply...

Ministers to Review Late Payments to Small Businesses

Earlier this month, the business secretary Grant Schnapps announced a government review into tackling late payments for small businesses, while also urging large companies to pay their smaller suppliers promptly. Small businesses routinely suffer from late payments from businesses they supply, which can lead to cash flow problems, putting their firms at risk and preventing them from growing. The majority of small businesses do not have large balance sheets and cannot accommodate long payment ter...

Cost of living crisis – Support for charities

The rising cost of living crisis is impacting us all, and charities are no exception.  Fundraising challenges, cost of business increases and volunteer and staff stability are just some of the many issues charities may face. Over the coming weeks, the Charity Finance Group (CFG) will be sharing a selection of free resources in their cost of living hub.  In the meantime, take a look at some of their advice below:  Cost of living overview: The cost of living: what can your char...

Key Points from the Chancellor's Autumn Statement 2022

On Thursday 17 November, the Chancellor presented the government’s Autumn Statement in which he told the House of Commons his plans to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, "rebuild our economy" and significantly reduce borrowing over the coming years.The Chancellor said that global factors are the primary cause of current inflation and that most countries are still dealing with the fallout from the pandemic. He stated that the measures taken to combat Covid-19 in the UK must be paid for. He also ...

Why Is Bookkeeping Important?

Bookkeeping is the practice of recording the financial transactions of a business on a day-to-day basis. Bookkeepers are responsible for keeping businesses’ finances in order by tracking transactions and, in turn, providing accurate financial information to funders, stakeholders, business owners, and managers. The core duties of a bookkeeper include data entry, account reconciliation, and the creation of management accounts. Additional duties can include credit control and VAT. It is worth not...

Charity Fraud Awareness Week 2021

Charity Fraud Awareness Week is an award-winning campaign organised by a global partnership of charities, regulators, law enforcement, representative and umbrella bodies, and other not-for-profit stakeholders. The overall goal of the week is to promote awareness of the sector’s vulnerability to fraud and cybercrime, as well as provide a safe space for charities and their supporters to discuss fraud and how to protect your business from it....

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax

HMRC has stated it wants to be one of the world’s most digitally advanced tax administrations, and the government describes its Making Tax Digital (MTD) initiative – which will affect VAT, income tax and corporation tax – as ‘a key part of plans to make it easier for individuals and businesses to get their tax right and keep on top of their affairs’. And it may well be, but it also means quite a bit of disruption. In this article we’re focusing on the key points of Making Tax Digital...

How to Use Receipt Bank

You should have already received an invitation to use Receipt Bank from us. This brief video talks you though: How to download the app for your mobile device on Android and iOSSubmitting items to us using the mobile app, email and invoice fetchResponding to messages we might send youPlease contact us if you need any help. ...

Charities & Tax

Charities can get certain tax reliefs but you must be recognised by HMRC.  To be recognised the charity must be:based in the UK, EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norwayestablished for charitable purposes onlyregistered with the Charity Commissionbe run by fit and proper persons...

What should be included in a charity's annual return?

Every registered charity has to put together their Annual Report and Accounts to be submitted to the Charity Commission. For some organisations, putting this together feels like a lot of hard work with little reward. But it is much more than this.Rather than a chore that serves nothing but a legal purpose, an annual report is an opportunity to showcase your successes and achievements over the past year in one document. It can work to demonstrate your impact and value to a wide range of audiences...

What is a Social Enterprise?

Social enterprises are businesses that are changing the world for the better.  They exist to achieve a social mission such as providing healthcare, creating jobs or advancing education. Although profits may not be the main motivator, like traditional businesses, social enterprises will  aim to make a profit but it’s what they do with their profits that sets them apart.  A social enterprise will reinvest it's profits or, it could donate them to create positive social change. ...