Money News & Guides

The business account that calculates your taxes.

Angela James at Yolo Wealth has dedicated the last decade to providing advice tailored to contractors and freelancers, working in partnership with Contractor UK and its readers over this time.

‘Just because there’s no law against it doesn’t make it not misleading or unfair’ -- plus Direct Debit Guarantee tips.

A guide to claiming a handy £5,000 a year off your National Insurance bill, potentially.

Best income protection insurance? From a contractor’s standpoint it’s ‘HitBP;’ Honest is the Best Policy. 

Our contractor mortgage rates are better than the market's average rates -- plus while they’re not sub-4%, unlike the Nationwide’s new deal, they are sustainable.

Top 10 (slightly) weird and wonderful income protection queries – resolved.

Despite its long tail and new head, Disguised Remuneration is best kept at bay by the age-old sniff test.

Beware a change in assessment criteria, plus a reduced benefit, if trying to claim while off sick.

Join SG Accounting and you’ll get a properly personal service delivered by a genuinely independent contractor and small business accounting specialist with your best interests at heart.

How to cut your coat according to your cloth, while not forgetting HMRC wants different chunks out of it, at different times.

The big three all have ‘triple-lock maintenance’ on their to-do-lists, meaning not much more than a wrapper separates them on pensions.

It’s a bit like a mouse pondering if the moon is made of cheese -- nonetheless, here’s a pondering about the possible future of other square structures with holes.

Your home comprises a big portion of your life, so at general election 2024, ‘bricks and mortar’ pledges could win or lose your vote.

The realm of reality with contractor mortgages is only for the informed – and those who slay vanilla brokers while shunning the high street fleece.

Whether it’s state or personal, a pensions withdrawal strategy is to be worked up while you’re still in contract work.

Sure-fire ways to ensure your nest egg is anything but shoddy by the time your working life ends.

Despite the chancellor not showing them much love, pensions are an HMRC-compliant method of tax-free saving for contractors -- whether you’re brolly, limited or inside IR35.

Navigating a self-assessment tax return isn’t for the fainthearted. But getting an accountant, and getting organised, is half the maze-like battle.

Everything contractors need to know about home loans, to ensure the biggest monthly bill works for you.

How just 15 years of saying ‘Well it’s okay I can catch up’ will deprive your retirement pot of a hefty £380,000.

The key stages of investing in retirement funds, and what to consider as you go along.

How the self-employed can work out, contribute to, and receive benefit payments from the government.

Totted up: the amount of NICs you owe HMRC whether you’re Limited, Self-Employed, Agency or Umbrella.

Revealed: the paperwork bound to impress your contractor mortgage lender.

What goes into working out a gross annual salary using daily rate (and vice versa).

Small but significant tweaks to the UK’s ISA landscape could make contractors happier investors, despite groans and some grumpiness.

Why PRR is one of the best tax reliefs going, and how to take advantage of it as a PSC.

Lacking boldness, relevance and even substance, yesterday’s chancellor is one that contractors who have property will want to forget.

How to pay back what you owe, to both HMRC and the Student Loans Company.

The inside track on claiming relief on assets' value over a long period of time.

Revealed: the letters that contractors’ tax advisers tend to have after their names -- and what they mean.

Undermining your retirement aspirations with a vehicle purpose-built to achieve them looks like this.

Stashing your cash in bricks and mortar versus a SIPP -- the pros and cons.

What is a pension lump sum? When can pension lump sums be withdrawn, and what should contractors consider?

A rundown for self-assessors of the likely flashpoints between taxpayer and tax authority.

An explainer for contractors on HMRC’s Pay As You Earn.

Demystified: the technical term and process for 'settling the score' with HMRC.

An agent, friend or family member can be your helping hand when dealing with the taxman.

Six dividend considerations for limited company contractors looking to make their money go further.

As if defaulting wasn’t problem enough, you might not know if your BBL lender has just made things even worse for you.

Spot the small differences now in two policies able to shore up your Plan B, because it might make the world of difference if you become incapacitated or just a bit unable.

Four reasons financially-savvy contractors find income protection tough to ignore.

HMRC just binned the paper form contractors have long-used to record BIKs.

Specialist contractor broker vs bank branch adviser? If you want the best home loan for your circumstances, and limited company, there’s no contest.

No hard and fast rules doesn’t mean there isn’t a formula to reveal the amount you’ll need for illness and downtime.

What a self-billing arrangement is, looks like; saves, and requires of you and your contractor recruitment agency.

Top six financial planning tips for a contractor to review to ensure the numbers stack up better in 2023.

New measures from the chancellor should allow contactors and others who separate to focus on divorce, not CGT.

A beast that exists only in tax law -- the loan charge -- gets unpacked, exposed, and totted up by one of the Revenue’s former officials.

What a tax lawyer says umbrella and limited company contractors should know about Jeremy Hunt’s Green Book.

What battling a hefty 10.1% rate of inflation should look like when contracting via a brolly or PSC.

Kwasi Kwarteng just dropped a giveth and taketh Budget of a different kind, as most contractors will welcome it.

Overview of how much it could cost if you blunder Making Tax Digital for VAT.

With a cost of living crisis squeezing bottom lines, the financially-savvy will check that their defences against late payment are primed.

The biggest change to the UK tax system in recent times, as explained by FreeAgent. 

The shrewd won’t skimp on a financial profiling adviser who, in turn, shouldn’t skim over the key financial areas that inform PSC workers of their worth.

A UTR number from HMRC is for life, not just for self-assessing or the imminent new tax year.

An overview to a very complex area of tax law, particularly without advice: CGT.

Explainer on escrow and how the payment platform can be used in contracting.

Overview of Scottish taxes, thresholds, and bands, plus IR35 considerations north of the border.

Seven contractor payment term essentials to help keep being paid late at bay.

Avoid any New Year headaches with your Self Assessment tax return by being aware of these dates and deadlines.

Overview of the HMRC form that shows tax paid on salary in the last year.

What your home loan prospects look like if you switch from off-payroll to employment.

Home loans expert John Yerou rounds-up what the chancellor’s moves might mean for property buyers.

Since October marks the start of the tax return season, here are some handy hints to keep in mind. 

Starling makes business banking straightforward and efficient, offering digital business accounts with no monthly fees for a standard account.

Four ways that you as the director of your own company can make a return.

Third parties now demanding those ‘never will be collected’ loans are the sting in a long tail.

Where to click on Companies to see if the reddest of red flags might be hoisted by your agency.

From contractor pensions and income protection to life insurance, critical illness insurance and contractor mortgages. 

Four of the chancellor’s announcements that could alter how contractors (and their clients) do business.

The ‘bank of last resort’ is very much open for business. Talk to its manager early to secure the terms you want.

The three ducks you need to have in a row before you take a payment row before a judge.

A contractor accountant crunches the key cut-off numbers so you don’t have to.

It’s not for the faint-hearted, but it can still pay to know about CT, even if it is your adviser’s job.

Get your limited company compliant sooner rather than later, as MTD is now inevitable.

Tax-saving or extraction? Whatever your PSC’s priority, these numbers you must know.

In 2019, a ‘Letter Before Action’ is no good if your actions before the letter don’t cut it.

Allowances set by Hammond are there to be used, and not just because his IR35 grab looms.

Pitfalls. Conditions. And cake. How to avoid biting off more than you can chew with client retainers.

Working on a retainer basis? Nice work if you can get it! But beware hard graft, potentially.

Vouchers, schemes, eligibility from October? Answers in bite-size chunks for contractors with kids.

How a business bank account can benefit your contractor business. 

The contractor business model you choose could affect your mortgage application. 

PSC owners can often have to go through a more rigorous mortgage application process. 

Tax rates and allowances that contractors should be aware of this tax year. 

The one-man band who stood up to HMRC is proof it's easier if your knowledge can't be picked on.

IFA's rundown of new financial rules, and how to prosper in spite of them.

Simple guide to everything you need to know about obtaining a mortgage as a contractor.

Having a business to run - and mouths to feed - is going to be more palatable from next April.

IFA on the personal finance highs and lows of the chancellor's red book.

IFA: While the cost of cover will go up, the tax take on your buy-to-let doesn’t have to.

How contractors can cut their tax bills when dividend reform bites in 2016.

What contractors need to know about CGT ahead of possible reforms next week.

IFA analyses which political party might impact your personal finances the most.

Stop yourself sleepwalking into automatic month-on-month fines from Friday.

Your dreams and obligations may be poles apart, but knowing when to act is the key to both.

Everything you need to know about APNs, which are now in force and not to be ignored.

A trio of trusts are now ripe for contractors to review, as the taxman is about to step in.

IFA: Putting premiums through your limited company avoids enriching the taxman.

£50k-plus contractors can dodge the worst of the claw back, but the clock is ticking.

IFA: 'We're all In' adverts are aimed at employees, but potentially contractors too.

10 reasons you can’t afford to put off considering your demise.

IFA: Contractors struggling to sell-up may have an upside that's long-term and lucrative.

No signed contract? No agreed price? Fear not, says business solicitor Nigel Musgrove.

How contractors can respond to a regular client who starts paying irregularly, or not at all.

Clock is ticking for the self-employed to legally and ethically save tax.

Contractors' IFA continues his tips on making your money go further than last year.

Contractors’ IFA shares his top tips for financial security this year, and then some.

Contractor Money's second guide for contractors, as stock market based investments suffer extreme volatility and UK gilts yields plummet to historic lows.

It’s all Greek to me!...How could the Eurozone crisis impact contractor finances?

Expert nuggets to help contractors turn their investments into golden opportunities.

Sole trader or Ltd? There are hard and fast rules when declaring to HMRC.

Why contractors should oppose the simpler filing regime for micro-business, by Safe Collections.

A guide to NICs payable by limited company and umbrella contractors.

£100K+ contractors to feel the effects of no personal allowance, says IFA.

Accountant tells CUK of the ways IT contractors can ease the pain of tax at 50p.

'A' Day (Appointed day) arrives on 6th April 2006 and brings with it sweeping and radical changes for contractors looking to invest in a pension – either via a one-man limited company or personally.

Starling Business Banking for Contractors

Income Protection - as a contractor you are completely exposed to financial hardship in the event of even a minor illness or accident. Protect your current lifestyle with a specially tailored income protection package.

Property purchase represents a relatively secure and often very profitable investment that should be at the forefront of any IT contractor wish list when it comes to deciding on future financial goals.

Most IT contractors don't take full advantage of the opportunities afforded to turn their companies into real small businesses. Here are 10 suggestions.

Contracting allows you freedom to build up a varied and impressive CV and the financial rewards can be far greater on leaving permanent work.