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Acumen Accountants, 37th Floor, 1 Canada Square, London (2026)

26/09/2026

Proud to Support the British Bangladeshi Build Festival 2026 🇬🇧🇧🇩

We’re delighted to be part of the British Bangladeshi Build Festival 2026 as a sponsor — bringing together businesses, professionals, families and the wider British Bangladeshi community under one roof.

At Acumen Accountants & Tax Advisers, we’re proud to support initiatives that create opportunities, strengthen connections and celebrate the contribution of the Bangladeshi community in the UK.

📅 29 November 2026
⏰ 1 PM – 9 PM
📍 The Royal Regency, London
🎟️ FREE ENTRY

With 30+ stalls, job opportunities, dance performances and a live concert, there’s something for everyone.

We look forward to seeing you there!

30/08/2026

Intra-Group Loans Aren’t “Free Loans” 💷🌍

Does your UK Ltd lend money to — or borrow from — an overseas group company?

It may look like a simple movement of funds within the group. But from a UK tax perspective, intra-group financing can create obligations that shouldn’t be overlooked.

The common mistake is thinking:

“It’s our own group, so we can set the terms ourselves.”

Not necessarily.

Depending on the structure and jurisdictions involved, you may need to consider:

⚠️ Transfer pricing — Is the interest rate and financing arrangement commercially justifiable?
⚠️ Interest deductibility — Can the UK company fully deduct the interest expense?
⚠️ Tax reporting — Are the relevant transactions being captured correctly?
⚠️ Documentation — Can you demonstrate why the terms are appropriate?
⚠️ Withholding tax — Could tax arise when interest is paid overseas?

The real pain for UK businesses?

A loan that was created simply to move cash around the group can become a tax and compliance issue later — particularly when HMRC asks why the terms differ from what independent parties would have agreed.

The solution: treat group financing like real financing.

Before setting up or changing an overseas group loan, review:

✅ Loan terms and repayment arrangements
✅ Interest rate and transfer pricing position
✅ Borrower/lender functions and risks
✅ UK tax deductibility
✅ Withholding tax implications
✅ Supporting documentation and reporting requirements

Good group financing isn’t just about moving money efficiently. It’s about being able to defend the arrangement when it is reviewed.

Have an overseas group loan in place? Don’t wait for a tax enquiry to review it.

📞 +44 7852 806969
🌐 acumenagc.com
✉️ [email protected]

Let’s review your intra-group financing and identify the tax implications.

30/08/2026

DORA: Are You Ready? 🔐

If your UK business provides ICT services to banks, insurers, investment firms or other financial entities, DORA should be on your compliance radar.

The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) changes expectations around how financial firms manage technology and third-party ICT risk. And even if you’re not a financial institution yourself, being a technology or ICT supplier to one can bring new contractual and resilience expectations.

The pain point for many businesses?

You may already have strong IT controls, but still struggle to answer:

🔹 Are our ICT risks properly identified and documented?
🔹 Can we demonstrate operational resilience?
🔹 Are incidents reported and handled appropriately?
🔹 Are our third-party arrangements properly controlled?
🔹 Do our contracts with financial-sector clients meet their expectations?

The solution? Prepare before your clients demand it.

A practical DORA readiness review can help you:

✅ Identify compliance gaps
✅ Strengthen ICT risk management
✅ Review incident response processes
✅ Assess third-party and supplier controls
✅ Prepare stronger contractual documentation
✅ Demonstrate resilience to financial-sector clients

DORA readiness isn’t just about compliance — it can also become a competitive advantage when your clients need confidence in their ICT suppliers.

If you supply technology or ICT services to the UK/EU financial sector, don’t wait for a client questionnaire to expose the gaps.

📞 +44 7852 806969
🌐 acumenagc.com
✉️ [email protected]

Supplying financial services? Let’s assess your DORA readiness.

29/08/2026

Passing the Business to the Next Generation: It’s More Than a Tax Bill.

For many UK family-business owners, building the business took decades of hard work, sacrifice and difficult decisions.

But when it’s time to hand it over, the biggest challenge isn’t simply “Who gets the shares?”

It’s:

❌ How do you protect what you’ve built?
❌ Could Inheritance Tax create a significant liability?
❌ Is the next generation actually prepared to take control?
❌ What happens if family members disagree about the future?
❌ Can the business continue smoothly without disrupting customers, staff or cash flow?

A poorly planned succession can turn a successful family business into a source of tax pressure, family conflict and uncertainty.

The solution? Start planning before you need to.

A strong succession plan should look at more than ownership. It should consider:

✅ Business valuation and ownership structure
✅ Tax and Inheritance Tax implications
✅ Who will take operational control
✅ Share transfers and family arrangements
✅ Funding the transition
✅ Business continuity and contingency planning

The earlier you start, the more options you generally have to structure the transition properly.

💡 You didn’t spend years building your business just to leave its future to chance.

At Acumen Accountants & Tax Advisers, we help business owners look at the numbers, tax implications and practical considerations behind succession planning.

Thinking about passing your business to the next generation? Start planning before the handover becomes urgent.

📞 +44 7852 806969
🌐 acumenagc.com
✉️ [email protected]

Let’s build a tax-smart succession plan for your business.

29/08/2026

Partial Exemption: The Hidden VAT Cost of Selling Goods & Courses

Selling VATable goods and courses from the same UK business? You could be facing a VAT issue that’s easy to overlook — and it could quietly increase your costs.

When your business makes both taxable and VAT-exempt supplies, you may not be able to reclaim all the VAT you pay on shared business expenses.

That can affect VAT on:

❌ Marketing & advertising
❌ Software and subscriptions
❌ Professional services
❌ Office and operating costs
❌ Equipment and other overheads

The real pain?

You may be focused on increasing sales, while unrecoverable VAT is quietly eating into your margins.

And simply assuming that “courses are VAT-exempt” can also be risky. The VAT treatment depends on the nature of the education or training and whether the relevant exemption conditions are met.

So, what’s the solution?

Don’t wait until your VAT return becomes a problem.

A proper review of your taxable and exempt income, shared costs and VAT recovery method can help you understand:

✅ How much input VAT you can recover
✅ Where VAT may be getting lost
✅ Whether your partial exemption calculation is appropriate
✅ Whether the de minimis rules could be relevant
✅ Where better VAT planning may be possible

💡 The goal isn’t simply to reclaim more VAT — it’s to make sure you’re reclaiming everything you’re legitimately entitled to.

If your UK business sells both goods and courses, is your current VAT setup costing you more than it should?

📞 +44 7852 806969
🌐 acumenagc.com
✉️ [email protected]

Let’s review your VAT position and uncover potential hidden costs.

27/08/2026

When to Fire a Client (And Why It Can Add 15% Profit)

As a UK business owner, have you ever kept a difficult client simply because you were worried about losing the revenue?

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: a client can generate revenue and still reduce your profit.

Think about the clients who:

❌ Constantly demand your team’s time
❌ Make endless last-minute requests
❌ Pay late or create payment headaches
❌ Expect more work without wanting to pay more
❌ Require excessive hand-holding
❌ Take attention away from your higher-value clients

Over time, these clients can quietly drain your time, team capacity and profitability.

And that’s the part many businesses overlook.

You don’t always need more clients. You may need better clients.

Review your client base based on profitability, time spent and overall value — not simply turnover.

Sometimes, letting go of the wrong client creates space for the right one.

💡 Your client list may be full, but is it actually profitable?

At Acumen Accountants & Tax Advisers, we help UK businesses understand their numbers, improve financial visibility and make better decisions for sustainable growth.

📞 +44 7852 806969
🌐 acumenagc.com
✉️ [email protected]

Ready to find out which clients are really driving your profit? Get in touch today.

27/08/2026

Partial Exemption: The Hidden VAT Cost of Selling Goods & Courses

For UK businesses with multiple revenue streams, VAT can become more complicated than simply adding 20% to an invoice.

If you sell taxable goods alongside education, training or other potentially exempt supplies, you may find yourself operating under the UK’s partial exemption rules.

Where input VAT relates to both taxable and exempt supplies, you may not be able to recover all of it. HMRC requires businesses to use a partial exemption method to determine the recoverable amount.

Why does this matter?

Shared overheads can create a hidden VAT cost.

Think about the VAT you pay on:

• Marketing
• Accounting and professional services
• Software
• Premises and utilities
• Equipment
• General business overheads

If these costs support both taxable and exempt activities, the VAT recovery position may need to be apportioned.

And there’s another important consideration: “courses” do not automatically mean VAT-exempt. HMRC’s treatment depends on the nature of the education or vocational training, the provider and the relevant exemption conditions.

The practical solution

Don’t just look at your VAT return totals.

Review your revenue streams, input VAT, shared costs and partial exemption calculation together.

This can help you identify:

✅ What VAT is fully recoverable
✅ What VAT may need to be apportioned
✅ Whether you could fall within the de minimis rules
✅ Whether your current method fairly reflects your business activities

For some businesses, this is more than a compliance exercise — it can have a direct impact on cash flow and profitability.

If you’re selling both goods and courses, is your VAT recovery actually working in your favour?

At Acumen Accountants & Tax Advisers, we help UK businesses navigate complex VAT issues and understand the financial impact of their tax position.

📞 +44 7852 806969
🌐 acumenagc.com
✉️ [email protected]

Let’s review your partial exemption position before hidden VAT costs eat into your margins.

26/08/2026

Self Assessment in August? Hear me out. 👀

January may feel like it’s months away, but if you’re self-employed, a freelancer, landlord, company director or earning additional income, your Self Assessment can quickly become a stressful task when left until the last minute.

And the biggest problem isn’t always completing the return — it’s the uncertainty that comes with waiting:

❌ Missing receipts and incomplete records
❌ Unclear about allowable expenses
❌ Not knowing how much tax you may owe
❌ A sudden tax bill affecting your cash flow
❌ Rushing to get everything done before the deadline

So, why wait until January?

Starting your Self Assessment preparation in August gives you breathing room.

You can get your records organised, review your income and expenses, identify potential tax-saving opportunities, understand your estimated tax position and — most importantly — plan ahead instead of panicking later.

Early preparation means fewer surprises, better financial planning and more confidence when the January deadline arrives.

Don’t let January become a tax headache. Make August the month you get ahead.

At Acumen Accountants & Tax Advisers, we can help you prepare, understand your tax position and make the process much easier.

📞 +44 7852 806969
🌐 acumenagc.com
✉️ [email protected]

Get in touch today and let’s get your Self Assessment preparation started.

26/08/2026

Still sending your bank statements as ZIP files? It might be time to change the habit.

For many UK business owners, bookkeeping starts with something as simple as getting the right documents to their accountant.

But when statements are buried inside ZIP folders, password-protected files or long email chains, it can create unnecessary friction.

That can mean:

❌ More time spent finding and opening documents
❌ Delays in updating your books
❌ Greater risk of missing information
❌ More back-and-forth with your accountant

A better bookkeeping habit:

Keep your financial documents organised, accessible and securely shared.

Your accountant should be able to spend less time chasing paperwork and more time helping you understand your numbers.

And there’s a bigger benefit for you:

Up-to-date books = better visibility.

You can see your cash position, expenses and profitability sooner — giving you more confidence when making business decisions.

💡 Small admin improvement. Better financial visibility.

If your bookkeeping still relies on old email-and-attachment habits, it may be time to modernise the process.

📞 +44 7852 806969
🌐 acumenagc.com
✉️ [email protected]

Switch to smarter bookkeeping.

25/08/2026

“We’ve selected your return for review.”

Four words no UK taxpayer wants to see in their inbox. 😬

But receiving an HMRC review letter doesn’t automatically mean you’ve done something wrong.

HMRC may review a return to check information, clarify figures or ask for supporting evidence.

The biggest mistake?

Ignoring it or replying without understanding exactly what HMRC is asking for.

If you receive a review notice:

✅ Read the letter carefully — identify exactly what HMRC wants.
✅ Check the deadline — don’t leave your response until the last minute.
✅ Gather your evidence — invoices, calculations, bank records and relevant documents may be important.
✅ Check your original return — make sure your response is consistent with what was submitted.
✅ Get professional advice if you're unsure — particularly if the questions involve complex tax matters.

Remember:

An HMRC review is a process, not a verdict.

The right response starts with understanding the request, checking the facts and providing clear supporting information.

If HMRC has contacted you about your tax return and you're unsure how to respond, Acumen can help you understand the issue and prepare your next steps.

📞 +44 7852 806969
🌐 acumenagc.com
✉️ [email protected]

Don’t panic. Don’t ignore it. Get the right advice.

Acumen Accountants

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