Accounting Clarkes

Accounting Clarkes Achieve your business growth goals
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Instil balance and add value

For those who may not be aware, Companies House has been experiencing some technical issues with its online filing servi...
17/06/2026

For those who may not be aware, Companies House has been experiencing some technical issues with its online filing services.

Over the last few days, online filing services have been unavailable while they have investigated the issue, and the good news is that everything is back up and running again (as of yesterday).

Anyone who tried to file their annual accounts or confirmation statement on time and was unable to because of the technical issues will be able to appeal any late-filing penalties that may be issued. Companies House have confirmed that screenshots and timestamps from failed filing attempts will be taken into account.

Understandably, Companies House now has a backlog to work through, so we'd recommend continuing to keep a personal record of when documents are being filed.

Although we're not huge football fans, it's difficult to get away from the World Cup chatter, so we want to wish England...
17/06/2026

Although we're not huge football fans, it's difficult to get away from the World Cup chatter, so we want to wish England the very best of luck with their first group stage match at this year's World Cup Tournament.

We'll probably catch the highlights tomorrow, but fingers crossed they get off to a positive start!

Almost two-thirds of invoices sent by UK SMEs last year were paid late. Not enough small businesses realise that they ca...
15/06/2026

Almost two-thirds of invoices sent by UK SMEs last year were paid late.

Not enough small businesses realise that they can legally charge interest on any overdue amount.

So we've pulled together our best advice to explain when a business has a legal right to charge interest and how to calculate it.

If late payments are having an impact on your business, reach out to our team. We aren't debt collectors but we'll help you understand your numbers and plan around the unpredictable.

Last month, we became members of the FSB! Our first event was the relaunch of FSB in North East Hampshire, which happene...
11/06/2026

Last month, we became members of the FSB! Our first event was the relaunch of FSB in North East Hampshire, which happened to be right on our doorstep at the UBC offices.

We heard from Steve Jones from Skills for Business Training Ltd about positioning your business for success, motivation and employee engagement.

Then, Emma Selby from SiGNAL BiZHUB spoke about how people should not try to build a business alone (something we wholeheartedly agree with!)

We're looking forward to catching up with fellow FSB members at events in the near future.

Looking back through our blog articles, we realised that we've not written about pricing and pricing strategy for a whil...
09/06/2026

Looking back through our blog articles, we realised that we've not written about pricing and pricing strategy for a while.

Which is odd because pricing strategy is something Gillian and Chris have worked on throughout their careers, across a wide range of businesses. They have a lot of knowledge to share!

They understand how to help business owners identify the right pricing approach, review it regularly and make decisions that protect profitability without losing sight of what customers value.

Questions to reflect on today:
➡️ Are you confident in your pricing?
➡️ Have you set your prices and not reviewed them recently?
➡️ Do you know exactly how much profit you make on your products and services?

Pricing should not be guesswork. If pricing is something you have been managing on instinct rather than insight, this blog is for you.

https://accountingclarkes.com/blog/are-you-confident-in-your-pricing/

The Accounting Clarkes team is more than Gillian, Chris and Lizzie - there's Gemma too!Gemma is our marketing manager. S...
04/06/2026

The Accounting Clarkes team is more than Gillian, Chris and Lizzie - there's Gemma too!

Gemma is our marketing manager. She helps us share our knowledge and expertise through insightful blogs and keeps us consistently visible online. She also keeps us on top of asking our clients for recommendations (very important!)

In our eyes, her skills are key to why we appear in the top three organic results for Accountants in Fleet!

We wanted to highlight Gemma as she recently completed a personal challenge, running the Southampton 10k and raising over £1,000 for Solent Mind. Well done, Gemma!

What is a strong credit control process? A strong credit control process is a combination of:✅ Clear communication with ...
03/06/2026

What is a strong credit control process?

A strong credit control process is a combination of:
✅ Clear communication with the customer about your terms and conditions
✅ Sending accurate invoices on time
✅ Initiating proactive reminders
✅Having a consistent follow-up process for managing overdue invoices.

Having these four areas covered should limit the potential for clients to pay their invoices late, but of course, late payers do happen.

How do you handle clients with invoices overdue by at least 20 days?

Even if you only have one or two clients this far in arrears, you have a problem that will be impacting your cashflow.

Rather than get angry or frustrated, you need to address the amount owed and find a way to help your client pay their invoice.

Our advice? Speak to them about the situation, and rather than demand the payment in full, offer a payment schedule. Take a part payment immediately and agree (in writing) when the balance will be paid.

We have more tips on how to keep on top of credit control here: https://accountingclarkes.com/blog/keeping-on-top-of-credit-control/

Whether you have employees or you simply want to understand what your own tax code means, there is a handy tax code chec...
28/05/2026

Whether you have employees or you simply want to understand what your own tax code means, there is a handy tax code check on the Gov.UK website.

The tax code checker will allow you to:
✅ find out what the letters and numbers in your tax code mean
✅ see how much Income Tax you’re due to pay
✅ update your records if something’s wrong
✅ understand the deductions included in your tax code

As well as your tax code, you will need:
➡️ annual income, before any deductions
➡️ company benefits details
➡️ State Pension amount

Tax code checker: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-what-your-tax-code-means

Confirmation statements can come across as a minor or 'quick' admin task to complete once a year, but as they are compul...
26/05/2026

Confirmation statements can come across as a minor or 'quick' admin task to complete once a year, but as they are compulsory requirement from Companies House, they should be treated with some respect.

Even if there are no changes to the company information, a confirmation statement still needs to be submitted on time to confirm that.

If any details are incorrect and do not match what Companies House holds on record, the confirmation statement cannot be submitted. If submission is left until the eleventh hour before the deadline, then the deadline could be missed.

Take this as your sign to check that all company director details recorded with Companies House are correct. Please don't assume! We've heard of more than one example where dates of birth are incorrect (some directors are decades younger!) and it is causing unnecessary stress when submitting the confirmation statement.

If you are a sole trader or landlord with combined gross income over £30,000, filing your 2025/2026 tax return early mak...
21/05/2026

If you are a sole trader or landlord with combined gross income over £30,000, filing your 2025/2026 tax return early makes sense for several reasons:

1. It will be off you to do list so you can focus on running your business and serving customers.

2. You will know exactly what you owe well in advance, which gives you time to budget and avoid a cashflow shock. Remember, the first payment on account is due on 31 July 2026, followed by a balancing payment and your next payment on account on 31 January 2027.

3. If you have overpaid tax, an early submission means an earlier refund.

4. From a practical point of view, your records are still fresh: receipts are easier to find, figures are easier to reconcile, and the process is far less painful.

5. It will also help make the transition to MTD less stressful. You can focus on getting the business prepared for MTD.

Our latest blog covers why the dawn of the new tax year is the perfect opportunity to get ahead of the game. https://accountingclarkes.com/blog/a-new-tax-year-and-your-opportunity-to-be-ahead-of-the-game/

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Fleet
GU512UZ

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Wednesday 9am - 5pm
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Friday 9am - 5pm

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