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OJW Associates, Britten House Britten Street, Redditch (2026)

23/10/2026

⏱️ THE CLOCK IS TICKING! ONLY 100 DAYS LEFT. ⏱️

The deadline to submit your online tax return for the 2025-2026 tax year is approaching faster than you think. Don’t wait until the last minute!

Filing early with OJW Associates means:

✅ Getting any refund faster.
✅ Knowing exactly what you owe (more time to budget).
✅ Proof of income ready when you need it.
✅ Avoiding January stress.

Read our latest blog for key deadlines and how we can help you file stress-free https://ojwassociates.co.uk/100-days-until-the-self-assessment-deadline-why-filing-early-works-to-your-advantage/

21/10/2026

🧾 VAT Flat Rate Scheme: Could It Work for You?

If you’re a small VAT-registered business, the way you calculate VAT can affect both your cash flow and the time you spend on admin. For some businesses, the VAT Flat Rate Scheme can be a good alternative to the standard method.

How do the two methods compare?

📊 Standard VAT method
You charge VAT on sales, reclaim VAT on purchases, and pay the difference to HMRC.

📈 Flat Rate Scheme
You still charge customers the usual VAT rate, but instead of reclaiming VAT on most purchases, you pay a fixed percentage of your VAT-inclusive turnover to HMRC. The percentage depends on your industry.

✔️ You may be eligible if your VAT turnover is £150,000 or less (excluding VAT).

When the Flat Rate Scheme might help

💼 Low VAT-able expenses
Businesses like consultants, designers or service-based trades may benefit if they don’t reclaim much VAT on purchases.

⏱️ Simpler admin
Fewer calculations and less record-keeping, as VAT isn’t reclaimed on most purchases (except certain assets over £2,000).

When the standard method may be better

🛒 Higher VAT-able costs
If you regularly buy goods or services with VAT, reclaiming VAT under the standard method is often more cost-effective.

Choosing the right option

👉 The best approach is to run the numbers and compare. A small change in method can make a big difference over the year.

If you’d like help deciding which VAT method works best for your business, just get in touch.

📞 01527 368220
📧 [email protected]

14/10/2026

📌 Why Management Skills Matter More Than Ever for Business Owners

Many people start a business because they’re great at the work — but as a business grows, success depends just as much on how it’s managed. Doing the job and running the business are two very different roles.

🔹 What Management Really Means

In small businesses, management isn’t about job titles — it’s about organisation and support.
Good management shows up in simple ways: clear expectations, sensible priorities, spotting problems early, and having time to think rather than firefight.

🔹 Why Management Often Gets Overlooked

Client work comes first, time is tight, and managing people can feel uncomfortable.
But without structure, businesses can become reactive — leaving owners stuck in the day-to-day with little space to plan or grow.

🔹 How Strong Management Helps Your Business

Better management can:

Reduce stress and unexpected issues

Improve staff retention and morale

Create a more consistent customer experience

Free up time for strategy and growth

Even small changes can make a big difference.

🔹 Practical Ways to Improve Management

You don’t need qualifications or years of experience. Progress often comes from:

Learning from other business owners

Working with a mentor

Short, practical training

Making one improvement at a time

Management is a skill — and it can be learned.

👉 A final thought:
A great idea alone isn’t enough. Strong management is what makes it work — and keeps both you and your team happy along the way.

If you’d like to explore one of our management improvement days, we’d love to help you identify key systems and bring more structure to your business.

📞 01527 368220
📧 [email protected]

11/10/2026

Great result this weekend!
Alex Jackson Gareth Wood
DM Property Services Redditch

11/10/2026

Here at Silverstone supporting Alex Jackson but currently watching modified ford series.

With DM Property Services Redditch
Gareth Wood

07/10/2026

🚨 Cyber Attack? What Happens Next?

Having a plan for preventing a cyber attack is important. But knowing what to do if one actually happens is just as important.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has published new guidance to help businesses respond to and recover from a serious cyber incident.

The guidance covers three key stages:

🔴 Immediate response — what to do in the first few hours, including establishing who is in charge, assessing the situation and communicating with key stakeholders.

🟠 Recovery — setting up a structured recovery programme, investigating what happened and restoring systems safely.

🟢 Rebuild — getting back to normal while strengthening the business so it's better prepared for future attacks.

Cyber attacks aren't just an IT problem. They can disrupt operations, affect customers, create financial pressure and take a real emotional toll on the people involved.

The NCSC's guidance is a useful resource for business leaders who want to understand what recovery could look like **before they ever need it**.

👉 If your business relies on computers, cloud systems, email or online services, it's worth having a plan for what happens if they're suddenly unavailable.

Read more here - https://ojwassociates.co.uk/recovering-from-a-cyber-attack-what-should-your-business-do-next/

30/09/2026

🌍 Update on UK VAT refunds for non-UK businesses

HMRC has updated its guidance on how non-UK businesses that are members of a VAT group should claim refunds of UK VAT.

The key change is that each non-UK VAT group member must now submit its own claim for any UK VAT it has incurred.

HMRC will no longer accept a claim from the VAT group's representative member unless that representative member actually incurred the VAT.

There is a transitional arrangement for VAT incurred between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026. For this period, claims can be made either by:

📌 The individual VAT group member that incurred the VAT
📌 Or the VAT group's representative member

The deadline for claims covering this period is 31 December 2026.

HMRC has also confirmed that it will review certain previously rejected claims relating to VAT incurred from 1 January 2021. This applies where the claim was rejected because the representative member submitted the claim, provided the VAT was not included in a later claim.

There is a separate deadline of 31 August 2027 for asking HMRC to reconsider these previously refused claims.

If your business is part of an overseas VAT group and has incurred UK VAT, it's worth checking whether these changes affect you or whether you have previously missed out on a VAT refund.

Read more - https://ojwassociates.co.uk/uk-vat-refund-changes-for-non-uk-businesses-in-vat-groups/

If you're unsure about your VAT position or need help reviewing a claim, get in touch.

📞 01527 368220
📧 [email protected]

28/09/2026

📢 Changes to Self Assessment reporting for company directors

HMRC has clarified new reporting requirements for directors of close companies, which apply to Self Assessment tax returns from the 2025–26 tax year onwards.

If you are a director of a close company and you already complete a Self Assessment tax return, you may now need to provide additional information about the company, including:

📌 The company name
📌 The registered company number
📌 Your dividend income from the company
📌 Your percentage shareholding

Importantly, HMRC has confirmed that these boxes still need to be completed if you are an unpaid director, have no shares in the company or the company is dormant. Where there is no dividend income or shareholding, the relevant boxes should be completed with £0 or 0 as appropriate.

There is an exception for directors of registered charities and Community Interest Companies where they have not received, or become entitled to receive, employment income, dividend income or another distribution from the company or a connected company.

Getting these details wrong could result in a penalty, so it's important to make sure your Self Assessment return is completed accurately.

Read more on our blog - https://ojwassociates.co.uk/changes-to-self-assessment-reporting-for-directors-of-close-companies/

If you're a company director and you're unsure whether these new requirements apply to you, or you'd like help completing your tax return, get in touch.

📞 01527 368220
📧 [email protected]

25/09/2026

🏦 Bank of England holds interest rates at 3.75%

The Bank of England has kept Bank Rate at 3.75%, with the Monetary Policy Committee voting 6–3 in favour of holding rates.

Three members voted for an increase to 4%, as concerns around rising inflation continue.

The decision comes as UK inflation rose to 3.1% in August, up from 2.9% in July. The Bank has highlighted higher energy prices linked to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East as a key factor behind the renewed inflationary pressure.

For businesses and households, interest rates remain an important consideration when planning borrowing, investment and cash flow.

The Bank has also indicated that inflation is expected to rise further in the coming months, with the outlook particularly dependent on energy prices and how long the current pressures persist.

The Bank's next scheduled interest rate decision is due on 5 November 2026.

Read more here - https://ojwassociates.co.uk/bank-of-england-holds-interest-rates-at-3-75-what-it-means-for-businesses/

If you're reviewing your business finances, borrowing or cash-flow plans in light of changing interest rates, we're happy to help.

📞 01527 368220
📧 [email protected]

23/09/2026

📬 HMRC is contacting some self-employed people about National Insurance gaps

HMRC is writing to some self-employed individuals whose National Insurance records may contain gaps that could affect their State Pension.

If you receive a letter, don't ignore it — but don't assume you need to pay anything either.

Some affected people may be able to make voluntary National Insurance contributions for missing years, potentially going back to 2015-16.

HMRC believes up to 800,000 taxpayers could be affected by the issue, relating to some people who were self-employed between 2015 and early 2024.

If you receive a letter, it's worth checking:

📌 Your State Pension forecast
📌 Your National Insurance record
📌 Whether there are any missing qualifying years
📌 Whether paying to fill those gaps would actually increase your State Pension

You can check your records through your Personal Tax Account on GOV.UK.

Importantly, paying voluntary contributions won't necessarily benefit everyone. If you already have enough qualifying years to receive the full State Pension, making additional contributions may not increase your entitlement.

If HMRC contacts you and you're unsure whether filling a National Insurance gap would be worthwhile, get in touch. We can help you review your position and understand the potential implications.

Read more - https://ojwassociates.co.uk/hmrc-national-insurance-gaps-what-self-employed-people-need-to-know/

📞 01527 368220
📧 [email protected]

OJW Associates

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