PPS Chartered Accountants

23/06/2026

Caring for our staff is a huge part of our values at PPS!

Today was so hot that we paid for ice lollies for the team that are in the office. Huge thank you to Scott Hartley for going to the shop and getting them for us!

20/06/2026

Q: I retired last year but have since taken on a part-time job. My defined benefit pension uses up my Personal Allowance, so how much tax will I have to pay?

A: As you state the full £12,570 Personal Allowance has been consumed, all your earnings for your part-time job will be taxable at your marginal rate. This is most likely to be 20% for you, if your total annual income remains below £50,270.

If you are paid through a PAYE scheme, your employer will get a tax code from HMRC, reflecting your Personal Allowance has been used up, and deduct the tax automatically.

You should be aware that if you are also in receipt of the state pension, it could complicate your tax position. Whilst taxable, the state pension is paid with no tax deducted. But HMRC will collect any tax due via the tax code on other sources of income - in your case, your part-time job. This can result in more tax being taken via PAYE than you might be expecting.

Please get in touch to discuss ways of reducing your tax exposure under these circumstances.

18/06/2026

Here at PPS we love supporting small businesses and last night our partner, Sally, went to a book launch for Lis McDermott's third book in her trilogy.

Sally had a great time and can't wait to attend Lis' future book launches!

16/06/2026

Fantastic to see our partner Sally Holland talking about director's loans in the latest edition of the TBE Swindon & Wiltshire. Pick up a copy and have a read - and if you have any concerns about this area of business do get in touch.

12/06/2026

We had a great time at our breakfast networking yesterday morning. We raised a brilliant amount of money for Willows Counselling Service and will be sharing the final total soon!

Our speaker Sally Stockreisser was brilliant and everyone enjoyed hearing her talk.

Thank you to everyone who attended!

09/06/2026

Sally had a great time recording this episode! Thanks so much to Lauren Roberts for being such a fab host!

Hosted by Lauren Roberts, today’s podcast welcomes Sally Holland, partner at PPS Chartered Accountancy as she discusses all things accountancy and PR.

Sally joins Lauren to share with PR Not BS listeners the ins and outs of running an accountancy firm in their town of Swindon, Wiltshire. Plus, she dispels the myths and fables around what people think accountants to and shares the reality.

“People often think it’s this grey-haired old man telling them what to do with their business. It’s not that!” says Sally.

Lauren kicks off her chat with Sally by diving into her journey to becoming a partner at PPS and what it means to have worked for an organisation for 25 years.

Sally shares with Lauren how her business has changed in the last 25 years and how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the accountancy firm. She discusses the integration of hybrid working and their unique business-focused mindset. She also discusses how working with owner-managed businesses means creating important and personable connections with clients.

You can listen to the episode at www.scottmedia.uk/podcasts

08/06/2026

PPS Business Charity Breakfast,
Thursday 11th June 2026

Join us in Swindon on Thursday 11th June 2026 to network, enjoy a delicious breakfast and raise money for a great community-led project.

Emotional Empowerment- The Secret to Professional Success
Sally Stockreisser works with professionals to improve how they feel, think, and perform under pressure. Sally's approach focuses on helping people better understand and manage their emotions in a practical, straightfoward way. Her talk will explore how emotional awareness can have a direct impact on wellbeing, decision-making and performance at work.

All profits from the event will go to Willows Counselling and Training.

Established for over 32 years, Willows continues to offer its services to meet the mental health needs of people in Swindon, Wiltshire and the West of England.

There will also be a fun raffle at the event, supported by PPS and other businesses. Raffle tickets will be sold on the day for £5 each with some amazing prizes, and all proceeds will go directly to Willows.

Tickets for the event are only £18 (plus VAT and a small booking fee) and can be purchased here

The PPS Business Charity Breakfast will be held at the DoubleTree Hilton, Lydiard Fields, Great Western Way, Swindon, SN5 8UZ, on Thursday 11th June 2026 from 7:30am to 9:30am.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pps-business-charity-breakfast-tickets-1990003498032

06/06/2026

Q: Looking at my paperwork for the last tax year, I think I may have overpaid tax. What do I need to do to correct this with HMRC?

A: HMRC usually notifies you if you've paid too much (or too little) tax by the end of the tax year. It typically sends a P800 tax calculation letter, or a Simple Assessment letter. These letters explain whether you owe tax or are due a refund and get sent out starting in June of the subsequent tax year. You'll only get a letter if you're employed or receiving a pension. Self-Assessment taxpayers won't receive a P800 or Simple Assessment — their bill adjusts automatically.

Reasons you might get a P800:
Incorrect tax code (e.g., HMRC had outdated income info)
You changed jobs and were paid by two employers in the same month
You started receiving a workplace pension
You received ESA or Jobseeker's Allowance


Reasons you might get a Simple Assessment:
You owe tax that can't be taken automatically from your income
You owe more than £3,000
You need to pay tax on your State Pension

If you don't receive a letter and still think you've overpaid tax, you can request a refund online via GOV.UK using your Government Gateway ID, access the HMRC app using the "claim a refund" option, or by post using a P800 or relevant form.

04/06/2026

From April 2027, unused defined contribution (DC) pensions will be counted as part of a person's estate for inheritance tax (IHT). This is a significant shift from current rules where most DC pensions fall outside the estate. Defined benefit (DB) pensions remain unaffected.

Estates above the nil rate band will face a 40% IHT charge. It is believed that 10,500 estates will pay IHT for the first time and 38,500 estates will see higher bills, averaging £34,000 extra. However, this change will only see a move from 5% to 8% of all estates paying IHT.

Despite this, research shows widespread anxiety with 54% of adults fearing their families will face higher IHT and 22% now feeling less confident about their pensions. People are already reacting to the impending change, with savers withdrawing £3.9bn in lump sums in the year after the announcement - £868m more than the previous year. One in seven are spending more of their pension; nearly half plan to.

Other things to consider, if you feel your family will now receive an IHT bill, is to exchange your pension for an annuity (these are normally outside the scope of IHT) or use the gifting rules to reduce your estate's overall value.

Please get in touch to discuss your options if you feel this rule change is going to affect you.

02/06/2026

Part of our ethos at PPS is to support our local community as much as possible so we were thrilled to sponsor the Old Town Beer Festival last month. Our colleague Ellie and her partner Shaun also went along on the day to join in the festivities.

What do you do to support your community?