Industry News & Updates

Cybercriminals have targeted HMRC in a complex fraud scheme, using stolen personal data to create or hijack PAYE tax accounts in an attempt to claim fraudulent repayments. Despite the scale of the attack, HMRC has confirmed that no individual taxpayers have lost money—only HMRC itself has suffered financial losses.

From autumn 2025, all company directors and people with significant control (PSCs) will be legally required to verify their identity with Companies House. This is part of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, aimed at preventing the misuse of UK companies for illegal activities.

As we move into the second half of 2025, the UK economy is showing signs of strain, with mixed signals that small business owners should watch closely. Here's a breakdown of the key trends and what they could mean for your business.

From next year, Buy-Now, Pay-Later (BNPL) firms will need to work within a stricter regulatory framework. Following last year’s consultation, the government has now laid legislation before Parliament to bring BNPL under formal regulation, aiming to end what’s been called the “wild west” of unregulated borrowing.

UK inflation rose to 3.5% in April, according to official figures, up from 2.6% in March and higher than many economists had expected. This is the highest annual rate in more than a year and comes at a time when both households and businesses are facing a mix of rising costs.

The UK government has agreed a new trade deal with the European Union, aimed at making it easier to do business across the Channel. This follows recent agreements with the US and India and is being presented as part of a wider effort to support jobs and help businesses grow.

Just as the Bank was cutting rates, the UK government struck a limited tariff deal with the United States. This isn’t a full trade deal (despite some headlines), but it does make it easier to sell certain goods to the US - like cars, steel and aluminium.

If you’re a parent of a 16 to 19-year-old who’s staying in full-time education or training, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is reminding families to extend their Child Benefit claim by 31 August to avoid the payments stopping altogether.

HMRC have reported that a record number of people- nearly 300,000 - have already filed their 2024–25 tax return, just weeks into the new tax year. While the deadline isn’t until 31 January 2026, it’s worth thinking about it sooner rather than later.

In the last couple of weeks, the Bank of England cut interest rates from 4.5% to 4.25%, and a new ‘trade deal’ was announced between the UK and the US. Let’s see what these news items can tell us about the latest developments in the economy.

With many families finding out where their child will be starting school this September, now is a good time for working parents to start planning childcare. The government’s Tax-Free Childcare scheme can save them up to £2,000 a year per child – and this could be good news for employers as well as employees.

The government has published its Impact Assessment on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which indicates benefits to the economy of potentially up to £7.5 billion over the next decade.

From 1 July 2025, UK businesses involved in cross-border disputes will benefit from a major change in how their legal judgments are recognised overseas, thanks to new international rules being introduced under the 2019 Hague Convention.

The UK government has published draft legislation that would bring cryptoasset services such as exchanges, brokers and custody providers within the scope of financial regulation for the first time. The announcement was made by the Chancellor during a major summit in London as part of UK Fintech Week.

The recent wave of cyber attacks on UK retailers, including Marks & Spencer, Co-op and Harrods, is a reminder that no organisation is too big - or too prepared - to be targeted. But while the headlines may focus on the big names, there are important lessons here for businesses of all sizes.

From April 2026, banks and payment service providers will face stricter rules around how and when they can close customer accounts, under new legislation aimed at improving transparency and giving people and small businesses more time to respond to account closures.

The government has announced plans to address the growing issue of small, forgotten pension pots - a problem affecting millions of workers who change jobs frequently and accumulate multiple small pensions over time.

James Murray, the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, made a Written Ministerial Statement last week that included a number of tax simplification, administration and reform measures. In total, 39 measures were announced.

According to new research, small and local businesses across the UK are increasingly embracing artificial intelligence (AI) tools to improve efficiency and streamline everyday operations.

For most businesses today, digital technology is fundamental to operations. With that comes the growing reality that cyber security is no longer just an IT issue - it’s a business owner and board-level responsibility.

If you're a sole trader or landlord with annual income over £50,000, a major change is coming your way. From 6 April 2026, you may be required to keep digital business records and submit quarterly updates to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) under Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax.

Amidst all the news about increased tariffs in the US, the UK government has announced a cut to zero in import tariffs on a range of 89 foreign products.

The Insolvency Service has published its latest enforcement outcomes report for 2024-25, and it carries an important message for business owners. More than 1,000 company directors were disqualified over the year, with the majority of cases linked to abuse of Covid support loans.

In a small bit of good news, March’s inflation figures have been released showing a drop to 2.6% from 2.8% in February. The main reason? Lower petrol prices, which has offered some relief for households and businesses alike.

During April, the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Working Minds campaign is inviting employers to follow five simple steps that can help to prevent and reduce workplace stress.

In response to security concerns, HMRC has ceased processing Self Assessment (SA) repayment requests through telephone and webchat services, including the Agent Dedicated Line (ADL).

The UK Government is currently considering its response to the ‘reciprocal tariffs’ announced by the US President Donald Trump on 2 April.

From 7 April 2025, families receiving Child Benefit will see an increase in their payments. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has announced that the weekly rate will rise to £26.05 for the eldest or only child and £17.25 for each additional child. This means an annual payment of £1,354.60 for the first child and £897 for each subsequent child. These payments, usually made every four weeks, are automatically into claimants’ bank accounts.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, delivered her Spring Statement last week in which she outlined the government’s economic plans, including spending decisions, tax policies and efforts to boost growth while managing public finances.

Goldman Sachs published their “The Growth Agenda” report last week. This is a report that puts forwards the ideas of small business owners that could help to boost the UK economy.

As part of the changes being gradually introduced by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCT), identity verification is set to become a Companies House requirement.

The new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates will come into force from 1 April 2025.

The Bank of England held its regular meeting to discuss interest rates last Thursday.

The government has just announced that thousands of government credit cards will be cancelled as part of a crackdown on wasteful spending. With spending on these cards reportedly increasing fourfold in the last four years, it’s a reminder that keeping an eye on expenses is crucial.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill was introduced to Parliament last week. The legislation is being heralded as bringing transformative reforms to the UK building sector that will boost homebuilding and remove obstacles to needed infrastructure.

Last week, the tax minister responsible for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), James Murray, delivered a speech marking the 20th anniversary of HMRC. Previously, the UK’s tax authority was known as Inland Revenue.

News reported last week said that the Chancellor has put together draft plans for spending cuts to welfare and other government departments.

A letter from the government’s Non-Domestic Rates Team to councils has confirmed the Business Rates Relief measures for 2025/26 announced at the 2024 Autumn Budget. Here’s a summary...

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) have published an insight piece based on a study carried out by technology market analyst, IDC.

Latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that average wages are continuing to grow faster than inflation. After adjusting for consumer price inflation (CPI), wages rose 3.4% between October and December 2024 when compared with the same period in 2023.

Inflation figures for January 2025 were released last week and showed a surprising jump to 3.0%, up from 2.5% in December.

The government announced major plans earlier this month to modernise the house buying and selling process.

Following the reduction in the Bank of England base rate, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) have confirmed that their interest rates will be reduced accordingly.

The Bank of England reduced their base rate to 4.5% last week, as had been widely expected in the days leading up to the decision.

Conventional approaches to work and earning an income are changing and with the cost of living ever rising, many now use various ways to make some extra cash outside of their main job. If that’s true of you then you may wonder whether you need to pay tax on those earnings.

Legislation was laid before Parliament earlier this month confirming that the new National Living Wage and new Minimum Wage rates will take effect from 1st April 2025.

When it comes to disposing of computer equipment, how do you make sure that any storage media – hard drives, SSDs, flash drives and so forth – can’t be read by unauthorised users or have the data recovered?