Posts on startup tax, funding and finance, from R&D relief and SEIS to hiring and investor updates.
A knowledge-intensive company can raise £40m under EIS over 10 years, against £24m over 7 years standard. The operating costs, skilled employee and innovation tests, and a worked example.
A company making its first R&D claim, or its first in three years, must notify HMRC within six months of the end of its period of account. Otherwise the claim is invalid. Who needs to notify, what the form asks for, and a worked example.
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Every director and person with significant control must now verify their identity with Companies House. At the end of June 2026, just over half of all appointments had not been verified. What founders, co-founders and SEIS investors each have to do, and when.
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Companies controlled by the same person share the £50,000 and £250,000 corporation tax limits between them. A worked example shows three companies with £171,000 of combined profit paying £5,135 more than the founder forecast.
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Reverse vesting makes founder shares restricted securities, and the section 431 election that deals with the tax must be signed within 14 days. A worked example shows £463,788 more tax on a £1.2 million sale where no election was signed.
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How place of supply and the reverse charge work for a UK startup selling software abroad, and why EU VAT is due from the first sale to an EU consumer. The non-Union One Stop Shop, the evidence rules and a worked example on £4,800 of EU consumer sales.
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Why a convertible loan note does not qualify for SEIS or EIS relief, and the conditions HMRC sets for an advance subscription agreement. A worked example shows what the difference is worth to an angel investor on a £150,000 bridging round.
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The Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) limits rose on 6 April 2026 to £6m of options, £120m of gross assets and fewer than 500 employees. Options can now run for 15 years. What this means for a UK startup, with a worked tax comparison against unapproved options and the two deadlines that lose the relief if missed.
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The 2026/27 figures UK startups should build into a forecast: the £12.71 National Living Wage, 15% employer National Insurance above £5,000, the £10,500 Employment Allowance, the new business rates multipliers, and tax bills paid in lump sums.
Read the postHow to tell whether your startup's work qualifies for UK R&D tax relief, what a claim is worth in pounds under each of the two routes, the cap linked to your PAYE bill, and the two deadlines for claiming.
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SEIS and EIS for founders: what the tax reliefs are worth to your investors, the EIS limits that doubled on 6 April 2026, advance assurance, the order of the paperwork, and the mistakes that cost investors their relief.
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How to set FreeAgent up as a live founder's dashboard: the five numbers to read weekly, a worked runway calculation, a worked corporation tax calculation with marginal relief, and what it costs.
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What to put in a founder's monthly investor update, and how to calculate net burn and runway from underlying figures. A one-off receipt such as an R&D tax credit can make runway look twice as long as it is.
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Everything a UK startup must do before its first employee's payday: PAYE registration, right-to-work checks, auto-enrolment, employers' liability insurance, and the full cost of a hire at 2026/27 rates.
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UK startups can deduct day-to-day costs from up to 7 years before trading began and reclaim VAT on goods bought up to 4 years before VAT registration. What counts, what is capital, and how equipment you already owned is treated.
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Why we recommend Mettle by NatWest to many founders: no monthly fee, FreeAgent included with the account, and FSCS protection up to £120,000. Also who can open one, and how much of a funding round deposit protection covers.
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Funding options for UK startups other than a bank loan: grants, Start Up Loans, crowdfunding, revenue-based finance, asset finance and angel investment, with what each one costs.
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How to work out what a customer costs to win and how long it takes to earn that back, the after-tax cost of marketing, three tax rules that affect marketing costs, and seven low-cost marketing routes.
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What customer concentration risk is, why investors, lenders and buyers check how much of your revenue comes from your largest customers, and how to reduce the risk.
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What goes in a startup business plan for investors and lenders, and the four numbers a funder checks first. How to cost a hire with employer's National Insurance and pension, and the mistakes that lead funders to turn a plan down.
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