PG Owen Ltd

14/10/2026

Pay tax at 40%? There could be up to £8,500 of savings sitting in your own finances.

With the Budget approaching, here are six things to check before it arrives:

1. Pension lump sum. A £10,000 windfall paid into your pension could bring up to £5,000 in tax relief for a higher rate taxpayer.
2. Regular pension contributions. An extra £100 a month could save you £600 a year in tax relief.
3. Capital gains tax allowance. You can realise gains of up to £3,000 each tax year without paying tax, and “Bed and ISA” can help shelter your investments in future.
4. Cash ISA. The allowance is £20,000 this year, but drops to £12,000 for under 65s from April 2027.
5. Stocks and Shares ISA. Holding investments in an ISA can cut your dividend tax from the very first year.
6. Tax-free childcare. The government adds £2 for every £8 you pay in, up to £2,000 per child each year, as long as neither you nor your partner earns over £100,000.

How much you could save depends on what you’ve already used this tax year, and the rules could change at the Budget.

Not sure which steps suit you? Send us a message and we’ll help you work it out.

PG Owen Ltd | Chartered Accountants

12/10/2026

⏳ Did you miss the October 1st deadline? Check your mileage claims! 🚗💨

The HMRC transition grace period has officially ended. If you drive a company car and pay for your own fuel, you must use these active autumn rates or risk under-claiming (or creating an accidental tax bill).

Here is what you can claim per mile right now:

⛽ PETROL
• Up to 1400cc: 14p
• 1401cc to 2000cc: 17p
• Over 2000cc: 27p 🔺

🛢️ DIESEL
• Up to 1600cc: 15p
• 1601cc to 2000cc: 16p 🔻
• Over 2000cc: 22p 🔻

🔌 EV & HYBRID
• Electric (Home / Public): 7p / 15p
• Hybrids: Use petrol or diesel rates based on engine size.

💡 Bonus: Using your personal car for business? The tax-free mileage allowance is 55p per mile (up from 45p) for the first 10,000 miles!

Are your expense tracking systems updated? Drop a comment or message us if you need help tweaking your payroll parameters. 📥

05/10/2026

Thinking of buying or selling a property around the £2 million mark?

The new high value council tax surcharge starts next April, with annual charges ranging from £2,500 to £7,500 depending on the property's value.

There has already been a surge in buyers going for homes priced just under the £2 million line. And there are rumours the threshold could fall to £1.5 million, which would bring many more homeowners into scope.

Nothing is certain until the Budget, but if you own a higher value property or are planning a purchase, it's worth understanding how the charge could affect your costs, your plans and your wider tax position.

Not sure where you stand? Send us a message and we'll help you work it out.

PG Owen Ltd | Chartered Accountants

02/10/2026

PG VISION - 2 OCTOBER - https://mailchi.mp/pgtax/pg-vision-2-october-19887038

30/09/2026

Directors' loan accounts trip up more limited company directors than almost anything else we see. 👀

It's easy to move money between yourself and your company without realising there's a proper process, and a tax cost, attached to it.

Swipe through for what you need to know 👉

A few key things:
✔️ Borrow more than £10,000 and it can count as a benefit in kind
✔️ Loans not repaid within 9 months of your year end trigger an extra tax charge for the company
✔️ You can reclaim that tax once the loan's repaid, but it takes time

Every case is different, so if you're not sure where your director's loan account stands, send us a message. We'll take a look.

28/09/2026

Real-life client example: a couple came to us after realising they'd never declared income from overseas investments. 😬

It was an honest mistake, and it happens more often than you'd think.

The usual outcome with HMRC is a penalty of 10-20% on top of the tax and interest owed. We got it down to around 8%, saving them over £4,100 in penalties alone.

How? We put together a full summary of the missing income and worked out the tax and interest ourselves before approaching HMRC. We also argued that the income was joint, even though the account was only in one name. That made a real difference.

If you've got savings, investments or property abroad and you're not sure it's all been declared, talk to us before you contact HMRC. How the disclosure is prepared can change the outcome.

Every case is different and results depend on the facts.

Send us a message for a free initial consultation.

24/09/2026

Making Tax Digital is here 📲 Are you affected?

If you're a sole trader or landlord, here's what's changing (and what most people don't realise) 👇

1️⃣ It's already live. From April 2026, anyone earning £50k+ has to keep digital records and file quarterly, not just once a year

2️⃣ It's based on OLD income. Your 2024/25 tax return decides if you're in scope now, even if things have changed since

3️⃣ The threshold keeps dropping. £30k from 2027, then £20k from 2028. More of us will be caught every year

4️⃣ A "quarterly update" isn't a full tax return. It's a running summary from your software. You'll still do a Final Declaration at year-end

5️⃣ Once you're in, you're in for a while. At least 3 tax years, even if your income drops back down

Not sure if this affects you yet? Drop us a message. First consultation's on us 💬

23/09/2026

5 things to sort out before the Autumn Budget lands

The Chancellor delivers the Autumn Budget on 28 October, and while nothing is confirmed yet, there's already plenty of talk about changes to property, capital gains and inheritance tax reliefs. Here's what we'd suggest doing now, while this year's rules are still in place.

1. Use this year's ISA allowance
The £20,000 ISA allowance resets every tax year. If you haven't used yours yet, don't wait to see what the Budget brings.

2. Review any planned asset sales
Thinking about selling shares, a second property, or part of a business? If Capital Gains Tax rules are on the table for change, timing could matter more than usual this year.

3. Check your dividend position
Dividend tax rose to 10.75% from April. If you're a company director, it's worth reviewing how you're drawing income now rather than waiting until year end.

4. Get ahead of Making Tax Digital
The first MTD quarterly deadline has already passed. If you missed it, you still need to file before your Final Declaration, and more sole traders and landlords will be brought into MTD over the next couple of years.

5. Don't make big decisions on rumour alone
Nothing is confirmed until Budget Day. It's tempting to act early on speculation, but the safest move is to plan around what's actually announced, not what the papers predict.

We've been helping businesses and individuals across Bath, Warminster and Midsomer Norton navigate Budget changes for years, and this one is no different. If you'd like to talk through how any of this might affect you, get in touch with the team before 28 October.

18/09/2026

PG VISION - 18 SEPTEMBER - https://mailchi.mp/pgtax/pg-vision-4-september-19886746

17/09/2026

Business Expenses: What Can You Actually Claim?

"What can I actually claim?" is one of the questions we hear most often from sole traders doing their first tax return to directors years into running a company.

Our latest guide breaks down the main categories, including:

- Office costs, equipment and software
- Working from home (the rules are different for sole traders and limited companies)
- Mileage rates for cars, vans, motorbikes and bikes
- Staff costs and training
- Staff perks, gifts and entertaining — and what's off the table for tax
- The things people most commonly try to claim by mistake

Claim too little and you pay more tax than you need to. Claim too much and you risk an awkward conversation with HMRC. Getting it right matters.

Read the full guide 👉

A plain-English guide to which business expenses you can claim, from home working and mileage to staff perks, software and training.