Business

Updated Information on how small businesses and the self-employed can weather Covid 19 – March 18th, 2020

I want to try and keep the information as clear and as simple as I possibly can for everyone, so I won’t be writing out everything again, I will just be writing out the highlights.

1) Support for Businesses that pay little or no business rates:

The amount of the grant has been raised to £10,000 if your business is eligible for SBRR or Rural Rate Relief. You don’t need to apply for this and should be contacted by your local authority. The funding will be provided to local authorities in early April and the government will provide guidance to them shortly.

2) Support for businesses that pay business rates:

A business rate holiday is being introduced for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in England for the 2020/2021 tax year. The government has also said that for businesses with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000 a £25,000 grant will be provided to retail, hospitality and leisure businesses operating from smaller premises. The government will provide guidance to local authorities for the business rates holiday by March 20th, 2020.

3) Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan:

The amount a business can claim has been increased to up to £5 million in value. The first 6 months of the loan will be finance interest-free as the government will cover the first 6 months of interest payments.

4) Insurance:

If you have appropriate policies based on the government advising people to avoid your business, your insurance firm will payout. Your insurance would need to say that cover is provided for both pandemics and government-ordered closures. Please contact your insurance company to see if you are covered.

The information and policies are continually being updated by the government, so I urge you to keep on top of the information by visiting the relevant website for your area.

UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/covid-19-support-for-businesses
Scotland: https://www.gov.scot/coronavirus-covid-19/
Wales: https://gov.wales/business-and-employers-coronavirus
Northern Ireland: https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/

I will be trying to keep myself as informed as possible and will share relevant information on my fb business page: https://www.facebook.com/ihelmenterprises/

Information on how small businesses and the self-employed can weather Covid 19

Like many other small businesses in the UK, I am left wondering what to do and how will my business survive the storm that is Covid-19. I am a firm believer in helping businesses to grow, so I have put together a very quick overview of what help is available out there.

The information and policies are continually being updated by the government, so I urge you to keep on top of the information by visiting the relevant website for your area.

UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/covid-19-support-for-businesses
Scotland: https://www.gov.scot/coronavirus-covid-19/
Wales: https://gov.wales/business-and-employers-coronavirus
Northern Ireland: https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/

I will be trying to keep myself as informed as possible and will share relevant information on my fb business page: https://www.facebook.com/ihelmenterprises/

These are the current measurements that have been put in place to help businesses across the UK.

  1. Statutory Sick Pay Relief Package

    This has been set up to allow small- to medium-sized businesses and employers to be able to reclaim SSP paid for sickness absences due to Covid-19.

    There are certain criteria that the businesses must meet, however:
    – it will cover up to 2 weeks’ SSP per eligible employee off work due to Covid-19 (it cannot be claimed to cover any other SSP)
    – employers with fewer than 250 employees as of 28/02/2020 will be eligible
    – employers can reclaim expenditure for any employee who claimed SSP (according to the new criteria) due to Covid-19
    – employers need to keep records of staff absences and payments of SSP, but employees won’t need to provide a GP fit note
    – also covers those employees who aren’t ill but unable to work because they’ve been advised to self-isolate in line with guidance issued by the Government
    – the eligible period will commence the day after the regulations on extension of SSP to those staying at home comes into force
    – the mechanism for claiming this repayment hasn’t yet been set up but will be set up over the coming months

  2. Business rates discount in England increased to 100% for 2020 to 2021 tax year for properties below £51,000 rateable value. This relief has also been expanded to the leisure and hospitality sectors. All businesses receiving the retail discount in the 2019 to 2020 tax year will be rebilled by their local authority. However, any business eligible for newly expanded retail discount and/or the new pubs discount may need to apply to their local authority to receive the discount.

    Any enquiries on eligibility or provision of rate relief should be directed to your local authority. Guidance given to local authorities on the expanded retail discount will be published by the government by March 20th.

  3. Support for businesses who pay little or no business rates

    The government is providing an additional £2.2 billion funding for local authorities to support small businesses that already pay little or no business rates because of small business rate relief (SBBR) which will provide a one-off grant of £3,000 to businesses currently eligible to help meet ongoing costs.

    There hasn’t yet been any information on how to get this grant.

  4. Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme

    A temporary scheme delivered by British Business Bank will launch in a matter of weeks to support businesses to access bank lending and overdrafts. The Government will provide lenders with a guarantee of 80% on each loan (subject to a per-lender cap on claims) to give lenders further confidence in continuing to provide finance to SMEs. They will not charge businesses or banks for the guarantee – and will support loans of up to £1.2 million in value. The new guarantee will initially support up to £1 billion of lending on top of current support offered through British Busines Bank.

  5. Support for businesses paying tax

    All businesses and self-employed people with outstanding tax liabilities may be eligible to receive support with tax affairs. Arrangements are agreed on a case-by-case basis and are tailored to individual circumstances and liabilities. During the outbreak, the usual 3.5% annual interest of deferred tax payments will be waived.

    If due to Covid-19 you are concerned about paying your taxes, call HMRC’s dedicated helpline on 0800 0159 559. The helpline is open fro 8 am to 8 pm Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

  6. Self-employed

    For those who are self-employed and not eligible for SSP, contributory Employment and Support Allowance will be payable, at a rate of £73.10 per week if you are over 25. This is for those who are eligible and affected by coronavirus or self-isolating in line with advice, from day one of sickness rather than day 8. They have also made it easier to claim Universal Credit. These measures also apply to those who earn below the Lower Earnings Limit.

  7. Mortgage Holidays

    Some banks and mortgage lenders are allowing customers affected by Covid-19 to delay their mortgage payments. Contact your bank or mortgage lender to discuss whether you can delay payments for a month or two in order to help with the cashflow – just remember that you may end up having to pay additional interest and such.

I will do my best to ensure that this information is kept up to date regularly – though there may be a delay of up to 24 hours between what is announced by the Government and getting it onto the blog.

Update as of 17:54pm: I’ve just been catching the highlights in the latest information released during the daily briefing and the government has announced the following:
– government-backed and guaranteed loans of £330 bn to support companies
-£10,000 cash grants for smaller firms
– an extension of the business rate holiday announced in the Budget
-a three-month mortgage payment holiday for homeowners

As more information becomes clear and available, I will update the blog and the fb page.

How do I register as self-employed?

Self-employed

Now that you have decided that you are indeed running a business and you need to register as self-employed; the process is pretty straight-forward. It is important to know that you must register by 5th October of your second year of trading, but it is advised that you register a lot sooner, and preferably within 3 months of starting your business.

To register as self-employed go to https://www.gov.uk/set-up-sole-trader, click on the link within the article, “Register for Self Assessment”, and follow the steps. Once you have submitted the information, HMRC will post out your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) and login details for Government Gateway. After you receive this information, you need to log onto your Government Gateway Account and complete your registration.

You may also need to consider the following:
1) Registering for VAT if your turnover is above the VAT threshold which has been £85,000 since 01/04/2017.
2) Registering for the Construction Industry Scheme if you are working as a contractor or sub-contractor in the construction industry.
3) Registering as an employer if you will be employing staff.

Once you are registered you will need to keep track of all income and expenses for the business so that you are able to file your Self-Assessment Tax Return and pay Class 2 and Class 4 National Insurance Contributions.

To make it easier to keep your business records straight, it helps if you separate them from your personal records. One way to do this is by setting up a separate bank account and/or PayPal account. This will ensure that only business transactions are tracked and make it easier for you to complete your accounts.

The amount of tax you will pay will depend on the profit of the business – this is calculated by subtracting allowable business expenses from your income. You are then taxed on the taxable profit. The tax-free personal allowance for both the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 tax year is £12,500. After that, you will pay 20% tax up to £50,000, 40% tax on income over £50,000, and then 45% tax on income over £150,000.

Watch for my next blog post which will cover what you can claim as self-employed.

Is it a hobby or am I running a business?

You might spend your time baking cakes for people or making craft items – like decorations – and selling them, but how do you know if what you are doing is just a hobby or if it is a business?

There are several indicators that HMRC have outlined for you to look at and help you to decide if you need to register as self-employed. These are guidelines only and you are responsible for deciding if it is just a hobby or not but be aware that if HMRC thinks you are actually running a business; they will contact you and you may be fined.

One of the main indicators is whether you are buying/making goods with the intention of selling them for a profit. An example would be if you are making a cake and you sell that cake for more than it cost you to make it, that is selling with the intention of making a profit.

Another key indicator is the frequency that you are making and selling the items. Did you make the cake as a one-off or are you making several cakes each week and selling them? If it is the latter, then you are doing this on a regular basis.

What about what you are charging? Have you provided a fixed cost for the cake and the person buying it has agreed to pay that price? If so, then you have actually entered into a contract with that person. This would indicate that you are trading as a business.

Are you responsible for fixing errors with the item in your own time? If you are, then HMRC will see this as another indicator that you are running a business. As you have a contract in place to provide someone with a cake for a set price, that looks a particular way or uses specific colours, if the cake looks nothing like what was expected, the person can ask that you correct the imperfections asap.

Another indicator that you are running a business is whether you are able to hire people at your own expense to help you out or do the work for you or not. If someone has asked you to bake and decorate a cake for them and it needs to be done for a certain date, but you then agree to make a cake for someone else for the same date, you may decide to pay someone to help you to meet both deadlines instead of letting either person down.

If you are still unsure whether you are running a business or it is just a hobby, you can call and speak to HMRC to get further guidance.

Watch out for our next blog post on how to register as self-employed!

(Image by rawpixel from Pixabay)

My E-mails Have Stopped Working

If your e-mails have suddenly stopped working, please follow the chart below to help you to know what to do.  Ihelm Enterprises does not provide support for third party software, but we will try to help you as much as we possibly can.

To view the flowchart in a pdf format, please click here.

AutoEntry and Receipt Bank

As a small business owner, you know how precious your time is and it is often in short supply as you try to keep on top of sales, paying invoices, networking, advertising – and all the other aspects of running your business.

Finding ways to help make your processes more streamlined and efficient can play a big part in ensuring you can run your business smoothly and with as little stress as possible.

Maybe you’ve heard AutoEntry and Receipt Bank mentioned on a business forum you belong to, or your bookkeeper or accountant have suggested using them.

In this blog I am going to explain what they are and how they can help you.

What are AutoEntry and Receipt Bank?

AutoEntry and Receipt Bank are two pieces of software that can help automate the task of entering purchase invoices and receipts data into your accounting software.

They can make the whole process of entering invoices and receipts into your accounting software more streamlined and efficient.

How can they help make it easier to run your business?

There are many benefits to using this type of software:

  • frees up your time to focus on other tasks
  • your data is stored securely in the cloud so you don’t need to store paper copies
  • less chance of you losing those small receipts as you can take photos of them while you are out and about
  • helps you to meet the Making Tax Digital requirements by attaching images of the invoices to each transaction
  • verifies the accuracy of the data.

Will AutoEntry and Receipt Bank work with my current accounting software?

You can use AutoEntry and Receipt Bank with a number of different online accounts packages including QuickBooks, Xero, Sage, Kashflow and Free Agent.

You can find a complete list of packages on their websites: AutoEntry and Receipt Bank.

How much does AutoEntry and Receipt Bank cost?

When it comes to pricing – each software works in a different way.

AutoEntry:

Uses a credit system where you pay for a set number of credits per month (any credits you don’t use are rolled over for a 3-month period).

The number of credits used for each upload depends on the features used (ie 1 credit for invoices/bills/receipts, 2 credits for line items extracted, 3 credits for bank and credit card statements – per page).

If you run out of credits you can use up to twice the number of credits for your current subscription – you are then charged at the same rate and added onto the next month’s bundle.

You can have as many users as you need at no further cost.

A free trial period is available.

Costs start from as little as £9/month for 50 credits.

Receipt Bank:

You are allowed to submit the number of items per month as your plan allows.

There is a fair usage policy where you are given a bank of the number of items for a 3-month period – if you need to submit more items one month, you aren’t charged extra as long as you don’t go over the total items allowed in that period. (For example, if you are on the plan where you get 50 items/month, you would get a bank of 150 items/3-months – if one month you submit 75 items, month 2 you submit 25, and month 3 you submit 40 – as long as you don’t go over 150 items in total you won’t pay any extra).

You are prompted to update your subscription level based on how you regularly use the system (ie if you regularly submit more items than allowed).

Single User plans (suitable for a sole trader) starts from £9.99/month for 50 items/month.

Multi-User plans start from £20/month for 50 items/month – you can have as many profiles on the multi-user plans as needed.

A free trial is available.

For work at home busineses, I recommend AutoEntry.

I use AutoEntry with several of my bookkeeping clients in conjunction with QuickBooks Online.

I have used it for uploading and entering supplier invoices into the accounts, and it made the process of entering the data into the accounts much easier and efficient.

The clients can have the app on their phones, and they can easily snap photos of parking receipts, train tickets, or refreshment receipts while they are out and about meaning they don’t lose the paperwork and it’s all uploaded to the accounting software.

By having clients send supplier invoices straight to the dedicated e-mail address provided, we’ve cut out a step in the process and made it far more streamlined.

If you would like to talk to me about how I can help make your bookkeeping processes more streamlined, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Making Tax Digital (MTD)

What is Making Tax Digital and how will it affect me?

Making Tax Digital – better known as MTD – is the Government’s plan to make it easier for individuals and businesses to know what tax they have to pay before the end of the tax year.

Eventually, all businesses regardless of size and industry will be required to submit monthly figures to HMRC.

This will need to be done on Making Tax Digital (MTD) compatible software. So, anyone still using cashbooks, Excel or desktop accounting software such as older versions of SAGE 50, will need to move onto compatible cloud-based accounting software.

How will Making Tax Digital (MTD) work?

Everyone will have their own digital tax account that they can log into and check to ensure all the information HMRC hold on them is up to date and correct. HMRC will then use this information to ensure that each person is receiving all the services they should be. The theory is that by the end of 2020, customers will be able to see all their tax liabilities and benefits in one place.

How will Making Tax Digital affect my bookkeeping?

All businesses will have to use a software that is compatible with HMRC’s MTD software to keep their accounts – like QuickBooks Online for example. The software will send the necessary information to HMRC using an API key. All transactions in a business will have to be recorded digitally as paper records will no longer be accepted as meeting the legal requirements.

When will I need to be ready for Making Tax Digital?

At this point in time, only VAT registered businesses with a turnover above the VAT threshold of £85,000 will need to be compliant as of April 2019 and they only need to file their VAT returns. Eventually, all businesses within the UK will be required to file all information – including self-assessments and corporation tax returns – with HMRC using MTD compliant software.

When will Making Tax Digital start?

making tax digital timeline

What should I do now?

As further information is released by HMRC we will update our clients so that they are able to be compliant in time.

Currently bookkeeping clients of Ihelm Enterprises are one step ahead as we only use QuickBooks Online to maintain accounts and the software is MTD compliant.

If you would like to discuss how we can help you with your accounts and become MTD compliant please contact us on info@ihelm-enterprises.co.uk or use the contact form.

QuickBooks Advanced Certification

QBO Advanced ProAdvisor

After I gained my ProAdvisor certification with QuickBooks Online, I wanted to do the advanced certification, but it was only offered in a classroom-based setting which unfortunately wasn’t suitable for me due to my mobility issues. There was talk of them eventually doing the training over distance learning so I was eagerly awaiting that day.

It happened by chance that I saw a post from someone on a Facebook group I use, saying that two of the QBO trainers were going to be offering the Advanced Certification through a series of webinars. I signed up to do the courses straight away and counted down the days before they would start.

The training was offered over 4 2-hour long webinars and each session had a booklet that you would need to work through. You had to complete each workbook before moving onto the next session. Before starting the webinars there was a pre-workbook to complete which was basically just getting the training company file created on the online portal. Each session covered several topics that went further than the basic training.

Session 1 covered setting up a company, the best order for importing data, importing customers and suppliers and how to deal with special accounts when setting a company up. I’ve already set up a few client accounts on QBO, but I did find this more in-depth look at the process to go through very useful and will be ensuring I follow this process for any future accounts I set up.

Session 2 covered complex banking transactions like ones you would need to deal with if you had a retail client (so till receipts for example), job costings and using sub-customers, timesheets, foreign transactions, PayPal, banking rules, and many other topics. It was quite a coincidence that just as I was learning about how to deal with retail clients that I actually signed up my first retail client! I’ve already put the template in place for dealing with Till Receipts as per the instructions from the course, and have found it extremely useful.

Session 3 focused on special VAT set-ups – so how do to do corrections, the different rates, EC sales lists, partial exemption and the Flat Rate Scheme. It also looked at period end and the various things you need to look at when closing off a set of accounts, and special company setups like charities and legal practices. The VAT section was really good and I know I will be using a lot of the tips from this for my VAT registered clients. The section on the Period End showed me a lot of tools on QBO that I didn’t know about – things like how to merge debtors/creditors/nominal accounts and how to reclassify transactions. The reclassifying tip is one I will most definitely be using with clients when we discover incorrectly coded transactions.

Session 4 was all about reports – budgets, how to customise reports, and management reporting. I am hoping I will be able to help my clients to use all of the features of QBO to their fullest. There are a lot of great reports in the software that can give you a very in-depth look at the financial position of your business and I look forward to helping my clients discover them.

At the end of the final session we were provided with information on how to access the exam. Before I requested access, I rewatched the webinars to make sure I did not miss anything. The exam was broken down into 7 sections and you were allowed to use your notes to help you. There were a couple of questions I wasn’t 100% sure on, but at the end of the 2 hours I was rewarded with a very good mark and am now an Advanced Certified ProAdvisor.

I am looking forward to putting everything I’ve learned into place so that I can help my bookkeeping clients to grow their business. I am always on the lookout for further training that I feel will be beneficial to my clients.

If you would like to contact me to discuss how I can help you with your accounts, send me an email to info@ihelm-enterprises.co.uk.

The Awards Ceremony

We needed to attend the awards ceremony which was a black-tie event held in Birmingham at the MacDonald House Hotel. I had never attended a black-tie event before so of course I started to panic about what to wear, what would it be like, would I feel out of place.

I had a dress worn to a number of events previously and I had jewellery to bling and a lovely pair of shoes, so at least I was sorted on that end. Michael even got himself some spiffy new clothes. The day before, I had my nails done by Sarah from Glamourize, and I was going to have my hair and makeup done at the hotel. I don’t think we turned out too bad!

I was really nervous about going as I didn’t really know anyone apart from talking to them on the FB Group. I was worried I wouldn’t fit in or have anyone to talk. I was so wrong! Charlotte (The Bournemouth Wrap Girl) was the first person to speak to me – she recognised me from the group and she was so lovely and friendly – it really put me at ease. The girls who did my hair (Deborah from House of Hair) and makeup (Alexandra from A.B Beauty) were absolutely fab and helped me to gain even more confidence.

There was a drinks receiption to start the evening, which was quite daunting. I tried to remain as inconspicuous as possible which is no mean feat when in a wheelchair. We went to the seating plan and discovered the theme for the night was “Superheroes”. I was pleased to see that Charlotte was sitting at the same table.

On entering the function room – all I can say is wow! The decorations, the atmosphere – it was all so amazing. There were gift bags at each table and a special sweet treat from Belles Cakery – omg the brownies were absolutely delicious!! The host for the night – Dave – kicked things off and really put everyone at ease and in the mood for fun and celebration.

Throughout the night the awards were given out between courses and everyone was encouraged to get to know each other. A young woman named Carris spoke to us about brain tumours and how the charity, The Brain Tumour Charity, doesn’t get any government funding and she hoped we would help the charity out. It was a moving talk – you could have heard a pin drop in the room.

As the time got closer to the “Against All Odds” category, I could feel butterflies in my stomach and I was really anxious. I didn’t win – the judges found it really hard to choose as all of us in the category had overcome so much – but it doesn’t matter to me because I am a finalist. It was the first business awards I had ever entered and I’m so proud of what I achieved.

The night ended with a raffle and dancing. Michael and I both won a raffle prize. We didn’t stay for the dancing as I needed to take my medication and get some sleep.

I’ve come away from the awards with some new friends and even more determination. I know my business can work – there are tons of businesses out there of all sizes that need a bookkeeper – I just need to find a way to reach out to them. There are plans for Ihelm Enterprises and I am going to work hard to put them in place. There are also other business awards out there, just waiting for people to enter them – and now I have more confidence in myself and in what I do – I will be submitting more applications.

I’m a finalist?

Finalist in the Networking Mummies UK Ltd Business Awards 2018

It’s been an interesting couple of months for me.

In March, on a whim, I decided at the last minute to enter the Networking Mummies Business Recognition Awards 2018 – I think there were about 10 minutes left before the deadline. I didn’t enter a specific category – I just filled out the nomination form with as much detail as possible. I hit “Submit” and didn’t tell anyone what I had done. I didn’t really see the point as I doubted that anything would come of it.

March 13th arrived and when I opened my e-mails I had the shock of my life – an e-mail with the subject heading “Congratulations You Are A Finalist” – jumped straight out at me, and I was shaking as I read the contents which told me I was a finalist in the “Against All Odds” category!! In the 14 years I have been in business, these were the first awards I had entered, and I was a finalist – I couldn’t believe it and I’m sure I was in shock! I remember trying to get a hold of my husband, Michael, and when he didn’t answer for the 3rd time, I messaged a good friend, Shirley, to tell her – I needed to tell someone.

Eventually, I got a hold of Michael and I know as I told him what I had done and what the e-mail said, I was shaking like a leaf and my mind was whirling. He managed to get me to focus and told me I needed to first of all sort childcare out, sort tickets, hotel etc. Thankfully a friend was able to have our daughter on the big night and from there everything just fell into place.

As a finalist, I was provided with a press release template to send out to local newspapers/radio stations etc. I spent a lot of time writing and re-writing the press release and getting help from people on the FB business groups I belong to. It was finally completed and just after Easter, I sent it out to a number of local papers and to my bookkeeping association. I had a response from the group who deals with the Lancashire Post and my bookkeeping association. There were many e-mails back and forth which resulted in a full-page spread telling my story in the Lancashire Post!!! My bookkeeping association also did an article on me – they included me in their May newsletter in their Member Profile Section. However, while I was being interviewed for the Member Profile, I was asked if I would also allow them to feature me in their Top 100 Influential Women in Bookkeeping. I admit that I ended up crying on the phone.

I don’t consider myself to be doing anything special, I am just doing what I must. Life dealt me a hand that I wasn’t expecting or prepared for and I had two choices – play it the best I could or fold and give up. Well those who know me will know that I am not a quitter so there was no way I was giving up my dreams. I have found ways to continue to run my business and to be part of my family, and I have no plans to give up anytime soon. If my story can help others see that no matter what life throws at you, you can still achieve your dreams, I will be happy.

Are you a UK Business Owner and use QuickBooks Online Simple Start, Essentials or Plus?  Are you unsure of how to use the software correctly?

If so, why not take a look at the 5-Day Online Video Training Course I have created to help UK Business Owners learn how to use the basic features of QuickBooks Online?

Over the course of 5-days, you will be guided through how to set up your products and services, how to set up for VAT, how to invoice customers and receive payments, how to track purchases and expenses, how to properly use the bank feed, and how to access some of the most common reports that every business needs.  You will have access to this course for life, so you can work at your own pace and keep going back to it!

For a one-off fee of £79.00, you will receive full access to the course and can continue to return back to it anytime you need to!

Visit: https://courses.ihelm-enterprises.co.uk/courses/the-basics-of-quickbooks-online-a-5-day-training-course/ to read more about the course and buy it today!


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