Product updates, UK company law explainers, and practical tips for keeping your records clean.https://www.foundersledger.co.uk/en-gbhttps://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/directors-national-insurance-annual-earnings-period-2026-27/https://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/directors-national-insurance-annual-earnings-period-2026-27/Directors don't pay National Insurance the same way regular employees do. The default annual earnings period method can turn a one-off bonus or an irregular salary into a much bigger NI bill than you expected. Here's how it actually works, with 2026/27 figures.Fri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:30 GMThttps://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/dormant-company-accounts-what-uk-directors-still-have-to-file/https://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/dormant-company-accounts-what-uk-directors-still-have-to-file/Not trading doesn't mean not filing. If your limited company is sitting dormant while you plan your next move, Companies House and HMRC still expect specific paperwork on specific dates. Here's what's actually required, and what it costs if you miss it.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 09:55:07 GMThttps://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/emi-share-options-2026-27-rule-changes/https://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/emi-share-options-2026-27-rule-changes/The EMI scheme just got significantly more generous: the gross assets limit tripled to £120 million and the 92-day notification deadline is gone. How EMI options work for a growing UK company, what changed from 6 April 2026, and the records that keep a claim safe.Fri, 09 Oct 2026 15:12:07 GMThttps://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/hiring-first-employee-payroll-employment-allowance-auto-enrolment-2026-27/https://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/hiring-first-employee-payroll-employment-allowance-auto-enrolment-2026-27/Taking on your first employee means registering for PAYE, running minimum wage checks and auto-enrolling them into a pension within weeks. Here's what has to happen, and the rule that stops most single-director companies claiming the £10,500 Employment Allowance.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 10:10:22 GMThttps://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/illegal-dividends-distributable-profits-uk-directors/https://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/illegal-dividends-distributable-profits-uk-directors/Paying a dividend when there isn't enough distributable profit isn't a paperwork slip, it's unlawful, and HMRC will usually just reclassify it as a director's loan. Here's what distributable profit actually means and how to fix it if you've got it wrong.Mon, 05 Oct 2026 11:54:52 GMThttps://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/electric-company-cars-2026-27-tax/https://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/electric-company-cars-2026-27-tax/Company car tax on electric vehicles is climbing, and EVs lost their road tax exemption in April 2025. Here's what a director actually pays in 2026/27 to run an electric car through the company, and why it's still one of the cheapest ways to take a benefit out of the business.Wed, 30 Sep 2026 13:19:07 GMThttps://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/rd-tax-relief-merged-scheme-small-companies-2026-27/https://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/rd-tax-relief-merged-scheme-small-companies-2026-27/If your company spends money solving technical problems, you may qualify for R&D tax relief without realising it. Here's how the merged RDEC scheme and the enhanced support for R&D-intensive loss-makers actually work in 2026/27, and what counts as qualifying spend.Tue, 29 Sep 2026 18:05:37 GMThttps://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/capital-allowances-aia-full-expensing-wda-2026/https://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/capital-allowances-aia-full-expensing-wda-2026/A plain-English guide to how UK limited companies get tax relief on equipment and vehicles — the £1m Annual Investment Allowance, 100% full expensing, and the writing down allowance rate that just got cut from 18% to 14%.Mon, 21 Sep 2026 10:11:44 GMThttps://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/ir35-2026-27-small-company-threshold-changes/https://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/ir35-2026-27-small-company-threshold-changes/From 6 April 2026, roughly 14,000 UK companies reclassify as "small" under new Companies Act thresholds — which means some contractors get IR35 status determination handed back to them. Here's what changed and what to check.Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:28:53 GMThttps://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/company-pension-contributions-tax-efficient-directors-2026-27/https://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/company-pension-contributions-tax-efficient-directors-2026-27/Salary and dividends aren't the only way to extract value from your limited company. Employer pension contributions avoid corporation tax, income tax and National Insurance entirely — here's how the numbers actually work for 2026/27.Mon, 14 Sep 2026 10:28:50 GMThttps://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/self-assessment-for-company-directors-do-you-actually-need-to-file-one/https://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/self-assessment-for-company-directors-do-you-actually-need-to-file-one/Being a limited company director doesn't automatically mean you owe HMRC a Self Assessment return, but taking dividends usually does. Here's who actually needs to register, the 2025/26 deadlines, and why payments on account catch so many first-time filers off guard.Fri, 11 Sep 2026 11:36:31 GMThttps://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/statutory-registers-in-2026-what-companies-house-scrapped-and-what-you-still-have-to-keep/https://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/statutory-registers-in-2026-what-companies-house-scrapped-and-what-you-still-have-to-keep/Since 18 November 2025, UK companies no longer have to keep their own registers of directors, secretaries or PSCs. One register is still yours to maintain, and there's a specific trap waiting for anyone who used to keep it centrally at Companies House.Wed, 09 Sep 2026 09:19:01 GMThttps://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/allowable-expenses-for-uk-limited-company-directors-what-you-can-and-can-t-claim/https://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/allowable-expenses-for-uk-limited-company-directors-what-you-can-and-can-t-claim/A plain-English guide to what UK limited company directors can and can't claim as business expenses, covering the new 55p mileage rate from April 2026, home-office costs, the Annual Investment Allowance, and the very different tax treatment of staff versus client entertaining.Mon, 07 Sep 2026 15:16:46 GMThttps://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/confirmation-statement-2026-changes-fee-increase/https://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/confirmation-statement-2026-changes-fee-increase/The confirmation statement fee jumped from £34 to £50 in February 2026, and the filing itself now asks new questions it didn't two years ago: a registered email address, a lawful purpose statement, and director identity checks. Here's what's actually changed and what to check before you file.Mon, 07 Sep 2026 15:16:34 GMThttps://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/companies-house-accounts-deadlines-late-filing-penalties/https://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/companies-house-accounts-deadlines-late-filing-penalties/Corporation tax and Companies House accounts run on completely different clocks, and mixing them up is the single most common way small companies end up with a late filing penalty. Here's how the 9-month deadline actually works, why your first year is different, and what it costs to get it wrong.Wed, 02 Sep 2026 11:47:17 GMThttps://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/trivial-benefits-exemption-uk-directors/https://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/trivial-benefits-exemption-uk-directors/HMRC's trivial benefits exemption lets directors of most small companies take up to £300 a year in small perks with no tax, no National Insurance, and no reporting. The £50 per-benefit rule has a hard cliff-edge that catches people out, and here's how it actually works.Thu, 27 Aug 2026 08:42:55 GMThttps://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/vat-registration-uk-limited-companies-threshold/https://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/vat-registration-uk-limited-companies-threshold/The VAT registration threshold is £90,000, but the rule that actually catches directors out isn't the threshold; it's the 30-day forward-looking test. Here's how VAT registration works, when it's compulsory, and when registering voluntarily can pay off.Tue, 25 Aug 2026 08:46:43 GMThttps://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/psc-register-changes-identity-verification-uk-directors/https://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/psc-register-changes-identity-verification-uk-directors/Companies House now runs the PSC register centrally, and identity verification is mandatory. Here's what changed, who it affects, and the 14-day deadlines you can't miss.Thu, 20 Aug 2026 08:17:46 GMThttps://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/corporation-tax-small-companies-plain-english-guide/https://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/corporation-tax-small-companies-plain-english-guide/19%, 25%, and a marginal relief zone that trips up almost everyone in between. Here's how UK corporation tax actually works for a small limited company, and when your payment is due.Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:28:25 GMThttps://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/salary-vs-dividends-how-to-pay-yourself-2026-27/https://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/salary-vs-dividends-how-to-pay-yourself-2026-27/With the dividend allowance down to £500 and dividend tax rates up again this year, the salary-vs-dividends maths has shifted. Here's a plain-English walkthrough for UK company directors.Thu, 13 Aug 2026 08:25:51 GMThttps://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/directors-loan-account-7-mistakes/https://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/directors-loan-account-7-mistakes/Running your own limited company gives you incredible freedom. You set the vision, close the deals, and build something entirely your own. But somewhere between paying suppliers and filing annual accounts, administrative chores tend to pile up. Tue, 11 Aug 2026 11:17:08 GMThttps://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/hello-from-foundersledger/https://www.foundersledger.co.uk/blog/hello-from-foundersledger/Why we built FoundersLedger — record keeping that speaks the language of UK company directors, not just debits and credits.Tue, 11 Aug 2026 11:14:42 GMT