Latest Guides

Latest Contractor Guides

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Limited company director calculating pension contributions with growing stacks of coins
Summary

‘Going direct’ by paying company profit into a pension can leave a limited company £2,430 better off because it comes ‘off the top.’ Dolan Accountancy's Lauren Sears runs the numbers on one of the most efficient ways to extract funds from a limited company in 2026/27 — that not even tax-efficient salary and otherwise tax-smart dividends can compete with.

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4th September, 2026 | Limited Companies

Author
Lauren Sears
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Businessman reviewing bills and receipts to check business expenses
Summary

A Speedo. Lingerie. A camel ride?! Somewhere in an accountant's filing system is proof that contractors will try to expense almost anything, and the stories are funnier than the tax code has any right to produce

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3rd September, 2026 | Limited Companies

Author
Lottie Hutchins
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Businessman reviewing employment documents during a Right to Work check
Summary

How the UK contractor sector is set to be shaken up by RTW expanding to alternative work arrangements, including checks every time you jump umbrella, agency checks not cutting it, and scrutiny on limited company substitution clauses. With penalties set at £60,000 per worker, all that’s understandable, perhaps.

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2nd September, 2026 | Umbrella Companies

Author
Ashley Olliver
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Fractional CTO meeting with a business leadership team
Summary

With full-time CTO packages in London now surging to £310,000, a growing number of SMEs are asking if they need a permanent tech leader at all. It’s a question that a special breed of senior IT contractor will want to help them answer.

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11th August, 2026 | Successful Contracting

Author
Jonathan Buckley
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Recruitment consultant reviewing employment documents during a contractor engagement meeting.
Summary

Is a conventional umbrella company still the only way to get paid inside IR35? Far from it — as healthcare, education, logistics, driving and construction contractors will tell you, with many of their payslips changing shape.

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6th August, 2026 | Umbrella Companies

Author
Ashley Olliver
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Hourglass on official documents representing the extension of HMRC managed service company standstill agreements to 72 months.
Summary

The taxman moved fast after Boox tribunal judges retired to consider their verdict — asking contractors to sign up to six more years of standstill in what some have branded an 'extortion threat.' Markel Tax explains why the term has doubled, and what’s worth reviewing before you sign.

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31st July, 2026 | MSC Main

Author
David Harmer
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Businessman sheltering beneath a broken umbrella in heavy rain, illustrating the uncertainty contractors can face when an umbrella company comes under a winding-up petition.
Summary

SmartPay Ltd, Contractor Umbrella Ltd and Agency PAYE Ltd have all had winding-up petitions filed against them since May 2026 — with Contractor Umbrella now confirming an 'orderly wind-down.' Legal expert Roger Sinclair explains the crucial difference between a petition and an order, and sets out four practical steps contractors should take if their own umbrella company gets petitioned by HMRC.

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29th July, 2026 | Umbrella Companies

Author
Roger Sinclair
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Professional reviewing financial documents and reports at a desk before a tax filing deadline.
Summary

With HMRC's second Payments on Account (POA) deadline falling this Friday, today is the last realistic day to get your figures to your accountant — even if a live consultation could scrap the entire POA system by 2029.

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28th July, 2026 | Limited Companies

Author
Lauren Sears
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Accountant reviewing profit and loss accounts with a calculator and laptop.
Summary

The rules on what small companies must make public about their finances are changing — and the changes go further than many owners realise. Even a new opt-out from public P&L reporting is only part of a much bigger shift in what Companies House will expect from you.

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30th June, 2026 | Money

Author
Carl Bridges
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Software engineer working across multiple monitors displaying code, analytics dashboards and AI visualisations in a modern office.
Summary

Want to earn more as a contractor? These 3 software engineer roles companies are fighting over — and here’s how to land their premiums.

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25th June, 2026 | Jobs Guides

Author
Ben Quinn
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Finance professional reviewing company records and compliance data as part of an internal tax audit.
Summary

VAT compliance checks where no review by the taxman has taken place in the past five years are underway. Act now, ideally across five key areas, before an inspector calls.

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16th June, 2026 | Money

Author
Jo Edwards
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Recruitment software highlighting a selected job candidate profile during an AI-assisted hiring process.
Summary

Treating an AI interview as something you can wing because no prep is needed to talk to a robot is, in our experience, the most reliable way to fail it — Primis Talent.

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9th June, 2026 | Guide To Interviews

Author
Ben Broughton
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Business professional reviewing financial documents and tax calculations to assess potential liabilities.
Summary

Expecting a local branch to be a limited company specialist, among other business banking follies, plus — how NOT to commit them yourself when contracting.

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28th May, 2026 | Successful Contracting

Author
Chloe Wilson
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Business professional reviewing financial reports and company banking records at a desk.
Summary

In return for a commitment to settle all related disguised remuneration matters, ‘John’ (and other contractors) could be looking at lowering their HMRC liability by £55,000.

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6th May, 2026 | Money

Author
Meredith McCammond
Summary

Key aspects of JSL rules for Managed Service Providers appear underreported, belying the importance of the UK contractor supply chain’s new gatekeeper of compliance.

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27th April, 2026 | Umbrella Companies

Author
Ashley Olliver