Cloud Accounting

Updates for May 2026 including MTD fully live, clarification around loans to company shareholders, the Marshmallow VAT tribunal, Capital Allowances, changed to CIS and classification on mixed use for SDLT.

Tax updates for April 2026 including Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is now live! We also take a look at what else is changing in the 2026/27 tax year, dividend updates and VAT on public electric vehicle charging.

Planning in any financial situation is key. We share 5 tips to make sure you are MTD ready, the new reporting requirements and what to do if you believe you are exempt.

In our March 2026 update we look at the Spring forecast, the changes applicable from April for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, Overpayment Relief from HMRC , Advisory Fuel Rates for Company Cars, Employer Provided Vehicles and Taxable Benefits in Kind and caution around third party labour.

Our December 2025 newsletter with all the updates from the Autumn Budget Announcement. We take a look at the tax implications for both businesses and individuals.

From January 2026, new UK GAAP rules will change how businesses recognise revenue affecting reported profits, borrowing capacity, and even business valuation. Although cash flow stays the same, the timing of income may shift. Now is the time to review contracts, forecast the impact, and prepare for the transition.

Running a business can be rewarding, but it’s not without stress. This Stress Awareness Week, we’re highlighting how financial pressures affect business owners and how to take control of the numbers. Before they take control of you.

Simplify and automate your business processes to free up time, improve cash flow, and boost your business value for a smooth exit strategy.

Managing projects profitably is tough without clear data. Xero Projects gives real-time visibility on time, costs, invoicing, and profitability, helping you make smarter decisions, improve cash flow, and boost margins. Discover how our cloud accounting expertise can help you streamline systems and maximise project success.

Updates for August including - Legislation Day 2025 - What Was Published, HMRC’S Transformation Roadmap, the latest for Making Tax Digital, Proposed Changes To Inheritance Tax, Class 2 NICs - 2024/25 Errors

Selling a small business isn’t as simple as many owners expect. From messy financials to over-reliance on the owner, common pitfalls can damage your valuation or sink the deal entirely. We take a look at the top challenges and give you a 5-step plan to prepare your SME for a smoother, more profitable sale.

Find out how the April 2025 Employer National Insurance increase is affecting UK business valuations and what to do if you’re planning to sell.

Discover the six key bookkeeping steps every business needs to stay financially healthy. From scanning receipts to cloud software and outsourcing, we help businesses streamline their processes and make confident, data-driven decisions.

Our May 2025 Newsletter including the following articles : MTD for Income Tax - FAQs, Changes To The Taxation Of Non-UK Domiciled Individuals, Holiday Lettings And Property and VAT: ‘Food’ or ‘Confectionery’?

Cashflow challenges are the number one cause of construction business failures. Even profitable firms can run into serious trouble without the right systems in place. From poor contracts to late invoicing and retention delays, this blog highlights the seven biggest cashflow mistakes and what you can do to avoid them.

Real-time financial data puts you in control, helping you make faster, smarter business decisions. From cashflow management to dynamic forecasting, live dashboards reveal what’s really going on behind the numbers. Discover five powerful ways real-time insights can drive growth, improve profitability, and give you a competitive edge.

Thousands of UK businesses will soon change hands as owners retire creating big opportunities for young entrepreneurs. Buying an existing business means instant cash flow, loyal customers, and room to grow. We take a look at why buying a business offers advantages to starting from scratch — and how we can support you in taking the leap.

While content creators and influencers thrive on trends and spontaneity, a long-term financial strategy is not only possible but essential for creating long term stability and success.

Understanding the revenue in your Saas Business is key to growth. A waterfall chart helps break down your ARR, revealing trends in customer retention, churn, and expansion. In this blog we explores how to create and analyse waterfall charts, providing insights that drive strategic decisions.

Scaling a SaaS business requires more than just innovation—it demands financial precision. Bootstrapped founders must balance growth with cashflow management, ensuring every pound is reinvested wisely. From forecasting revenue streams to reducing unnecessary costs, mastering cashflow is key to sustainable scaling. Discover essential strategies to grow with confidence.

In the SaaS industry, metrics like ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue) and MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue) are vital for tracking growth, securing investment, and planning for the future. Unlike turnover, ARR and MRR focus on predictable, recurring revenue streams, making them indispensable for scaling and valuation. Learn more in our blog!

The arrival of 2025 is the perfect opportunity to start thinking about the future of your business. What new year goals are you setting? And what actions will you be taking to achieve them? We take a look at the top 3 resolution topics.

Revamp your finance function for efficiency. From automated bank feeds and AI-driven insights to real-time financial data and seamless integrations, systems like Xero and QuickBooks. Learn how Friend and Grant can help you streamline processes and stay ahead in today’s fast-paced business world.

Business growth isn’t just about boosting sales. While increasing turnover seems promising, true, sustainable growth depends on financial insight. By understanding costs, cashflow, and efficiency, you can avoid common pitfalls and create a growth strategy that supports profitability. Discover how financial insight can transform your approach to business expansion.

Our October 2024 Tech round up including articles around e-invoicing, closing the tax gap with digital transformation, new cooperation announced to tackle cyber crime and government funding into AI.

By ensuring proper systems, automation, and regular reviews, you can avoid these common payroll pitfalls, minimising risk and maintaining compliance.

Xero’s latest 2024 updates bring powerful enhancements to streamline your business operations. From simplifying accounts payable with Pay Bills to boosting payroll efficiency, the new features in Xero Grow and Comprehensive packages are designed to save time, reduce errors, and improve financial oversight. With tools like advanced cash flow forecasting, mileage tracking, and automated payroll, businesses can now manage transactions more seamlessly than ever.

VAT is always a complex tax with many different rules, and some rules will only apply in certain situations. In this blog we have reviewed some of the more complex VAT rules and the things you need to consider.

In our latest edition of our Tech Time newsletter we look at how new Apple & Microsoft are focussing on the potential offered by generative AI, the huge amounts being invested into the UK tech sector and the future of self driving cars.

In our April 2024 newsletter we look at the changes to child benefit and why many couples may now be able to restart claims, cash accounting from 2024, changes to the basis of assessment, details of MTD for income tax reports, furnished holiday lettings from 6th April, camping pods and capital allowances and more changes to R&D!

We review the expected global trends for 2024, how AI is already changing the way we work and what is meant by financial engineering.

Understanding and monitoring your cashflow is a fundamental element to ensuring your business is equipped to deal with the unknown and also enable business growth. In our latest blog we look at the benefits of staying on top of your cashflow and how various software options can support this.

Updates for October 2023 including: The importance of accurate forecasting and utilising cloud accounting software. Associated companies and quarterly corporation tax payments. The upcoming budget report and rumours surrounding IHT.

The demands of running a business are high, could you be missing an opportunity to work smarter and not harder on your bookkeeping? We share our 8 top tips to help you to spend less time on your bookkeeping,

Many businesses are keen to find efficiencies, streamline processes and drive profit and productivity, is the answer in your accounting software?

We look at how effective invoicing and how automated systems can help you to get paid faster by your customers.

Making tax digital was scheduled to start in April 2024 for businesses, self-employed individuals and landlords with income over £10,000. That has now been delayed and the income threshold raised.

There are hundreds of software packages on the market. Our team at Friend and Grant have tried quite a few and based on our findings we have taken the decision to encourage our clients to use Xero, although we also support QuickBooks and SageOne.

From 6 April 2024 millions of self-employed businesses and landlords will need to adhere to HMRC’s new MTD for Income Tax rules. So, the question is, how can you best prepare for the changes?

Automation can prove beneficial for businesses, but what’s involved and where do you start?

The government has updated their Making Tax Digital project and this is likely to affect all businesses in some way!

Cash is king! In bad times there isn’t the luxury of being slack with extending credit to customers. For many businesses poor cash collection is the difference between life and death. Here are 15 easy steps to building a better credit control system and improving cashflow management.

Everything has changed. For many businesses the coming months will be a real challenge. With the removal of lockdown and a deep recession many businesses will not survive. If you have been adversely impacted by Covid 19 here is our 10 point plan to not only survive but more importantly thrive.

We understand that the majority of businesses are operating differently. Our virtual approach to providing you with support and training on cloud accounting solutions means that your finance function does not have to stop.

Working in the property industry can be a minefield with all the various accounting regulations that need to be followed. This can be made easier with a good record keeping system that works for your business and keeps you compliant!

Cash flow is king in any business. Yet cash flow is one of the areas that many businesses struggle to manage. We explain ways in which you can use systems to help chase your debts more efficiently.

New EU standards, due to take effect from 14 September 2019, will change the way some banks connect to your accounting system. To comply with the new requirements, many of the existing bank feeds will be replaced by new direct bank feeds using Open Banking.

Business travel can be a real nuisance and unless you’re driving it should be really productive time. Here are our tips on How to Stay Productive when Travelling

In a little under two months, the majority of VAT registered businesses with turnover exceeding the £85,000 threshold will be required to file VAT returns digitally.

Friend & Grant are delighted to achieve Gold Champion Partner status with Xero, the global leader in cloud accounting software. With intuitive real-time, integrated software, more and more of the firm’s clients have been taking advantage of the flexibility and benefits that cloud accounting has to offer.

From April this year, for the 2.55 million VAT registered businesses with a turnover exceeding the £85,000 VAT threshold, it will be mandatory to file VAT returns through Making Tax Digital compliant software and not via the current HMRC portal.

Most business failures could be avoided with a little care and attention. No one has the right to credit so don’t give it away unless clients have earned it. Read our tips and make sure your cash flow and your business doesn’t suffer.

Despite there being no public news announcements from HMRC, like the TV advert about Auto-Enrolment with the 10ft furry monster, Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT is still going ahead from 1 April 2019. MTD for VAT will affect almost all VAT registered businesses in some way, meaning there could be more work to do...