Accounting Guides

Expert advice on UK tax, VAT, expenses, and bookkeeping for small business owners.

Latest Articles

Group Accounts in AccountsOS: Every Company You Run, One Set of Numbers

AccountsOS now consolidates the companies you run into one group P&L and balance sheet, with intercompany taken out and foreign subsidiaries converted into your reporting currency.

2 Nov 20263 min read
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Startups

ACCOUNTS.md: Companies House for AI Agents

ACCOUNTS.md is one file per company that tells any AI agent who the company is, how to do business with it and, with the owner's permission, what its books say. Here is why every company will need one.

29 Oct 20268 min read
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Finn Now Builds Visual, Branded Reports from Your Books

Ask Finn, the AI accountant in AccountsOS, for a report in plain words and get a chart-led report built from your own books, in your brand, ready to download or share as a fixed snapshot.

26 Oct 20263 min read
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Directors

Can a Sole Director Claim Employment Allowance? (2026/27)

A sole director cannot claim Employment Allowance if they are the only employee paid above £5,000. The rule, the 2026/27 figures and how to qualify.

19 Oct 202614 min read
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File Companies House Changes from AccountsOS

UK limited companies can now appoint or remove a director, change the registered office and update people with significant control with Companies House from inside AccountsOS. Each filing is reviewed and confirmed by a person before it goes.

19 Oct 20264 min read
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Startups

How to Register as a Sole Trader in the UK (2026)

Register as a sole trader with HMRC by 5 October after the tax year you start. The steps, £1,000 trading allowance, 2026/27 National Insurance and MTD.

19 Oct 202616 min read
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VAT

VAT Penalty Points Explained: How They Work (2026)

How VAT penalty points work: 4 points for a quarterly filer brings a £200 penalty. Late payment penalties, 7.75% interest and how to clear points.

19 Oct 202615 min read
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Bookkeeping

What Must a UK Invoice Include? Checklist (2026)

What a UK invoice must include: basic and VAT invoices, limited company and sole trader details, payment terms, late interest and a checklist.

19 Oct 202616 min read
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AccountsOS Climbs to #7 in the Atozai AI Accounting World Ranking

AccountsOS has moved up from ninth to seventh in the October 2026 edition of the Atozai AI Accounting Software World Ranking. Here is what the ranking measures, what got us here, and where we are aiming next.

15 Oct 20263 min read
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Australia Personal Services Income (PSI) Rules Explained for Pty Ltd Contractors

Do the ATO's personal services income rules apply to your Pty Ltd? The results test, the 80% rule, the three other PSB tests, and what changes if you fail: attribution, lost deductions and PAYG.

15 Oct 202613 min read
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Expenses

Can I Claim a Card Machine on Tax? Sole Traders and Limited Companies

Yes. How to claim a card reader and card transaction fees on tax in the UK: expense or capital allowances, the Annual Investment Allowance, VAT, and the sole trader trading allowance trap.

15 Oct 20269 min read
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Expenses

Can My Limited Company Pay for My Gym Membership?

Yes, but it is a taxable benefit in kind. What your company reports on a P11D, what it costs in tax and Class 1A National Insurance, the on-site gym exemption, and the sole trader position.

15 Oct 202610 min read
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VAT

Do I Charge VAT on Services to Ireland? UK Supplier Guide After Brexit

If your customer in Ireland is a business, you charge no UK VAT. If they are a consumer, you usually do. Invoice wording, VAT return boxes and the exceptions, from HMRC's Notice 741A.

15 Oct 202610 min read
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If I Buy a Business, Is It Tax Deductible? Share vs Asset Purchase (UK)

Mostly no. What you can and cannot deduct when you buy a UK business: shares, assets, goodwill, capital allowances and the 6.5% goodwill relief for companies, with HMRC sources.

15 Oct 202611 min read
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Call Finn: Talk to Your Books on the Phone

You can now phone Finn, the AI accountant in AccountsOS. Dial the number from any phone, key in your PIN, and ask about your books out loud. Call notes land in your WhatsApp afterwards.

12 Oct 20263 min read
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Chat With Your Books in ChatGPT: Finn Is Live

Finn, the AI accountant in AccountsOS, is live as an app in ChatGPT. Install it, connect your AccountsOS account once, and ask about your money in plain English. Answers come from your live ledger. The app is read-only.

25 Sept 20263 min read
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Best AI accounting software for practices in 2026

There is no single best AI accounting tool. Match the job: practice production, an SMB ledger, a mid-market ERP, or AP. AccountsOS is built for the practice job.

12 Sept 20269 min read
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Bookkeeping

What 'AI-native accounting' actually means (and why most tools still fail the strip-the-website test)

AI-native accounting is not chat on top of QuickBooks. If you strip the website away, can the agent still do the job? How AccountsOS and Finn pass that test.

9 Sept 20269 min read
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Monday still needs an accountant. The bookkeeping pile does not

UK practices turn work away for lack of capacity, not demand. Automate bookkeeping prep. Keep humans on judgement, sign-off and advice.

8 Sept 20266 min read
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Is AI accounting software safe for client books?

Writes wait for you. Tax rates are cited. Maths runs in code. Client books stay in the EU and are not used for training.

7 Sept 20267 min read
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Practice management and the books in one place

Most accountancy practices still run two stacks: one for the firm, one for the ledgers. AccountsOS now puts practice management and Finn on the client books in the same product.

4 Sept 20263 min read
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Tax News

Cyprus Tax Reform 2026: Every Change, and Which Year Each One Applies To

Cyprus raised corporate tax to 15%, cut dividend tax to 5%, and abolished deemed distribution and stamp duty from 1 January 2026. Here is what changed, what survived, and which rate applies to which tax year.

23 Aug 20269 min read
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The AI-Native Accounting Practice: What It Is and How to Build One

An AI-native accountancy practice uses AI as the production layer across bookkeeping, reconciliation, VAT, accounts and client communication, while qualified people review, advise and sign off.

13 Aug 20269 min read
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What Accountants Are Looking For in 2026 (And What They Aren't)

The 2026 data on what accountants actually want from their software: AI that's embedded not bolted on, trust and control, the right integrations, stable pricing, and painless switching. Plus the four things they are not looking for.

6 Jul 202611 min read
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