Ashmole and Co

We are celebrating National Payroll Week safe in the knowledge that we help over 1,000 local businesses across mid and west Wales fulfil their payroll duties 🎉🎊

Week in week out, our payroll team are the hidden heroes for local clients as they administer their pay systems. Ten years ago Ashmole & Co had just one payroll clerk and now they are a strong team of 14 staff based across south and west Wales.

With over 20 years of experience, Lisa Matthews has been a member of the Ashmole & Co payroll team since 2024. Lisa is based in the firm’s Swansea office. As a Payroll Officer with extensive experience, she manages multiple payrolls for local clients across weekly, fortnightly, four-weekly and monthly payrolls. Her role includes processing payrolls accurately and on time, supporting clients with payroll queries, ensuring compliance with legislation, liaising with HMRC, processing statutory payments, administering workplace pensions and continually looking for ways to improve Ashmole & Co’s payroll processes.

Eirian Evans, the HR & Payroll Manager for Ashmole & Co, said, “Our dedicated payroll service allows local companies to be relieved of the burden of administering their payroll. We are a local firm looking after the interests of local businesses. With Ashmole and Co managing VAT and payroll, local clients can concentrate on the core activities of their business. Payroll registration, advice, compliance, investigations, bureau service and CIS contracts are all part of the service Ashmole & Co can provide.”

The most rewarding part of the job for Lisa is building strong relationships with clients and knowing that she’s helped make payroll straightforward and stress-free for them. She finds it rewarding to solve problems, provide reassurance and ensure people are paid accurately and on time.

Lisa lives in Pontardawe with her husband and their teenage daughter. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family, exploring new places, going to the theatre a lot and trying new experiences. She previously volunteered as a Rainbows and Brownies Leader for almost five years and is now looking forward to volunteering in the cattery at her local RSPCA after recently losing her own cat.

For anyone considering a career in payroll as part of National Payroll Week, which runs from 7 – 11 September 2026, Lisa suggests they need strong organisational and time management skills. Good communication, problem-solving and customer service skills are equally important, as well as staying up to date with payroll legislation and being able to manage multiple deadlines.

Inheritance Tax: navigating the exemptions

With the extension of Inheritance Tax (IHT) to most unused pension funds and pension death benefits from April 2027, IHT is very much in the public eye.

With timely advance planning, however, it is still possible to take advantage of valuable IHT exemptions. These include the annual exemption of £3,000 and the exemption for small gifts made to individuals not exceeding £250 per tax year, per recipient. And, of course, it should be remembered that gifts from one spouse or registered civil partner to another are generally fully exempt. But it is always important to get the rules right.

The exemption for normal expenditure out of income is perhaps one of the less well known exemptions from IHT. It can be available where someone makes a gift:
• that is part of their normal expenditure and
• taking one year with another, it is made out of their income, and
• after allowing for all transfers of value forming part of their normal expenditure, the giver is left with sufficient income to maintain their usual standard of living.

We can help
To benefit from this particular exemption, it is essential to be able to demonstrate a settled pattern of expenditure, measurable over a period of time or by a definite commitment to future expenditure.

Do please contact us for further advice on this, or any other aspect of IHT.

The Great British Summer Savings VAT discount ends today with the UK government reporting millions of pounds saved by families but there are potential pitfalls for businesses due to VAT complexity and exemptions.

Millions of pounds have been saved by families via a VAT cut from 20% to 5% on kids’ meals in restaurants and tickets to attractions like theatres and soft play.

But the end to the VAT discount comes with a warning from HMRC to make sure all till systems revert to 20% at midnight on Tuesday 1 September to avoid problems with VAT returns.

HMRC warned: ‘Businesses that used the reduced rate for children’s meals, tickets and family attractions must make sure they have switched back to charging the standard VAT rate of 20% on all relevant sales and supplies from 2 September 2026.

‘They can do this by checking that their tills, point-of-sale systems, accounting software and VAT records are updated from 2 September.’

It looks like it’s going to be a great day at the Camrose Vintage Working Day today 🚜🚗

As a local business it is our pleasure to support the event.

Ashmole & Co’s staff will be putting on their walking shoes next month to walk the new Tywi Valley Path in Carmarthenshire to help raise funds for their chosen charity this year – Alzheimer's Society

With thirteen offices spread across mid and south Wales, approximately 100 staff, including Partners from the accountancy firm, are currently in training to take on a three hour hike along the Twyi Valley Path from Nantgaredig to Ffairfach and back again!

One in three people born today will develop dementia in their lifetime. Research commissioned by Alzheimer’s Society, shows that around a million people in the UK have a form of dementia. This is projected to rise to 1.4 million people by 2040. There are over 70,800 people living with young onset dementia – where symptoms develop before the age of 65. A report commissioned by Alzheimer’s Society in 2024 revealed dementia costs the UK £42 billion per year. This is set to rise sharply to £90 billion by 2040.

Any donations to support our fundraising would be very gratefully received 🙏🙏

Here is the link to the Just Giving page, or you can donate directly to any member of staff or at any office: https://www.justgiving.com/page/ashmole-and-co-4?utm_medium=FA&utm_source=CL

📸 taken at last year's sponsored walk in Pembrokeshire

Organisations across Wales can now apply for grants of between £50,000 and £250,000 to invest in new equipment and technology through the latest round of Welsh Government SMART funding.

The SMART Flexible Innovation Support (SFIS) Capital Equipment Fund is open to businesses, universities, research organisations, further education colleges, third sector organisations and NHS Health Boards operating in Wales.

The funding is intended to help organisations improve productivity and efficiency, support long-term growth and invest in projects that make better use of resources. Projects involving the reuse of materials and circular economy approaches are also encouraged.

Since 2023, SFIS has supported 171 organisations across Wales, with more than £20.1m in grant funding awarded.

The programme has supported the development of new products and services, improvements to productivity and collaboration between businesses, universities and public sector organisations.

Projects applying for the latest funding must demonstrate how investment in new equipment or technology will improve productivity and deliver wider benefits for Wales.

Funding can be used towards the purchase and installation of machinery and equipment.

Applications are open until 23:59 on 25 September 2026.

Click here for more information and details of how to apply 👇
https://www.gov.wales/grant-scheme-innovation-and-technology-opens-welsh-organisations

Time is running out to apply for the part-time vacancy within our bookkeeping/VAT department in the Haverfordwest office.

The role will involve flexible working hours and experience of accounting software such as Quickbooks, Xero and Sage would be desirable.
Salary is commensurate on experience.

Full details, and apply online, here: https://www.ashmole.co.uk/english/about-us/job-vacancies/

The Deadline for applications is this Friday, 28th August.

Please send your CV together with a covering letter to Ashmole & Co, 7 Goat Street, Haverfordwest, SA61 1PX or email: [email protected]

We are hiring 📢

We are currently looking for a Receptionist /Administrative Assistant to join our team in Haverfordwest.
The successful candidate will be responsible for meeting and greeting clients plus taking and making phone calls. You will need to have excellent communication skills and the ability to learn new tasks quickly.
You will also provide administrative support to the Haverfordwest office team and will probably have some experience of Microsoft Office products such as Word, Excel & Teams. Experience of Xero and/or IRIS practice management would be an advantage but is not essential as full training will be given.

For full details and to apply online please visit our website: https://www.ashmole.co.uk/english/about-us/job-vacancies/

The closing date for applications is Friday, 11th September 2026.

Please apply by email to: [email protected], setting out your previous experience.

Self employed and landlords with income above £30,000 can now apply for an MTD exemption if they qualify as ‘digitally excluded’, HMRC confirms.

HMRC opens up applications for exemption from Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax for taxpayers who earned qualifying income above £30,000 for tax year 2025-26 who are being pulled into mandatory MTD from 6 April 2027.

It is now possible for £30,000 taxpayers to apply for an exemption, although bear in mind there are a number of limitations on who can actually be exempt, focused primarily on digitally excluded taxpayers.

HMRC states: ‘Being digitally excluded from Making Tax Digital for Income Tax means it’s not reasonable for you to use compatible software to:

▶ keep digital records
▶ send quarterly updates or submit your tax return

Under MTD, the self employed and landlords have to file quarterly updates on qualifying income using commercial software, or bridging software, and then submit a year-end consolidation, as well as an annual self assessment tax return.

Contact us if you require more details.

Pension pots will fall into 40% inheritance tax net from next April, making lifetime gifting a serious option to consider, but there are potential tax traps, explains Sarah Coles, head of personal finance at AJ Bell.

Sweeping change to the treatment of pensions for inheritance tax (IHT) comes into force from April 2027 raising the spectre of a 40% tax bill and prompting more people to consider making gifts during their lifetime.

As IHT changes loom large, more people will be considering giving gifts during their lifetime to cut their tax bill. However, different gifting methods offer varying degrees of flexibility.

HMRC figures estimate that IHT will be payable on an extra 10,500 estates in the same tax year, hiking the amount of tax paid by 38,500 estates and increasing the tax due by £34,000 each on average.

One of the most effective ways to manage an IHT bill is by making gifts during your lifetime.

The annual gift allowance is £3,000 a year, which comes out of your estate immediately for IHT purposes. This allowance can be carried forward for one year.

You can give up to £250 to any number of people too – although not to anyone who has received money through the annual gift allowance. You can also make specific gifts for weddings – however, the amount depends on who is getting married.

On top of that, you can give away lump sums of any kind under potentially exempt transfers (PETs), and they fall out of the estate after seven years. It is also possible to give gifts from surplus income, so once you meet your usual living expenses, you can give away income that’s left over if you do this on a regular basis.