Dennis Chen- DC Accountants

Your business is using your stuff for free.

Not because you did anything wrong. Because you were busy - and nobody asked you the question.

The commonly missed ones:
✅ Laptop - usually bought before the company even existed
✅ Mobile phone - now 90% work, still on your personal contract
✅ Office chair
✅ Office desk
✅ Second monitor
✅ Camera, lighting and mic - bought the week you decided to start posting
✅ Printer, keyboard, docking station, cables
✅ The fan that saved you last summer
✅ Anything else the business uses every day that you paid for

How you get the money back:

You introduce those assets into the company at their current market value - not what you originally paid. The company claims capital allowances against them, which reduces the corporation tax bill. The value is credited to your director's loan account, meaning the company owes you. You can then draw that money out in cash, with no tax on the way out - because it's a repayment, not income.

Most directors think accounting is just filing accounts and paying whatever tax bill shows up.

It shouldn't be.

A proactive accountant helps you plan before your year-end, so you know what's coming and have time to reduce your tax legally—not after it's too late.

The best tax savings happen before the year-end, not when your accounts are already filed.

If your accountant only contacts you when you owe tax, it might be time for a different approach.

💬 Comment "PLAN" below, and I'll show you what a proactive tax review looks like.

Most directors know they pay tax.

What many don't realise is how many times the same profits can be taxed before the money reaches their personal bank account.

First comes Corporation Tax.

Then, when you take the remaining profits as dividends, Dividend Tax may apply depending on your total income.

The result? You could lose a significant portion of every pound your business earns—simply because no one helped you plan ahead.

The key isn't avoiding tax.

It's understanding your numbers before you take dividends, so you can make informed decisions instead of dealing with surprises at year end.

Comment CALC below and I'll send you my free Salary & Dividends Calculator to estimate your tax in under two minutes.

Cutting your accountancy fee is one of the easiest ways to feel like you're saving money while quietly losing far more.

Here's how it usually goes. The bill feels a bit steep, so you find someone cheaper and save maybe £1,200 a year. Feels like a win. It's a number you can actually see.

But there's a second number you can't see. The tax you're overpaying because nobody's planning ahead for you.

Quick example - and it's only an example, not a promise. The cheaper accountant saves you £1,200 on their fee. But they only show up at year-end to file, so nobody is flagging the allowances you're leaving behind or utilising all tax saving opportunities. You overpay £6,000 in tax and never know it happened.

You saved £1,200. It cost you £6,000. That's the false economy.

And it's such an easy trap, because the fee is visible and the overpaid tax is invisible. One's an invoice you can argue with.

The other just quietly leaves your account and never comes back.

This is the difference between someone who files your accounts and someone who manages your finances.

Filing looks backwards - here's what happened, here's the bill.

Planning looks forward - here's what we can do while there's still time.

A good accountant shouldn't feel like a cost you're trying to shrink. They should save you more than they charge you. If yours doesn't, you're not paying for advice. You're paying for admin

Not every tax-saving strategy is worth the same.

Some can save you hundreds. Others can save you thousands.

In this ranking, I break down some of the most common tax-saving opportunities for UK company directors—from pension contributions and mileage claims to electric vehicles and salary planning.

The best strategy depends on your business, but knowing your options is the first step.

Comment CALC below and I'll send you my free Salary & Dividends Calculator so you can estimate your tax before the year ends.

Most directors buy business items with their own money without thinking twice.

But if the purchase is genuinely for business use, your company may be able to pay for it instead.

That means less profit subject to Corporation Tax and more money staying in the business.

The fan is just one example.

Office equipment, furniture, and other business essentials can all make a difference when they’re bought the right way.

The key is making sure the expense is wholly and exclusively for your business.

Comment FAN and I’ll send you a list of other business items you may be able to claim.

From April 2027, the pension IHT exemption ends - and most directors still haven't heard about it.

Right now, unused pension funds sit outside your estate. Whatever's left when you die passes to your family without Inheritance Tax touching it. It's been one of the most efficient ways to pass on wealth for a decade.

That changes on 6 April 2027. This isn't a proposal or a consultation any more - it's law. Unused pension funds and death benefits will be counted as part of your estate.

Here's what that means in practice:
If your estate is already over the nil-rate band (£325,000, plus up to £175,000 residence nil-rate band if you're passing your home to children), anything left in your pension gets taxed at 40%.

£200,000 untouched in your pension = £80,000 to HMRC, £120,000 to your family.

And it can get worse. If you die after 75, your beneficiaries also pay income tax when they draw the money out - on top of the IHT. In some cases the combined rate reaches 64-67%.

A few things that stay protected:
Funds passing to a spouse or civil partner remain exempt. So do gifts to charity and death-in-service benefits.

But if your plan was "leave the pension alone and pass it down" - that plan needs reviewing. Options like drawing down earlier, gifting strategies, or restructuring your estate all take time to work properly. Gifting in particular rewards early planning.

Pension decisions sit with a regulated financial adviser, and this is exactly the kind of conversation worth having with yours before 2027 - not after.

22% tax on your ISA cash interest? 😳

The rules around ISAs could be about to change in a big way — and it might catch a lot of savers off guard. For years, cash ISAs have been the "safe" default: park your money, earn a bit of interest, pay no tax. But if a 22% tax on cash interest comes into play, that comfortable strategy could quietly start costing you.

Here's the thing most people miss: holding everything in cash isn't actually risk-free. Between inflation chipping away at your spending power and potential new taxes on interest, "playing it safe" can mean your money is going backwards in real terms.

Meanwhile, the rules are nudging people to think differently about how they save and invest.

I would like to know what your thoughts on this are. Tell me in the comments below.