Author name: Pat Sharma FCA, ACCA

Pat Sharma FCA, ACCA Pat Sharma is a Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA) and ACCA-qualified tax advisor with over 15 years of experience supporting small businesses, contractors, landlords, and limited companies across London. As the founder of Brayan & Spencer Associates, Pat specialises in proactive tax planning, cloud accounting, and HMRC compliance for UK businesses.

CQC Registration UK

CQC Registration and Audit: The Latest Changes Every UK Care Provider Should Know 

Leave a Comment / Care Quality Commission /

Key takeaways  CQC doesn’t usually admit when something isn’t working. So, when the regulator starts publishing regular updates with titles like “rebuilding CQC” and “how we’re working to improve,” it’s worth reading closely, not skimming past.  Over the past couple of years, CQC has been unusually open about a registration backlog, a stuck assessment process, […]

CQC Registration and Audit: The Latest Changes Every UK Care Provider Should Know  Read More »

Sole trader reviewing HMRC Making Tax Digital quarterly update deadline on laptop

Missed the 7 August MTD Deadline? Here’s What Happens Next 

Leave a Comment / Making Tax Digital /

Quick answer: There’s no fine for missing 7 August 2026. HMRC built a first-year soft landing into Making Tax Digital. It removes penalty points and fines for late quarterly updates in 2026/27. But you still need to submit it, and all four quarterly updates must go in before you can file your Self Assessment Final

Missed the 7 August MTD Deadline? Here’s What Happens Next  Read More »

CQC Registration

CQC Registration in 2026: Why London Care Providers Can’t Afford to Get This Wrong Anymore 

Leave a Comment / Accounting Services London /

Sixteen out of thirty-eight London adult social care services inspected in a single recent batch were rated “Requires Improvement.” One was rated “Inadequate.” Only twenty-one came out “Good.”  That is not a random dip. It is a preview of what 2026 looks like for care providers across the capital. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has publicly committed to publishing

CQC Registration in 2026: Why London Care Providers Can’t Afford to Get This Wrong Anymore  Read More »

MTD late payment penalty calculation

MTD Penalty Example: What a Late Quarterly Update Really Costs You in 2026 

Leave a Comment / Making Tax Digital /

Penalty points. A £200 fixed charge. A soft landing for 2026/27. If you have read up on Making Tax Digital penalties, you already know the rules on paper. What most guides skip is the part that matters to your bank balance: what a missed deadline costs in real pounds, once filing penalties, payment penalties, and daily interest

MTD Penalty Example: What a Late Quarterly Update Really Costs You in 2026  Read More »

MTD tax estimate shown in accounting software after a quarterly update submission

Your First MTD Tax Estimate Has Landed: Here’s What It Actually Tells You (and What It Doesn’t) 

Leave a Comment / Making Tax Digital /

Quick Answer  After you submit your first Making Tax Digital Income Tax quarterly update, your software shows an estimated tax bill based on the figures entered so far. This is a running forecast, not a final calculation. It does not yet account for your personal allowance in full, other income sources, reliefs like pension contributions, or, for landlords, the restriction

Your First MTD Tax Estimate Has Landed: Here’s What It Actually Tells You (and What It Doesn’t)  Read More »

HMRC MTD quarterly update for London sole traders and landlords before the 7 August 2026 deadline

HMRC’s Latest MTD Update: What London Sole Traders Need to Know 

Leave a Comment / HMRC News /

HMRC put a number on it this week. In a press release published on 23 July 2026, the department confirmed that more than 864,000 sole traders and landlords now signed up to Making Tax Digital for Income Tax have two weeks left to submit their first quarterly update. HMRC has kept the deadline at 7 August 2026. It’s still

HMRC’s Latest MTD Update: What London Sole Traders Need to Know  Read More »

Tax Planning for Landlords with Multiple Properties in London 2026 Guide | B&S Chartered Certified Accountants

Tax Planning for Landlords with Multiple Properties in London: The 2026 MTD Survival Guide 

Leave a Comment / Making Tax Digital, Property taxes /

If you own more than one rental property in London, 2026 brings important tax changes. HMRC has introduced Making Tax Digital for many landlords. Additional property purchases now attract a 5% SDLT surcharge. The proposed High Value Council Tax Surcharge could also affect some London properties from 2028. Understanding these changes now can help you

Tax Planning for Landlords with Multiple Properties in London: The 2026 MTD Survival Guide  Read More »

Step-by-step guide to submitting your first MTD quarterly update to HMRC

How to Submit Your First MTD Quarterly Update (Step-by-Step Guide) 

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Quick Answer  Your first MTD quarterly update covers 6 April to 5 July 2026 and is due by 7 August 2026, but you cannot submit anything until two earlier steps are done: signing up with HMRC (which has its own eligibility rules beyond the £50,000 income threshold) and authorising MTD-compatible software to connect to your HMRC account.

How to Submit Your First MTD Quarterly Update (Step-by-Step Guide)  Read More »

MTD quarterly update cost for London landlords and sole traders

What a Late or Inaccurate First MTD Quarterly Update Could Actually Cost You 

Leave a Comment / Making Tax Digital /

The MTD quarterly update cost isn’t just about penalty points. Most of the conversation around 7 August 2026 focuses on whether people will file on time. Fewer people ask what a rushed, inaccurate, or bodged first submission costs, even inside HMRC’s first-year soft landing. HMRC waives the penalty points. The consequences of bad numbers don’t disappear from them.  For London sole traders and

What a Late or Inaccurate First MTD Quarterly Update Could Actually Cost You  Read More »

MTD Penalties 2026/27 - 5 Key Rules Every Taxpayer Must Know

Making Tax Digital Compliance in 2026/27: Five Penalty Rules You Cannot Ignore 

Leave a Comment / Making Tax Digital /

“There are no penalties in the first year” is the line doing the rounds in every London landlord WhatsApp group and freelancer Slack channel right now. It’s not wrong exactly, but it’s dangerously incomplete. HMRC’s soft landing for Making Tax Digital covers far less than most people assumes, and the gap between what taxpayers think is protected and what’s protected is where penalty

Making Tax Digital Compliance in 2026/27: Five Penalty Rules You Cannot Ignore  Read More »

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