Useful organisations and websites for individuals and businesses. Select a title to read more. Each link opens in a new window.
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) collects the UK’s taxes, including Income Tax, Corporation Tax, VAT and National Insurance, and runs the PAYE system that employers use to pay their staff.
You can set up a personal or business tax account, so you can sign in securely to see what HMRC holds about you, check payments and keep your details up to date.
Be wary of scams. HMRC will not ask for bank details by text or email, or threaten arrest over the phone. If a message claiming to be from HMRC looks unusual, check GOV.UK’s guidance on recognising genuine contact before responding.
Companies House is the UK’s registrar of companies. It forms new companies and keeps the public register of company information.
Every company must file accounts and a confirmation statement each year, and tell Companies House when things change, such as a new director, a new registered office address or a change in the people with significant control. Late accounts bring an automatic penalty. Directors and people with significant control are also now required to verify their identity.
The register is free to search. You can look up any company’s registered address, directors, filed accounts and filing history, which makes it a quick way to check a customer, supplier or business before you deal with them.
The Pensions Regulator (TPR) oversees workplace pensions in the UK, including the duty on employers to enrol their staff automatically.
If you employ anyone, even one person, you will have legal duties: assessing your staff, enrolling those who are eligible into a workplace pension, paying contributions, and declaring to TPR that you have done so. Every three years you must re-enrol anyone who has opted out and complete a re-declaration, even if nothing has changed. Penalties for missing these follow quickly.
There are limited exceptions, for example some companies whose only staff are directors. If you think one may apply, check your position with TPR, or with your adviser, rather than assuming. The TPR website has step-by-step guidance for new employers that sets out your duties and when they start.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the UK’s independent regulator for data protection.
If your business processes personal information, such as client, customer or employee details held on a computer, phone or online system, you will normally need to register with the ICO. Registration carries an annual fee, set according to the size of your organisation.
Some organisations are exempt, but the exemptions are narrow and easily misread. If you believe you may be exempt, check your position with the ICO, or with your adviser, before deciding not to register. Its website has a short self-assessment that takes you through the questions.
The ICO website is also where you renew and keep your registration details up to date, and it has practical guidance on looking after personal information and what to do if something goes wrong.
The Charity Commission registers and regulates charities in England and Wales. Charities in Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own regulators.
A charity with an annual income above £5,000 will usually need to register, although some types are excepted or exempt. Once registered, a charity must file an annual return and, depending on its income, its trustees’ annual report and accounts. Trustees are also expected to keep the charity’s details on the register up to date and to report serious incidents promptly.
The register of charities is free to search. It shows a charity’s purposes, trustees and financial history, which is useful for donors, funders and anyone wanting to check that a charity is genuine. The Commission also publishes guidance for trustees on their duties.
The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) is the professional body for chartered accountants. Its members are bound by a code of ethics, required to keep their knowledge up to date, and regulated in the work they do.
Harwood & Ball is an ICAEW member firm.
The ICAEW website explains the standards its members work to, and how to raise a concern if something has gone wrong. It also publishes guidance for the public on a range of financial topics.