Latest News

Easing of tax rules for divorcing couples confirmed
Easing of tax rules for divorcing couples confirmed

New legislation easing the tax rules for divorcing couples has received Royal Assent.  This confirms announcements made by the Chancellor in the Spring Budget 2023.  The changes apply in relation to disposals of assets made on or after 6 April 2023.   What were...

Government to simplify non-financial reporting rules
Government to simplify non-financial reporting rules

The government is currently consulting on various options to simplify non-financial reporting rules indicating consideration of the appropriateness of the current company thresholds. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and Financial Reporting Council (FRC) are...

Caring Hands (Care Services) Limited – EOT Case Study

Deal Completed – 2023 Hawsons Corporate Finance had the pleasure of supporting Caring Hands (Care Services) Limited (“Caring Hands”), a well-established domiciliary care business, with their transition to Employee Ownership. Based in Alfreton, Derbyshire, the company...

HMRC plans points-based penalties for Self-Assessment
HMRC plans points-based penalties for Self-Assessment

HMRC have announced that from April 2026, the existing penalty system for late filing of tax returns under Self-Assessment will be amended to a points-based system for self-employed people and landlords with turnover above £50,000.  This coincides with those...

Eligibility criteria for employee ownership trusts (EOT)
Eligibility criteria for employee ownership trusts (EOT)

Why has the qualifying criteria been put in place? The economic contribution of employee-owned businesses in the UK is significant and growing. Greater productivity and higher levels of innovation whilst being more resilient to economic turbulence are some of the...

EOTs (Employee Ownership Trusts) Tax Free Bonuses
EOTs (Employee Ownership Trusts) Tax Free Bonuses

EOTs and Tax-Free Bonuses In this article, we discuss the tax-free bonuses that employees could benefit from in an employee-owned company. Under a qualifying EOT structure, as indirect owners, the employees are eligible to receive a share of the profits of the...

Tax Rates and Allowances 2023/24
Tax Rates and Allowances 2023/24

Introduction We have summarised the key rates and allowances which are fundamental to our business and personal lives. We are sure that you will find them a useful point of reference and have set out below a few examples of how they can be used. Personal tax rates As...

Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) Benefits for Employees
Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) Benefits for Employees

In this article, we are going to discuss the benefits to employees of a company owned by an EOT, compared to a more traditional limited company or partnership. What does being in an EOT mean for an employee? Employees of a trading company (or group) owned by an EOT do...

Trustees and their role in an Employee Ownership Trust
Trustees and their role in an Employee Ownership Trust

Who are the trustees of an employee ownership trust? The trustees are the directors of the corporate trustee company which holds the shares in the trading company/group. Their role is to ensure that the company is being managed (by the directors of the trading...

Employee Ownership Trust accounting treatment
Employee Ownership Trust accounting treatment

Accounting treatment of an EOT The EOT becomes the owner of the company, usually via a corporate trustee company (“the Trust”) set up to hold the acquired shares. The trust is administered by trustees on behalf of the employees, these trustees are statutory directors...