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See what changes. Protect your buffer. Make the next decision.
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R&D is upside, not spending money
Unfiled claims are refused in the downside. Extra payments wait for cash.
We choose the salary/dividend mix
Fixed payments stay fixed. Compare extra discretionary payouts.
Other decisions and supporting checks
Your search stays in this browser. Choose the relevant walkthrough; matching a phrase does not establish your tax treatment.
15 suggested walkthroughs. Open one to follow its steps.
How much should I pay myself, and when?
Compare taking nothing extra with salary, dividends and a mixture, over explicit dates.
1. Confirm the facts
- Confirm today, the company year-end and each personal tax year-end.
- Keep payments already made fixed; identify only the remaining dates and amounts that can change.
- Confirm share ownership, other income, student loans, opening company cash and distributable reserves.
2. Compare the options
These are comparison setups. Calculate each using the linked tools, with the same evidence and horizon.
| Option | What to model |
|---|---|
| Baseline | No additional pay before the next boundary. |
| Alternative 1 | Salary only, dividends only, and combinations on the same payment dates. |
| Alternative 2 | Earlier cash now versus later payments, using the same total horizon and R&D assumptions. |
3. Review these results together
- Household cash received by the requested date
- Household income after tax, NI and student loans
- Company cash and distributable reserves
- Total tax plus employer NI
- Modelled comparison value over the same horizon
4. Check before choosing
- Label columns with actual start/end dates, not AP2/AP3.
- A larger modelled comparison value is not cash available to spend.
- A stochastic optimiser result does not prove a global optimum; compare a grid and the do-nothing baseline.
- Reject dates that fail cash, reserves, filed-year or approval constraints.
Company calculation, salary/dividend schedules, optimisation and saved comparisons are available. Review cash timing and reserves separately from annual totals.
Official checks: Taking money from a company
Keep a baseline copy and record the assumption that changed. Review and save a chosen plan explicitly.
Does my plan match what really happened?
Reconcile the current plan to bank, payroll, invoice and filed-return evidence before making a new decision.
1. Confirm the facts
- Choose the person/company and the exact statement period.
- Gather all bank/card accounts, opening/closing balances, invoices, payslips and dividend records.
- Mark each figure as paid, accrued, forecast, disputed or unknown; include the latest transactions.
2. Compare the options
These are comparison setups. Calculate each using the linked tools, with the same evidence and horizon.
| Option | What to model |
|---|---|
| Baseline | Current saved plan as the baseline. |
| Alternative 1 | Evidence-corrected copy, with unresolved differences retained. |
| Alternative 2 | Alternative disputed treatments in separate copies, each tied to the source. |
3. Review these results together
- Opening balance plus inflows minus outflows versus closing balance
- Matched and unmatched transactions
- PAYE, dividends, reimbursements and CT600 differences
4. Check before choosing
- A company-to-person transfer is not automatically salary or a dividend.
- Suppress duplicate imports and preserve provenance.
- Never change a filed year or promote an ambiguous document automatically.
Financial records, document review and plan evidence tools exist. Ambiguous accounting treatment and unresolved differences require review before applying changes.
Official checks: Company records
Keep a baseline copy and record the assumption that changed. Review and save a chosen plan explicitly.
What if R&D relief is rejected or arrives late?
Compare the plan without unfiled relief with the approved outcome, including claim fees and refund timing.
1. Confirm the facts
- Record the approved expenditure dates, evidence and claim status.
- Separate relief accrued, corporation-tax reduction and an actual cash receipt.
- Enter claim fees, the expected receipt date and a cash reserve.
- For received cash, record its reference/date/amount, yesterday's closing bank balance, unpaid tax and possible repayment reserves.
2. Compare the options
These are comparison setups. Calculate each using the linked tools, with the same evidence and horizon.
| Option | What to model |
|---|---|
| Baseline | Uncertain relief: do not rely on unfiled approval; still include the claim cost. |
| Alternative 1 | Approved relief with the same spending and pay. |
| Alternative 2 | No cash refund by the planned date, with pay and costs unchanged. |
3. Review these results together
- Company cash at each payment date
- Minimum company cash and distributable reserves
- Household pay and total tax
- Claim fees paid even when relief is unavailable
4. Check before choosing
- Do not treat an approval window as proof every cost qualifies.
- No payment may rely on a refund before it is received.
- Show infeasible options as not achievable; never rank them as the best feasible plan.
- Saving receipt evidence keeps a payment held. Releasing planned rows needs fresh confirmations and a passing bank/model cash check; a receipt does not change its tax treatment.
Visual R&D branches and receipt-linked release reviews are supported. Exact planned payments enter a draft only after fresh bank/model checks. Evidence is user-entered, not independently bank verified, and no payment is executed.
Official checks: R&D relief guidance
Keep a baseline copy and record the assumption that changed. Review and save a chosen plan explicitly.
Should an expense be reimbursed this year or next?
Separate when a cost was incurred, when it is deductible and when the person is reimbursed.
1. Confirm the facts
- Record the actual business purpose, receipt, person who paid, incurred date and amount.
- Confirm the accounting/tax treatment and company periods.
- Keep already-paid expenses fixed and enter only the genuinely unpaid balance.
2. Compare the options
These are comparison setups. Calculate each using the linked tools, with the same evidence and horizon.
| Option | What to model |
|---|---|
| Baseline | Reimburse the outstanding eligible balance on the earlier date. |
| Alternative 1 | Reimburse the same balance after the company year-end. |
| Alternative 2 | Retain the liability until a later confirmed date. |
3. Review these results together
- Company and personal cash by date
- Outstanding amount owed to the person
- Corporation tax only where the reviewed treatment changes it
4. Check before choosing
- Moving a reimbursement payment does not automatically move the deductible expense.
- Do not count both an invoice cost and its reimbursement as two deductions.
- Do not move an already-paid amount into a future scenario.
Expense reimbursement inputs and saved comparisons are available. The user must confirm accrual/deduction treatment; payment date alone does not decide it.
Official checks: Expenses and benefits
Keep a baseline copy and record the assumption that changed. Review and save a chosen plan explicitly.
How do our two incomes and tax returns fit together?
Keep each person’s tax calculation separate, then compare the household total.
1. Confirm the facts
- Record each person’s employment, dividends, ownership, pension method and other income.
- Use the same tax years and actual payment dates for both people.
- Gather each person’s HMRC calculation and payments already made.
2. Compare the options
These are comparison setups. Calculate each using the linked tools, with the same evidence and horizon.
| Option | What to model |
|---|---|
| Baseline | Current ownership and pay, with each return shown separately. |
| Alternative 1 | Eligible salary/dividend alternatives based on actual roles and rights. |
| Alternative 2 | Marriage allowance eligibility check alongside keeping both allowances. |
3. Review these results together
- Salary and dividends per person and tax year
- Tax, NI, student loans and net income per person
- Household net income and cash received
4. Check before choosing
- Higher income for one spouse does not by itself establish marriage allowance eligibility.
- Do not transfer income without checking legal ownership, employment and tax conditions.
- Household total must reconcile to its two individual calculations.
Multiple people, ownership, household summaries, return exports and marriage allowance estimates are present. Eligibility still needs the relevant facts.
Official checks: Marriage Allowance eligibility
Keep a baseline copy and record the assumption that changed. Review and save a chosen plan explicitly.
Where do pension contributions belong on my return?
Identify the contribution method before entering a pension amount or comparing outcomes.
1. Confirm the facts
- Separate employee contributions, employer contributions and pension income.
- Check payslips/provider statements: relief at source, net pay or salary sacrifice.
- Confirm net versus gross amounts, tax year, annual allowance and any previous flexible access.
2. Compare the options
These are comparison setups. Calculate each using the linked tools, with the same evidence and horizon.
| Option | What to model |
|---|---|
| Baseline | Current verified pension treatment. |
| Alternative 1 | An additional eligible contribution under the same method. |
| Alternative 2 | A different employer contribution arrangement only after payroll review. |
3. Review these results together
- Taxable pay and adjusted net income
- Tax relief already given versus further relief
- Take-home cash, pension funded and allowance usage
4. Check before choosing
- Pension contributions are not State Pension or occupational pension income.
- Do not deduct net-pay or salary-sacrifice contributions again as relief-at-source contributions.
- Allowance checks and tax relief eligibility are separate.
Personal pension inputs, allowance calculations and company employer-pension modelling exist. Check the contribution method before completing return fields.
Official checks: Pension tax relief methods
Keep a baseline copy and record the assumption that changed. Review and save a chosen plan explicitly.
Is this Self Assessment return correct?
Compare the engine calculation, source evidence and HMRC calculation line by line for the same person and year.
1. Confirm the facts
- Gather P60/P45s, benefits, allowable expenses, dividends, interest, foreign tax and pension evidence.
- Confirm student loan plans, Gift Aid and any foreign tax credit limits.
- Record payments already made separately from the tax liability.
2. Compare the options
These are comparison setups. Calculate each using the linked tools, with the same evidence and horizon.
| Option | What to model |
|---|---|
| Baseline | Evidence-based draft for each person/year. |
| Alternative 1 | Corrected treatment of a disputed or missing entry in a separate draft. |
| Alternative 2 | Filed return as a locked baseline, with an amendment proposal for review. |
3. Review these results together
- Taxable income, allowances and income tax by source
- Student loans and tax deducted at source
- Net liability, payments on account and balancing payment
4. Check before choosing
- Only fill return sections relevant to the evidenced income; pension contributions and pension income are different.
- An exported calculation is not a submitted return or an HMRC receipt.
- Do not overwrite a filed return or silently choose between conflicting amounts.
Company results include per-person/year returns and CSV/PDF exports. Full filing, unsupported reliefs and HMRC account reconciliation require separate checks.
Official checks: Self Assessment returns
Keep a baseline copy and record the assumption that changed. Review and save a chosen plan explicitly.
What do I owe, when, and why is there interest?
Build a dated ledger of liabilities, instalments, payments and HMRC credits.
1. Confirm the facts
- Record the prior-year liability and tax collected at source.
- Enter actual due dates, payments, credits and their allocation dates.
- Separate the current return’s liability from the HMRC account balance.
2. Compare the options
These are comparison setups. Calculate each using the linked tools, with the same evidence and horizon.
| Option | What to model |
|---|---|
| Baseline | Pay on each statutory due date. |
| Alternative 1 | Pay on the proposed later date, showing any supported interest separately. |
| Alternative 2 | Request a justified reduction of payments on account only after reviewing forecast income. |
3. Review these results together
- Each due date and the amount/period it covers
- Payments and credits allocated against each liability
- Outstanding amount and interest assumptions
4. Check before choosing
- A dividend paid in April does not alone set the prior-year-based instalment dates.
- An HMRC credit must be reconciled before treating the full calculation as cash still owed.
- Do not invent current interest rates, credit allocation or PAYE coding eligibility.
Visual Self Assessment reconciliation separates charges, payments, confirmed allocations and unallocated credits. Compare earlier/later payment dates with an illustrative dated interest estimate. Inputs are user-entered, allocations are not inferred, and no payment or HMRC request is made. Private versioned saves and downloadable drafts preserve inputs and history. Record amended assessments, dated allocation releases/moves, repayments and external set-offs; posting dates remain separate from interest dates/EDPs. Fully dated records show balance history. Repayment-interest reviews use separately confirmed credit slices, eligibility and start/end rules, with main-tax rates from 6 February 2000 and projected future rates labelled. Allocated overpayments and estimated repayment interest are not spendable cash. No HMRC entitlement, allocation priority or statement completeness is inferred; penalties and unsupported special arrangements still require separate checks.
Official checks: Payments on account · Understand your statement
Keep a baseline copy and record the assumption that changed. Review and save a chosen plan explicitly.
Do dividends change student loan repayments?
Compare the whole tax year with all applicable loan plans and deductions already made through payroll.
1. Confirm the facts
- Confirm undergraduate and postgraduate plans and repayment start dates from the loan records.
- Record employment, dividends and other unearned income for the full year.
- Gather payroll deductions and any balance/write-off information used in long-term projections.
2. Compare the options
These are comparison setups. Calculate each using the linked tools, with the same evidence and horizon.
| Option | What to model |
|---|---|
| Baseline | Employment-only income. |
| Alternative 1 | The same employment plus the proposed dividends or other income. |
| Alternative 2 | Different payment dates in separate tax years where those dates remain changeable. |
3. Review these results together
- Income tax and NI separately from loan repayments
- Payroll loan deductions and Self Assessment balance
- Net cash after tax and loan repayments
4. Check before choosing
- Do not omit unearned income from the Self Assessment loan check.
- Never subtract payroll deductions twice.
- Show loan repayments separately so changing a plan does not masquerade as a tax change.
Student-loan plans are supported in personal/company estimates and return outputs. Check the selected plans and deductions against actual loan/payroll records.
Official checks: Loans on a tax return
Keep a baseline copy and record the assumption that changed. Review and save a chosen plan explicitly.
Our company year-end changed: is everything aligned?
Align accounting periods, corporation-tax periods, personal tax years and filed evidence.
1. Confirm the facts
- Confirm incorporation, trading start and each actual period start/end from filed documents.
- Gather CT600, accounts, PAYE records and filing/payment receipts.
- Identify which periods are filed and which future inputs remain changeable.
2. Compare the options
These are comparison setups. Calculate each using the linked tools, with the same evidence and horizon.
| Option | What to model |
|---|---|
| Baseline | The verified historical periods as a locked baseline. |
| Alternative 1 | Correct future periods using the evidenced new year-end. |
| Alternative 2 | Separate draft correction/amendment rather than shifting filed history. |
3. Review these results together
- Actual dates beside every company and personal period
- Revenue, pay, costs, corporation tax and balances by period
- Filed totals versus modelled totals and unexplained differences
4. Check before choosing
- Accounts and corporation-tax returns may cover different intervals.
- Do not silently move out-of-range entries to the nearest date.
- An unsigned document, prepared return and submitted return are different statuses.
Company-period inputs, trading-start handling, filed-year figures and CT600 review tools exist. Official filing status still needs documentary evidence.
Official checks: Corporation Tax accounting periods
Keep a baseline copy and record the assumption that changed. Review and save a chosen plan explicitly.
How long can I keep staff or hire someone?
Compare staff cost and pay commitments against dated receipts and a minimum cash reserve.
1. Confirm the facts
- Confirm each person’s start/end dates, gross pay, employer pension and other costs.
- Enter expected revenue receipt dates, contribution margin and opening cash.
- Include notice, final payroll, tax and closing-account costs where applicable.
2. Compare the options
These are comparison setups. Calculate each using the linked tools, with the same evidence and horizon.
| Option | What to model |
|---|---|
| Baseline | Existing commitments with no additional hiring. |
| Alternative 1 | Specified headcount and start dates with the same revenue. |
| Alternative 2 | Revenue ending earlier or arriving late, plus a wind-down reserve. |
3. Review these results together
- Minimum company cash and date of any shortfall
- Headcount and cost assumptions by period
- Tax, household pay and ending reserves
4. Check before choosing
- An annual positive balance does not prove every payday is funded.
- Employment Allowance eligibility and employer NI must be checked, not assumed.
- No legal redundancy, employment-status or closure decision is made by the calculator.
Annual hiring and dated hiring comparisons exist in the assistant where enabled. Payroll, legal obligations and unsupported period shapes require review.
Official checks: Employing staff
Keep a baseline copy and record the assumption that changed. Review and save a chosen plan explicitly.
How do I explain changing income to a lender?
Build a consistent household income timeline and source-of-funds trail alongside the home budget.
1. Confirm the facts
- Gather salary/dividends per person/year, SA302s, tax-year overviews, contracts and payslips.
- Trace savings transfers through each bank/investment account without counting transfers as new income.
- Record gifts, purchase costs, intended property use and broker/lender requirements.
2. Compare the options
These are comparison setups. Calculate each using the linked tools, with the same evidence and horizon.
| Option | What to model |
|---|---|
| Baseline | The evidenced current income and purchase budget. |
| Alternative 1 | A lower-income period or higher mortgage rate. |
| Alternative 2 | Gifted cash versus selling investments, with tax and lender conditions reviewed separately. |
3. Review these results together
- Household gross and net income by tax year
- Verified source and destination of each deposit
- Completion cash needed and remaining reserve
- Monthly mortgage payment and stressed surplus
4. Check before choosing
- Forecast company value is not necessarily income a lender accepts.
- A tax calculation is not an underwriting decision.
- Confirm gifted-fund and property-use conditions with the lender/broker; do not assume that timing avoids disclosure.
Mortgage affordability, saved-income comparisons and a private user-reviewed lender evidence index are supported. Keep actual personal income, annual salary rates, forecasts and company turnover distinct; trace deposits through accounts without counting transfers as new income. Review and copy stored payslips, canonical bank occurrences or quoted facts from current assistant document reviews into the lender draft. Confirm recipient, GBP basis and actual periods; company turnover stays outside personal income and paired transfers stay one movement. Local originals can be matched into a download ZIP with an index and missing-file manifest. These user-reviewed copies and PDF/CSV indexes do not certify authenticity, complete history or lender acceptance.
Official checks: Preparing to buy a home
Keep a baseline copy and record the assumption that changed. Review and save a chosen plan explicitly.
Is employment or company income better for me?
Compare like-for-like total employer/client cost with household income and company funds kept separate.
1. Confirm the facts
- Confirm salary or contract revenue, actual business costs and the comparison dates.
- Record employer pension, NI, Employment Allowance eligibility and other household income.
- Confirm employment/IR35 status separately from the tax arithmetic.
2. Compare the options
These are comparison setups. Calculate each using the linked tools, with the same evidence and horizon.
| Option | What to model |
|---|---|
| Baseline | Employment at the stated total employer cost. |
| Alternative 1 | Company trading with salary/dividends and retained funds. |
| Alternative 2 | Pension and lower-revenue alternatives with the same assumptions. |
3. Review these results together
- Household net cash
- Employer pension and total employer/client cost
- Company retained funds and total tax/NI
4. Check before choosing
- Do not compare company revenue directly with an employee’s salary.
- Do not treat retained company money as personal net income.
- Status and Employment Allowance eligibility cannot be decided by an assumed calculator checkbox.
Contractor, employment and company models are available. The comparison must use equivalent costs and independently confirmed status.
Official checks: Employment status
Keep a baseline copy and record the assumption that changed. Review and save a chosen plan explicitly.
Should I sell investments or use other cash?
Compare net sale proceeds and tax with the alternative source of cash.
1. Confirm the facts
- Gather dated acquisitions/disposals, quantities, fees and losses.
- Separate ISA/pension assets, taxable investments and transfers between your own accounts.
- For property income, distinguish rent, expenses, mortgage interest and ownership.
2. Compare the options
These are comparison setups. Calculate each using the linked tools, with the same evidence and horizon.
| Option | What to model |
|---|---|
| Baseline | Keep the investment/property and use available cash. |
| Alternative 1 | Sell a specified quantity on the proposed date. |
| Alternative 2 | Different dates or rental treatments only where legally available. |
3. Review these results together
- Cash proceeds after estimated tax and fees
- Remaining cash reserve
- Taxable gains or rental profit versus gross receipts
4. Check before choosing
- Gross sale proceeds are not a capital gain.
- Do not assume broker cash transfers create new taxable income.
- Property disposal relief, trusts and complex residence issues need their own assessment.
Share/crypto matching and rental-income estimates exist. Complex property disposal relief and investment recommendations are outside these estimates.
Official checks: Tax on shares
Keep a baseline copy and record the assumption that changed. Review and save a chosen plan explicitly.
Am I on the right PAYE tax code?
Compare the payslip code with a personal-allowance baseline and the adjustments HMRC has recorded.
1. Confirm the facts
- Current full code including emergency suffix; main home; all jobs and pensions.
- Full-year taxable income, benefits, State Pension and pension/Gift Aid relief.
- HMRC coding-notice additions, deductions and allocation across jobs.
2. Compare the options
These are comparison setups. Calculate each using the linked tools, with the same evidence and horizon.
| Option | What to model |
|---|---|
| Baseline | Current code compared with the baseline from declared details. |
| Alternative 1 | Corrected HMRC income/benefit details before versus after a change. |
3. Review these results together
- Code-number allowance versus calculated allowance
- Adjusted net income and allowance taper
- Regional prefix, emergency basis and special-code checks
4. Check before choosing
- A difference is not automatically an error or a refund amount.
- Multiple jobs, special allowances, K codes and in-year collection need the coding notice.
- Only HMRC issues the code; update incorrect details rather than instructing payroll to override it.
Local interactive PAYE reasonableness check with an allowance breakdown and HMRC next steps. No payslip upload or personal-data transmission to an AI provider.
Official checks: HMRC code meanings · Update incorrect details
Keep a baseline copy and record the assumption that changed. Review and save a chosen plan explicitly.