The Caboodle Blog
Payroll Compliance in 2026: What Every Salisbury Employer Needs to Know
A practical 2026 payroll compliance guide for Salisbury employers covering minimum wage, National Insurance, SSP, RTI, PAYE deadlines, pensions and year-end tasks.
How to Read Your P&L Like a Business Owner, Not Just an Accountant
Learn how to read a profit and loss statement, understand margins, separate profit from cash and turn monthly figures into clearer business decisions.
Refresh, Refocus & Restart 2026: A Salisbury Business Coaching Workshop
Ian from Caboodle and Howard Longstaff of Red Fish Coaching delivered a 90-minute business coaching workshop for Salisbury business owners.
Small Business Tax Planning Checklist for Salisbury Business Owners
Tax planning is not about clever accounting tricks. For most small businesses, it is typically about looking ahead early enough to make sensible decisions before the deadline has already passed. That might mean setting money aside for a Self Assessment payment,...
6 VAT Mistakes Salisbury Businesses Make (And How to Avoid Them)
VAT has a way of looking simple until it’s not. You charge VAT on sales, reclaim VAT on purchases, submit a return, and pay HMRC the difference. In principle, that is straightforward. In practice, VAT is one of the areas where small mistakes can snowball quickly. The...
When Should You Hire an Accountant? A Checklist for Salisbury Start-Ups
Most start-ups put off hiring an accountant for one of two reasons. Either they think their business is too small to need one, or they assume it’ll cost more than they can justify. Both assumptions are usually wrong, but knowing when an accountant genuinely earns...
Self-Assessment Made Simple: A Guide for Salisbury Sole Traders
For a lot of sole traders, Self Assessment is the most stressful date in the calendar. It doesn’t need to be. The actual return is more straightforward than people imagine. What creates the stress is leaving it to the last minute, not knowing what to include, and...
5 Cash Flow Habits That Keep Small Businesses Growing Year After Year
Turnover is vanity, profit is sanity, but cash is reality. It’s an old line in accountancy circles and it’s worth repeating, because plenty of small businesses still get caught out by it. You can be profitable on paper and still find yourself short at the end of the...
Making Tax Digital 2026: What Self-Employed People Need to Know
Most self-employed people have an annual rhythm. Earn money through the year, keep track of what you can, pull it all together in January, file your Self Assessment, and breathe out. It’s not always pleasant, but it’s familiar. Making Tax Digital is changing that...
More Than Numbers: Why the Best Accountants Also Care About the Person Behind the Business
Running a business is demanding. It can be tricky carrying the responsibility for staying clear-headed when everything seems to be pulling you in different directions. There are financial pressures, and decisions to make that don't have obvious answers. There will be...
CIS Tax Refunds: How Salisbury CIS Subcontractors Can Claim Back What They’re Owed
If you're a CIS subcontractor, you may have had more tax deducted than you actually owe once your expenses and personal allowance are taken into account. Every time a contractor pays you, they deduct tax under the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) and send it...
Sole Trader or Limited Company?
What’s best for you and your business? Starting or growing a business is exciting — but it comes with decisions that can feel a little overwhelming. One of the first big questions many UK business owners face is: “Should I trade as a sole trader, or set up a limited...