Invoice Discounting Guide
Invoice discounting is a form of business funding that improves cashflow by leveraging unpaid invoices. Before making any decision as to the right form of financing for a business, it is essential to understand what invoice discounting is and how this process works in practice. In this guide, we outline the pros and cons of invoice […]
Invoice Factoring: Essential Guide
Invoice factoring is way for businesses to raise capital and resolve immediate cashflow problems. Invoice factoring can be ideal for businesses looking for a more flexible way to finance new opportunities, and for businesses with challenging circumstances or that do not qualify for a traditional-style loan, for example, due to poor credit or a short trading […]
Invoice Finance: How Does it Work?
If you’re considering using invoice finance, read our guide to understand how his type of funding could work for your business. Resolving cashflow problems can be a hurdle for any size or type of business, not least where a business works with other businesses on deferred payment terms. This is because extending credit terms, even […]
What are Bearer Shares?
Bearer shares are unregistered securities in a company, which are wholly owned by the holder of the physical share certificate, the bearer, hence the term ‘bearer shares’. Although these types of shares have certain advantages, their use is declining worldwide because of the potential for misuse and are in fact only still recognised by a […]
Sources of Funding
Whether your business needs help with day-to-day cash flow, funding for a significant purchase, or money to fuel expansion plans, there are many different sources of funding available to businesses. The initial challenge will be to decide which finance option best suits your needs and eligibility. In this guide, we delve into some of the […]
Loans to Shareholders Rules
It is not uncommon for business-owners to want to borrow money from their company from time to time, and it is important to know how these types of loans work in practice. The following guide to the rules on businesses loaning to shareholders, or director-shareholders, looks at what is allowed, what interest should be charged, […]
What are Preference Shares?
Preference shares hold status as a special class of share, affording specific advantages to those purchasing them. The following guide on preference shares looks at what these are, the different types, how these differ to ordinary shares, and how preference shares are treated in the event of bankruptcy. We also provide a useful summary of […]
Enterprise Management Incentives: EMI Scheme Guide
Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI) are just one of a number of tax-advantaged employee share schemes allowing employers to share company ownership with their staff. The EMI scheme is specifically aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), helping SMEs to recruit and retain the key talent that they need to scale up effectively in an otherwise […]
How Do Commercial Bridge Loans Work?
Bridging finance can offer a lifeline to businesses, property developers and landlords in scenarios where timing is of the essence and other financial options, such as commercial mortgages, are not viable. In this guide for businesses, we explain what commercial bridge loans are, when these are used, how they work, who is eligible and how […]
What is a Debenture? (Fixed & Floating Charges)
Debentures are a common way for business lenders in the UK, especially for traditional lenders such as banks, to grant a loan to a company or limited liability partnership, providing the lender with security in the event that the company defaults on its repayments. As a business owner looking for external lending, it is important […]
What is Ordinary Share Capital?
When running a limited company, it’s important to understand the different legal concepts involved, from both an accounting and company law perspective. In particular, a number of key UK tax provisions turn, in part, upon the meaning of ‘ordinary share capital’. Equally, it’s important to understand the benefits and drawbacks of ordinary share capital, when […]
New Covid-19 Recovery Fund: £20 Million in Grants For Small Business
The Government has announced it is offering £20 million in small business grants as part of its push to kickstart the economy. Grants of between £1,000 to £5,000 are being made available to provide much-needed cash injections to small businesses in England that have been hit by the pandemic. The grants have been launched to […]
Coronavirus: Business Support Grants
The UK Government is offering a number of grants and schemes to help businesses deal with the challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Wage grants Under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, employers can claim back up to 80% of wages for staff designated as ‘furloughed’, up to a maximum of £2500 per month per worker. […]
What is an Employee Share Scheme?
As an employee, you may have the opportunity to acquire shares in the company that employs you. This is known as an “Employee Share Scheme”. Below we look at how Employee Share Schemes work and what tax advantages you will benefit from when you acquire, or dispose of, employment-related shares. What is an Employee […]
How do Employee Share Schemes Work?
Many employers offer employee share schemes to attract and retain top talent by ensuring both employee and employer interests are on the same path. With strict and detailed HMRC legislation to adhere to, however, it is important to fully plan an employee share scheme before it is put into place to ensure tax compliance. So […]