Keep more of what you earn — the honest way
Proactive, legitimate tax planning that looks ahead instead of back — using the allowances, reliefs and timing you're entitled to, so you keep more of what you work for.
Tax planning is arranging your affairs in advance to pay no more tax than the law requires — using legitimate allowances, reliefs and timing. It is entirely lawful and quite different from tax evasion, which is illegal. We plan honestly and defensibly, always firmly within HMRC's rules.
Plan ahead, not in hindsight
Most tax is decided long before the return is filed — by choices you make during the year, often without realising. By the time the bill arrives, the chance to do anything about it has usually gone. Tax planning simply moves the thinking forward, to where it can actually make a difference.
We look at how you draw income, how you invest, when you buy and sell, and how allowances and reliefs can work harder for you. Salary versus dividends, pension contributions, capital gains timing, R&D relief where it fits — all considered together, all firmly within the rules.
This is honest, defensible planning — the kind that stands up to scrutiny and lets you sleep at night. Never schemes, never grey areas, never anything that puts you at risk with HMRC. Just paying the right amount, and not a penny more.
Any of this hit home?
- You've a nagging sense you pay more tax than you really need to.
- You're unsure whether to take salary, dividends, or some mix of both.
- You only ever think about tax once the year is already over.
- Allowances and reliefs feel like something other people know how to use.
- You're about to sell an asset and worried about the capital gains hit.
- You want to plan sensibly but stay well clear of anything dodgy.
If so, some forward planning is exactly what stands between you and an avoidable tax bill.
Planning that works across the year
A considered, legitimate look at every lever available to you — for your business and for you personally.
Profit extraction planning
The right balance of salary, dividends and pension to draw income tax-efficiently.
Pension & investment planning
Using pension contributions and allowances to reduce tax while building for the future.
Allowances & reliefs review
Making full use of the personal, dividend, savings and capital gains allowances you're due.
Timing & disposals
Planning the timing of purchases, sales and capital gains to fall where they cost you least.
R&D and specialist reliefs
Identifying research and development or other reliefs your business may legitimately claim.
A year-round sounding board
Someone to call before big decisions, so tax is factored in while it can still be shaped.
Three steps to a lighter tax bill
We understand the full picture
We look at your business, your income and your goals together, because good planning joins the two up.
We map the opportunities
We identify the legitimate reliefs, allowances and timing that apply to you, and explain each one plainly.
We put the plan in motion
We agree the actions worth taking, implement them, and revisit as the year and the rules move on.
Plan before the year ends
The personal tax year runs to 5 April, and most planning opportunities — pension top-ups, using your £3,000 annual capital gains exemption, dividend timing — must be acted on before that date to count. Once the year closes, the options largely close with it. We review your position in good time, every year.
Common questions about tax planning
Completely. Tax planning means arranging your affairs to use the allowances and reliefs Parliament created — pensions, ISAs, the dividend allowance and so on. That's lawful and expected. Tax evasion, by contrast, means hiding income or misleading HMRC, and it's a crime. We only ever do the former, and only in ways that stand up to scrutiny.
For most director-shareholders, a modest salary up to a sensible threshold plus dividends on top is more tax-efficient than salary alone, because dividends carry lower rates and no National Insurance. But the right mix depends on your profits, other income and pension plans. We calculate the optimal split for your circumstances.
As early as possible, and certainly before the 5 April year-end. Most of the useful moves — pension contributions, using your allowances, timing a disposal — have to be made during the tax year to count. Leave it until the return is due and the window has usually closed. Ongoing, year-round planning always beats a last-minute look.
Often, yes. We can plan the timing of a disposal, make full use of your annual exempt amount, consider spreading a sale across tax years, and check whether reliefs like Business Asset Disposal Relief apply. The key is planning before you sell — once the deal is done, the options shrink dramatically.
You might also need
Ready to stop overpaying tax?
Book a free consultation and we'll review your position, point out the legitimate opportunities you may be missing, and give you a clear, fixed quote for ongoing planning — no obligation.
We reply within one working day.