The Winchester Bookkeeping Company

Bookkeeping, accounts and tax support for sole traders in Hampshire

  • Home
  • About
  • Is this you?
  • Work with me
    • Work with Karen
    • Creating your business
    • Running your business
    • Growing your business
  • Blog
  • Praise
  • Contact

About Karen Upcraft

Karen Upcraft wants to live in a world where people who've had the courage and vision to set up their own business are supported to make it work. As a Chartered Accountant, Karen helps Hampshire's small business owners setup, run and grow their businesses in ways that are manageable, affordable and help them keep more of their hard-earned income.

Autumn Budget 2017: A summary for small business owners

November 24, 2017 By Karen Upcraft

Autumn Budget 2017 for small business owners

This week, Phillip Hammond, the Chancellor presented his Autumn Budget for 2017 and for small business owners, nothing that was announced really “rocked the boat”. It was a budget of lots of small measures rather than any big announcement. There were however a few pointers to some bigger changes that may come about in the […]

Filed Under: Budgeting for small business, Business planning, Personal taxation, Self assessment, Self employment, Tax planning, VAT, Working from home Tagged With: 2017 Autumn budget, 2018-19 tax year, Class 2 National Insurance, Making Tax Digital, NICs, Self employed income tax, sole trader self assessment, sole traders tax return, tax planning, VAT threshold

But my friend claims that as a tax expense……..

November 24, 2017 By Karen Upcraft

claiming a tax expense

Being able to chat to a friend about the ups-and-downs of running your small businesses can sometimes make all the difference to getting through the week with your sanity intact. You’re out there on our own so sharing the success, moaning about the difficulties and working out the parts you don’t have first-hand knowledge in, can […]

Filed Under: Personal taxation, Self assessment, Self employment, Tax planning, VAT Tagged With: personal taxation, self assessment tax, sole trader self assessment, sole traders tax return, tax planning, Tax returns, Using an accountant

Are you using your Personal Tax Account?

October 18, 2017 By Karen Upcraft

Personal Tax Account

What’s the thing you dislike most about dealing with your own personal tax affairs? Other than the ever-present stress of getting your tax return done and dusted, don’t you just dread putting in phone calls to HMRC?  I know I do. Dealing with even the most mundane of matters can eat into my precious working […]

Filed Under: Bookkeeping and accounting, Business planning, Personal taxation, Self assessment, Self employment, Tax planning Tagged With: Making Tax Digital, Personal Tax Account, personal taxation, SA302, Self employed income tax, Self-employment, sole trader bookkeeping, sole trader self assessment, tax planning, Tax returns

Self-employed? 6 tips to boost your chances of getting a mortgage

September 9, 2017 By Karen Upcraft

Self-employed mortgage

Self-employment is an increasingly popular lifestyle and career choice for many. But while the benefits of being your own boss and the flexibility afforded are something to celebrate, the path can be littered with challenges. Obtaining a mortgage is one of them. It’s not easy. But, in my two-part blog series I help show you how […]

Filed Under: Budgeting for small business, Business planning, Record keeping, Self assessment, Self employment, Tax planning Tagged With: Accountants certificate, limited company accounts, record keeping, SA302, se, self assessment, self employed, self-employed mortgage, Self-employment, sole trader self assessment

I’m self-employed. How can I prove my income for a mortgage?

September 9, 2017 By Karen Upcraft

Self-employed? How can i prove your income for a mortgage.

Many people dream of becoming their own boss and enjoying the flexibility that self-employment affords. But when it comes to securing a mortgage, being classed as self-employed, rather than employed can seem like pushing water uphill. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that hard – it is possible to get a […]

Filed Under: Business planning, Personal taxation, Record keeping, Self employment, Tax planning Tagged With: Accountants certificate, Limited company director, Obtaining a mortgage, Partnerships, SA302, Self-employed income, Self-employment, sole trader, Tax overview

Making Tax Digital – what you need to know

September 7, 2017 By Karen Upcraft

Making Tax Digital - what you need to know

Digitalising the tax system has been a hot topic on the government’s agenda for several years now. My earlier blog “I’m a sole trader – will I need to submit 4 tax returns a year?” outlined the government’s initial proposals on Making Tax Digital (MTD). The last year has seen a huge response from the […]

Filed Under: Accounting software, Bookkeeping and accounting, online accounting software, Personal taxation, Record keeping, Self assessment, Self employment, VAT Tagged With: Making Tax Digital, Online accounting software, Self-employment, sole trader bookkeeping, sole trader self assessment, Tax returns, Xero

Are you guilty of sabotaging self-employment?

May 21, 2017 By Karen Upcraft

Are you guilty of sabotaging self-employment?

It’s taken commitment, guts and talent to create something out of nothing. And that’s something to celebrate! But the self-employment path is littered with challenges. Things like market conditions, competition, and supply and demand remain outside our control. But often it’s the things we can actually control that we’re guilty of unintentionally sabotaging. Maybe it’s […]

Filed Under: Accounting software, Bookkeeping and accounting, Pricing your product and services, Record keeping, Self assessment, Self employment, Starting Up, Working from home Tagged With: record keeping, self assessment, self assessment tax, Self-employment, sole trader bookkeeping, sole trader self assessment, solopreneurs, starting up a business, Tax returns, Using an accountant

Employed and self-employed – What tax will I pay?

March 26, 2017 By Karen Upcraft

What tax do I pay if I am self-employed and employed

You’re currently employed but want to start up a business as a sideline either because you are transitioning from a hobby or you’re keen to supplement your income. Either way, you’re ready to take the leap but haven’t quite got your head around the tax side of things. Am I right? The first thing to […]

Filed Under: Budgeting for small business, Personal taxation, Self assessment, Self employment, Starting Up, Working from home Tagged With: employed Income tax, hobby business, National Insurance, personal taxation, self assessment, Self employed income tax, Self-employment, sole trader, starting up a business, Tax returns

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 5
  • Next Page »

Connect with me online

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Contact me

Phone: 07596 516670
Email: [email protected]

leave me a message >

Hop onto my mailing list for helpful notes and inspiration

Recent Posts

  • Autumn Budget 2017: A summary for small business owners
  • But my friend claims that as a tax expense……..
  • Are you using your Personal Tax Account?
  • Self-employed? 6 tips to boost your chances of getting a mortgage
  • I’m self-employed. How can I prove my income for a mortgage?

Blog categories

  • Accounting software
  • Bookkeeping and accounting
  • Budgeting for small business
  • Business planning
  • Excel
  • online accounting software
  • Personal taxation
  • Pricing your product and services
  • Record keeping
  • Self assessment
  • Self employment
  • Starting Up
  • Tax planning
  • Uncategorized
  • VAT
  • Working from home

Copyright © 2025
The Winchester Bookkeeping Company Ltd. Registered office: The Elms, Itchen Abbas,SO21 1BN. Registered in England & Wales. No: 8942503.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT