Business financial planning, in plain terms
Running a company creates financial planning opportunities most employees never see. Corporation Tax, dividend rules, employer pension contributions, National Insurance and business relief all interact — and the right structure can make a meaningful difference to what you keep, what your family receives, and what your employees earn.
Since April 2026, employer National Insurance has risen to 15% on qualifying earnings, and dividend tax rates increased by 2%. Both changes tilt the balance in favour of employer pension contributions as an extraction route for many director-shareholders. But the right answer depends on your profits, your salary/dividend mix, your age, and your long-term goals. There's no universal template.
What we help business owners actually decide
How to extract profits tax-efficiently
Salary, dividend, pension, or a considered blend of all three. We model the numbers using your actual company profits, personal position and long-term goals — not a generic calculator.
Employer pension contributions
Contributions your company pays directly into your pension are normally deductible against Corporation Tax, don't attract National Insurance, and aren't limited by your salary. For directors in the £50k–£250k marginal profit band, the effective saving is around 26.5%. Unused annual allowance from the previous three tax years can typically be carried forward.
Workplace pensions and auto-enrolment
If you employ staff, you have duties under auto-enrolment: a minimum of 3% employer contribution and 5% employee contribution on qualifying earnings between £6,240 and £50,270. We help you meet those duties without paying over the odds, and — where it fits — enhance the offer to make it a genuine benefit that supports retention.
Key-person and shareholder protection
What happens to your business if a founder, director or key employee is seriously ill or dies? Key-person cover, shareholder protection and relevant life plans can keep a business trading — and keep control in the right hands.
Exit and succession planning
Whether you plan to sell, pass the business to family, or wind it down over time, the right structure years ahead of an exit usually produces a meaningfully better financial outcome. We work alongside your accountant to plan for the exit you actually want.
The two most valuable pieces of financial advice a business owner usually receives are the ones about the pension contribution they didn't know they could make and the succession plan they hadn't yet started.
Working alongside your accountant
We don't replace your accountant — we work with them. Your accountant looks after your company's books, tax returns and compliance. We look after the wider financial planning: retirement, tax-efficient extraction, personal and business protection, and the plan that ties it all together. In most cases the best outcomes come from us and your accountant reading the same set of numbers.
A pension is a long term investment the fund value may fluctuate and can go down. Your eventual income may depend upon the size of the fund at retirement, future interest rates and tax legislation.
Employer and workplace pension schemes are regulated by The Pensions Regulator.
Taxation is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.