Off-Payroll Working Rules: A 2026 Compliance Guide
A contractor dispute rarely starts with a tax calculation. It starts with an invoice held back, a project manager insisting that a contractor works like an employee, or an HMRC letter asking why the business treated a long-term consultant as self-employed. By then, the finance team may be searching through contracts, emails, timesheets and payroll […]
Witness Statement Guide: Drafting for UK Courts
You know the moment. A director finds out a counterparty's story has shifted, the finance team can't reconcile the numbers, and the paper trail is scattered across email, bank feeds, and half-finished schedules. In that kind of dispute, the wrong witness statement doesn't just weaken the case, it can hand the other side a cleaner […]
Chain of Custody in UK Forensic Accounting and Litigation
You can have a strong fraud theory, a plausible loss, and a tidy schedule of figures, then lose the lot because the evidence moved through the business like an email attachment, not a controlled exhibit. In UK disputes, that's the ruinous part. People often spot the loss late, then ask IT, finance, or an outside […]
Shares at Premium: A UK Guide for SMEs
You don't usually spot a share premium problem when the money lands in the bank. You spot it later, when a director has already treated the cash like spare working capital, a lender wants comfort on the equity story, or a dispute solicitor asks why dividends were paid from a reserve that was never distributable […]
Evidence Gathering for Corporate Investigations
The case usually goes wrong before anyone gets near a witness box. A finance director spots unexplained payments, a solicitor receives a half-baked bundle from a departing partner, or an insurer asks for records that no one can quite explain. By the time people call for help, the damage isn't just financial, it's evidential. That's […]
Payment Fraud Detection Guide for UK Businesses
Your finance team spots the pattern too late. A supplier payment goes out, the bank file looks clean, and then someone notices that the beneficiary name doesn't match the usual payee. By the time the directors ask for answers, the money has moved, the inbox trail is messy, and everyone is trying to work out […]
UK guide to Stamp Duty on Holiday Homes
You can get the key wrong before you've even signed the contract. A buyer walks into a coastal cottage purchase thinking the holiday home will cost the same stamp duty as a normal main residence, then the solicitor's bill lands and the SDLT number is brutally higher. That shock usually comes from one simple mistake, […]
Guide on how to prove Fraud
Fraud usually doesn't arrive with a confession. It shows up as a missing supplier payment, a payroll run that looks slightly off, or a director who keeps delaying access to the ledger. By the time the worry settles in, the problem is often bigger than the loss itself, because no one wants to accuse the […]
Guide to Expert Witness Fees in the UK
The worst cases don't start in court. They start when a director opens a folder, spots numbers that don't tie, and realises the damage has already spread through payroll, stock, invoices, or a claim that's about to be challenged. By then, the pressure is brutal. You need evidence, you need speed, and you need to […]
Ltd Plc Difference: A UK Business Owner’s Guide
You usually don’t call a forensic accountant when things are calm. You call when the numbers no longer add up, when a shareholder starts asking awkward questions, when a divorce solicitor wants a clean valuation, or when a fraud claim, insurance dispute, or winding-up threat turns a routine company file into evidence. That’s where the […]