Giving Carter a Kickstart

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We are so pleased to welcome Carter to HB team as our Junior Finance Team Assistant. Carter has joined us for 6 months on the government’s Kickstart Scheme, which provides funding to create new jobs for 16-24 year olds.

Carter has recently secured his A Levels and decided to pursue training, rather than heading off to University. When he has lots of valuable experience under his belt, Carter hopes to find an Apprenticeship scheme or a role that will allow him to develop his natural numeracy skills.

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COVID support schemes are ending, find out what is continuing

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The SEISS fifth grant period ends today as does the furlough scheme, with employers having until 14 October to submit a claim for the latter – as does the VAT reduction for hospitality and tourism to 5%, which will see an increase to 12.5

The ICAEW have issued a handy timeline for the remaining schemes.

Two forms of data are shown in the chart: how much money has been spent or lent on each scheme so far, and each scheme’s end date.

The chart does not include all of the support measures provided by the government or the Bank of England to businesses and individuals, for example the £20 a week uplift in universal credit to those on low incomes that also comes to an end on 30 September or the corporate finance lending facilities provided by the Bank of England to very large businesses.

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Phishing email – Think that you won’t open one?

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We all send emails daily. Yet, an increasingly large number of emails are a phishing email. Phishing (pronounced “fishing”) emails are sent by criminals who want you to give them your personal details. The email will ask you to fill in a form or to click on a link and download code to your computer – this allows the criminals to simply gather information or more severely, attack your IT system by implanting malware: software that will disrupt or destroy your data or tools or install ransomware, which encrypts data that will only be released once the victim has paid a ransom. Cybercrime is sadly rife.

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HB Accountants are buzzing about positive changes

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Climate chance: Evidence shows that our planet is warming up. The Paris Agreement is the UK’s legal target to achieve net zero by 2050 – businesses all over Hertfordshire and Essex and throughout the UK are collectively on this journey together – the first step: create a plan. Embedding that plan and utilising your business’ net zero efficiencies and educating your people will drive a positive change.

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The HB Accountants History part 4: The life of a post-war articled clerk

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As we celebrate our 100th birthday, we thought it would be fun to look back at the history of HB Accountants. You can read part 1 – our birth – here or read about how the 2nd World War impacted us here or how we got our name here. In this blog, part 4, we revisit what life was like for an articled clerk, learning his trade as an accountant.

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12 things your Charity needs to know about Gift Aid

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Registered charities and Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) can claim an additional 25p for every £1 donated by an individual. This whopping 25% boost on donations is known as Gift Aid and it can soon add up. As accountants working with a number of charities, we are well aware of the difference this extra money can make to that fantastic work you are all doing.

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