Fileminder articles, page 3
Showing 24 of 106 articles.
- Capital gains tax on UK company shares: what non-resident directors need to know
Most non-resident Arab directors who sell shares in a UK trading company pay zero UK capital gains tax. Here is why, and the one exception involving UK property that catches Gulf directors by surprise.
July 2026 · 7
- P11D and director benefits in kind: the guide for UK company directors
If your company pays for your phone, your car, your private health insurance, or anything else that benefits you personally, HMRC wants a record of it. Here is what a P11D is, when you need to file one, and what happens if you don't.
July 2026 · 6
- IR35 and the non-resident director: does off-payroll working apply to you?
IR35 is one of the most misunderstood pieces of UK tax legislation. Arab directors often worry it applies to them when operating their own UK company from the Gulf. In the vast majority of cases, it does not, here is why.
July 2026 · 5
- Company secretary for a UK limited company: what the role actually means
Private limited companies have not been legally required to appoint a company secretary since 2008. Many Arab directors still think they need one, or confuse it with an office role. Here is what the role is, what it is not, and when it matters.
July 2026 · 5
- Closing a UK company: strike-off vs liquidation, what Arab directors need to know
Many Gulf directors abandon their UK companies when they stop trading, leaving the company on the register, accumulating penalties, and sometimes triggering compulsory strike-off. Here is how to close a UK company properly.
July 2026 · 6
- UK VAT and your UK company: the £90,000 threshold and what it means for Arab directors
Most Arab directors with small UK limited companies will never hit the VAT threshold. But if your UK company sells to UK customers, knowing when registration becomes mandatory, and what it requires from overseas, matters.
July 2026 · 5
- Sole trader vs UK limited company: the comparison Arab directors actually need
Arab directors almost always choose a UK limited company over the sole trader route, and for good reason. But understanding why helps you make a confident decision and avoid the misconceptions that come from comparing UK structures to GCC equivalents.
July 2026 · 6
- UK corporation tax: when to pay, how to pay from overseas, and the mistake Gulf directors make
Corporation tax has two separate deadlines, one for filing the return and a different, earlier deadline for paying the tax. Confusing them is a common and costly mistake for Arab directors who handle their own accounts.
July 2026 · 5
- UK Company Name Rules: What Companies House Accepts
Choosing a UK company name involves more rules than most Arab directors expect. Sensitive words need approval, similar names are rejected, and Arabic script cannot be used in the registered name. Here is what you need to know before you apply.
July 2026 · 5
- UK Company and Egyptian Tax: Two Jurisdictions, One Director
Running a UK company from Cairo means navigating two tax systems at once. UK Corporation Tax hits the company at 19–25%. Egypt taxes you personally on what you draw out, at rates up to 25% on salary and 10% withholding on dividends. The UK-Egypt double tax treaty helps, but only if you structure things correctly.
July 2026 · 6
- UK Company vs Jordanian Tax: The Sector-Rate Difference Most Directors Miss
Jordan's corporate tax is not a flat rate, it's sector-dependent. Banks and telecoms pay 35%; most other companies pay 20%. A UK company pays a flat 19% regardless of sector. For Jordanian directors in financial services or telecoms, this gap is material.
July 2026 · 6
- How to Transfer Shares in a UK Company as a Non-Resident Director
Bringing in a co-director, selling part of the business, or restructuring ownership as a non-resident, share transfers in a UK limited company involve specific forms, potential tax, and a PSC register update most directors forget.
July 2026 · 5
- Why Arab Directors Often Get Their UK Registered Office Wrong
Your registered office is not just a formality, it's the address where HMRC sends penalty notices, Companies House sends strike-off warnings, and courts serve legal papers. Getting this wrong is more consequential than most Arab directors realise.
July 2026 · 4
- UAE LLC vs UK Limited Company: Which to Choose
Most Arab founders ask this at some point: Dubai or the UK? The honest answer depends on where your customers are, how you want to bank, and what you're paying for the structure each year. Here's the comparison most financial advisers won't give you.
July 2026 · 7
- UK company for Amazon FBA and e-commerce sellers from the Arab world
Amazon UK requires a legal entity to sell at scale. A UK limited company is the cleanest structure, but it brings VAT, import duty, and HMRC obligations that most Gulf-based FBA sellers don't get told about until it's too late.
July 2026 · 6
- My UK company hasn't filed in years, what to do now
You set up a UK company, life got busy, filings piled up, and now you're not sure what state the company is in. This is more common than you think, and it's usually fixable. Here is exactly what has accrued, what the options are, and the correct sequence to fix it.
July 2026 · 6
- Adding a business partner to your UK company after formation, director, shareholder, or both?
Bringing in a partner after your UK company is already registered involves two completely separate processes, one to make them a director, another to make them a shareholder. Most Arab directors assume they're the same thing. They are not.
July 2026 · 5
- What UK companies can, and cannot, deduct as business expenses
HMRC's test for a deductible expense is deceptively simple: 'wholly and exclusively for the purposes of the trade.' In practice, disputes are never about obvious personal expenses, they're about the grey area. Here's where Arab directors most commonly get it wrong.
July 2026 · 6
- UK dividend allowance: cut from £2,000 to £500, what it means for Arab directors
The UK dividend allowance has been cut three times in four years, from £5,000 to £2,000 to £1,000 to £500. For Arab directors who are UK tax residents this change is significant. For those in the Gulf, the impact is different but still worth understanding.
July 2026 · 5
- The UK Corporation Tax Marginal Rate Trap: Why Profits Between £50k and £250k Are Taxed at 26.5%
UK Corporation Tax has a main rate of 19% and a main rate of 25%، but the rate most UK companies actually pay on profits between £50,000 and £250,000 is 26.5%. Understanding the marginal relief calculation matters when deciding when to extract profits vs retain them.
July 2026 · 6
- Capital Allowances and the Annual Investment Allowance: How Arab Directors Reduce UK Corporation Tax on Equipment
When your UK company buys a piece of equipment, a laptop, a server, a vehicle, specialist tools, you cannot deduct the full cost as a normal expense. You claim capital allowances instead. The Annual Investment Allowance lets most small companies deduct up to £1 million of qualifying expenditure in the year of purchase.
July 2026 · 6
- The UK VAT Flat Rate Scheme: When It Saves Money and When It Doesn't
The VAT Flat Rate Scheme lets eligible small businesses pay a fixed percentage of gross turnover to HMRC instead of calculating the difference between VAT charged and VAT reclaimed. For some service businesses it produces a net saving. For others, it costs more. Here is how to work out which side of that line you fall on.
July 2026 · 6
- UK Company with Multiple Arab Family Members: Shares, Dividends, and the Income Shifting Rules
Many Arab directors want to include a spouse or adult children as shareholders in their UK company to split dividend income across multiple lower tax rates. The arrangement is legitimate when structured correctly, but HMRC has specific rules about when income-splitting between family members is challenged.
July 2026 · 7
- How to Read UK Company Accounts on Companies House
Any UK company's accounts are public, including your suppliers' and competitors'. What each section means, and what the numbers tell you about a company you deal with.
July 2026 · 6