HMRC sets out changes to SEIS, EIS and VCT investment rules
HMRC says changes will stop firms losing all tax relief for minor breaches of SEIS, EIS and VCT rules, with most changes taking effect from 6 April 2027.
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- Budget 2026 triples the trading allowance to £3,000 from April 2027 and halves the BADR limit to £500,000
- Budget 2026: National Living Wage rises 3.9% to £13.21, adding £1,046 a year per full-time worker for employers
- Budget 2026 raises small business rates relief threshold to £18,000 for shops, pubs and cafés in England
- North Devon designer launches READY/, a range of printable resilience and continuity planners
- Small loans from £1.6bn regional funds at 66% of target, British Business Bank evaluation finds
- 23% of micro firms have less than a month of cash in reserve, ONS survey shows
Funding & Grants
View all Funding & Grants storiesHMRC sets out changes to SEIS, EIS and VCT investment rules
HMRC says changes will stop firms losing all tax relief for minor breaches of SEIS, EIS and VCT rules, with most changes taking effect from 6 April 2027.
Budget 2026 triples the trading allowance to £3,000 from April 2027 and halves the BADR limit to £500,000
Side businesses can earn £3,000 a year tax free from 6 April 2027, but owners selling up face a £500,000 cap on Business Asset Disposal Relief. A new 10% Founders' Relief targets larger firms.
Budget 2026 raises small business rates relief threshold to £18,000 for shops, pubs and cafés in England
From 1 April 2027, retail, hospitality and leisure premises in England with a rateable value up to £18,000 pay no business rates, taking around 70,000 more businesses out.
Openings & Expansion
View all Openings & Expansion storiesRussell Roof Tiles completes switch to electric forklifts at Burton factory with £300,000 order
The concrete roof tile maker has spent just under £300,000 on four electric trucks, replacing the last diesel forklifts at its Nicolson Way site in Burton on Trent.
Launches
View all Launches storiesNorth Devon designer launches READY/, a range of printable resilience and continuity planners
Matthew Lilley has launched READY/, 12 printable planning tools priced from £1.99 to £27.99, including a £12.99 continuity pack for small firms.
People
View all People storiesBudget 2026: National Living Wage rises 3.9% to £13.21, adding £1,046 a year per full-time worker for employers
Every minimum wage rate rises 3.9% from 1 April 2027, while employer National Insurance and the £10,500 Employment Allowance stay unchanged.
Data & Surveys
View all Data & Surveys stories23% of micro firms have less than a month of cash in reserve, ONS survey shows
Micro businesses are more than four times as likely as large firms to have under a month of cash, and fewer of them have a six-month cushion than two years ago.
Lenders report sharpest cut in credit for small businesses since 2020, Bank of England survey shows
Lenders cut credit availability to small firms for a second quarter running, with a net balance of -12.1, and expect to cut it again before the end of November.
Northern Ireland company insolvency rate rises to 42.6 per 10,000 as the rest of the UK falls
Northern Ireland registered 45 company insolvencies in September 2026, up from 28, and was the only UK jurisdiction where the 12-month insolvency rate went up.
Green Business
View all Green Business storiesRussell Roof Tiles completes switch to electric forklifts at Burton factory with £300,000 order
The concrete roof tile maker has spent just under £300,000 on four electric trucks, replacing the last diesel forklifts at its Nicolson Way site in Burton on Trent.
Regions
View all Regions storiesNorth Devon designer launches READY/, a range of printable resilience and continuity planners
Matthew Lilley has launched READY/, 12 printable planning tools priced from £1.99 to £27.99, including a £12.99 continuity pack for small firms.
Northern Ireland company insolvency rate rises to 42.6 per 10,000 as the rest of the UK falls
Northern Ireland registered 45 company insolvencies in September 2026, up from 28, and was the only UK jurisdiction where the 12-month insolvency rate went up.
Russell Roof Tiles completes switch to electric forklifts at Burton factory with £300,000 order
The concrete roof tile maker has spent just under £300,000 on four electric trucks, replacing the last diesel forklifts at its Nicolson Way site in Burton on Trent.