The Budget’ s Coming- You’ ve Still Got Time to Get Ahead of It
The Autumn Budget lands on 28 October. That still gives you three weeks, enough to act on rules that are known now, rather than scramble once they’ ve changed.
Here’ s what’ s worth doing before the 28th, not after.
Check your exit numbers now, even if you’ re not selling this year. Business Asset Disposal Relief already stepped up from 14 % to 18 % back in April, and plenty of owners with a sale somewhere on the horizon haven’ t sat down and recalculated what that actually costs them. Nobody knows what a Chancellor looking for revenue will do to reliefs like this next, and that uncertainty is exactly why you review your position now, while the rules are at least written down. This isn’ t hypothetical, it’ s a conversation we’ re currently having with more than one Staffordshire business owner this month, working through what their numbers look like today versus what they assumed a year ago. If an exit is realistically on the cards in the next twelve to eighteen months, get proper figures run this month.
Don’ t let remuneration planning drift into the new year. Every autumn we see the same pattern: dividend timing and bonus decisions get left until March is almost on top of everyone, at which point a Budget five months earlier has already changed what actually works. A short conversation in early October, while there’ s still room to act on what’ s in it, is worth far more than a scramble once the new tax year has started.
Check your succession plan against the new inheritance tax rules. Since 6 April 2026, 100 % Business Property Relief is capped at £ 2.5m of qualifying business assets, above that, relief drops to 50 %. It’ s already happened, not a Budget-day risk, but wills, shareholder agreements and insurance written before the change often haven’ t caught up. Worth checking now regardless of what’ s announced on the 28th, especially with further tightening not ruled out.
Use pension allowance and carry-forward before the 28th, not after. Unused annual allowance from the last three tax years is still available, and pension tax relief, the tax-free lump sum included, is one of the most Budget-rumoured targets there is. Past changes here have occasionally taken effect from Budget day itself rather than the following April, so any decision sitting on your desk shouldn’ t sit there past the 28th.
Consider timing share option and EMI grants before the Budget. Issuing options now locks in today’ s valuation and relief position rather than whatever the 28th brings. If you’ ve been meaning to set up an EMI scheme to reward key people, this is a reasonable moment to get it done rather than wait and see.
This article sets out general points for growing businesses and isn’ t advice on your specific circumstances, please talk to us, or your own adviser, before acting on anything above.
If you’ re running a growing SME in Staffordshire and haven’ t had your tax and structuring position reviewed since the spring, this is the month to get it done. Email us- Sempar Accountancy & Tax at info @ sempar. co. uk for a 20-minute Budget readiness review, and we’ ll go through your position before the 28th, not after.
And once the dust has settled, we’ re holding a Budget Aftermath event on 2 November to unpack what actually changed and what it means for you. Email info @ sempar. co. uk if you’ d like to attend and we’ ll send you an invite.