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Watch the Video Of The CNBC Power Lunch Interview With WinWeb CEO Stefan Töpfer

24-Dec-08

imageIn small business we still make our business decisions based on whether we like the people we do business with. Over two years ago when I was looking at the various online bookkeeping offerings I came across WinWeb, and Stefan, from an existing client who had mentioned winweb in passing.

It was after a long and very important telephone conversation with Stefan that I knew I wanted Holden Associates to move forward with WinWeb. Stefan has as much passion for helping small business as I do, and that is important to me when choosing a partner to move forward with.

To see the interview with Stefan on CNBC Power Lunch click on this link.

 

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Surviving the recession

11-Dec-08

I think we all now know we are in recession, to what degree is still debatable. For those who are thinking about their business and considering the future here is a link to a posting entitled ‘Smart Business for Tough Times’.

Worth a read, the most important bit from my perspective was that it highlights that you need to play both Defensively and Offensively!

 

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Need more time to pay the ‘taxman’?

11-Dec-08

I have mentioned this before, but I feel it is important enough to raise again.

If you run a small business and are finding it difficult to pay your tax bills now is the time to seize the opportunity given by the Chancellor in his Pre-Budget Report 2008, a promise to you to take ‘as long as they need’ to pay up.

So, if you’re worried about being able to meet tax, National Insurance, VAT or other payments owed to HMRC, you can call HMRC’s Business Payment Support Service on 0845 302 1435. Lines are open Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday and Sunday 8am to 4pm.

HMRC claim that, in most cases, they will be able to give a decision in about 10 minutes. So if you are struggling to pay a tax bill it is well worth calling the Business Payment Support Service and asking for more time to pay.

 

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Mileage rates change

05-Dec-08

From 1 January 2009 mileage rates are to change again.

With effect from 1 January 2009 (previous rates) the following rates apply for reimbursement of fuel costs for company car drivers:

Engine Size

Petrol

Diesel

 LPG

1400cc or less

10p (12p)

11p (13p)

 7p (  7p)

1401cc to 2000cc

12p (15p)

11p (13p)

 9p (  9p)

Over 2000cc

17p (21p)

14p (17p)

12p (13p)

The above rates per mile are also used when calculating the VAT recoverable on the Approved Mileage Rates shown below for employees who use their own car on business:


2008-2009

First 10,000 business

miles in the tax year

Each mile over 10,000

miles in the tax year
Cars and vans 40p 25p
Motor cycles 24p 24p

Bicycles

20p

20p

 

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Viking Direct Customers now get WinWeb Online Office

04-Dec-08

This is great news, Viking Direct (part of Office Depot) have teamed up with WinWeb to give all their customers Free use of Online Office, well okay not totally free, you have to spend a one off £30 with Viking, which is not hard to do.

At Holden Associates we have provided WinWeb to our clients for over two years now, FREE OF CHARGE, but it is nice to see a business as large as Viking doing the same, this will certainly be an expensive exercise for them, but it is reassuring to think in these difficult times such a big business is so proactive in helping its small business customers.

So if you’re a Viking customer maybe now is the time to look at WinWeb and take this free offer up, and if you need a new accountant to help you …..

 

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Flat Rate Scheme – New Percentage Rates

27-Nov-08

Below I have reproduced the new Flat Rate VAT percentages, these are to be used from 1 December 2008.

 

Category of business

Appropriate percentage

Accountancy or book-keeping

11.5

Advertising

8.5

Agricultural services

7

Any other activity not listed elsewhere

9

Architect, civil and structural engineer or surveyor

11

Boarding or care of animals

9.5

Business services that are not listed elsewhere

9.5

Catering services including restaurants and takeaways

10.5

Computer and IT consultancy or data processing

11.5

Computer repair services

10

Dealing in waste or scrap

8.5

Entertainment or journalism

9.5

Estate agency or property management services

9.5

Farming or agriculture that is not listed elsewhere

5.5

Film, radio, television or video production

9.5

Financial services

10.5

Forestry or fishing

8

General building or construction services*

7.5

Hairdressing or other beauty treatment services

10.5

Hiring or renting goods

7.5

Hotel or accommodation

8.5

Investigation or security

9

Labour-only building or construction services*

11.5

Laundry or dry-cleaning services

9.5

Lawyer or legal services

12

Library, archive, museum or other cultural activity

7.5

Management consultancy

11

Manufacturing that is not listed elsewhere

7.5

Manufacturing fabricated metal products

8.5

Manufacturing food

7

Manufacturing yarn, textiles or clothing

7.5

Membership organisation

5.5

Mining or quarrying

8

Packaging

7.5

Photography

8.5

Post offices

2

Printing

6.5

Publishing

8.5

Pubs

5.5

Real estate activity not listed elsewhere

11

Repairing personal or household goods

7.5

Repairing vehicles

6.5

Retailing food, confectionary, tobacco, newspapers or children’s clothing

2

Retailing pharmaceuticals, medical goods, cosmetics or toiletries

6

Retailing that is not listed elsewhere

5.5

Retailing vehicles or fuel

5.5

Secretarial services

9.5

Social work

8

Sport or recreation

6

Transport or storage, including couriers, freight, removals and taxis

8

Travel agency

8

Veterinary medicine

8

Wholesaling agricultural products

5.5

Wholesaling food

5

Wholesaling that is not listed elsewhere

6

 

If you use the Flat Rate VAT Scheme it may be worth reviewing this in light of the recent VAT Rate cut.

 

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How to deal with the VAT Rate change on winweb online accounting software

26-Nov-08

Thanks to our friends at winweb here is guidance on dealing with the VAT Rate change on our winweb online accounting software:

The preset VAT rate, in OnlineOffice, will be changed to 15% on 1st December 08.

If you have any transactions to post with 17.5% VAT, please go to VAT and Tax > Tax Settings & change the VAT rate for Code ‘S’, Description ‘Standard’ to 17.50 & click Submit. For CashBook users, the VAT & Tax module is located under the Accountant tab. You will then need to use VAT and Tax Settings to change the standard rate back to 15% for transactions after 1st December 08.

When posting transactions, continue to select ‘Standard’ & either 15% or 17.5%, depending on the rate set in Tax Settings, will be calculated automatically for you.

It is important not to add a new VAT rate on Tax Code & Rates page as new codes added here are NOT included on your VAT Return page.

Winweb have a knowledge base that has answers to many questions when using winweb.

 

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Urgent Warning - Winweb.com has nothing to do with WinWeb Security

26-Nov-08

There would appear to be some confusion that winweb.com (our chosen online solution partner) and winwebsecurity.com (please do not visit this website) are the same, they are not.

This is taken from the blog of Stefan Töpfer the CEO of winweb, our online solutions partner.

As I mentioned in an earlier post about WinWeb and winweb security, we have been contacted by hundreds if not thousands of people with problems relating a service that calls itself ‘Winweb Security’. We have been trying to help people, even so they are not customers of ours, to rid themselves of this menace.

Some of these conversations have been very unpleasant to say the least. Winweb security has nothing what so ever to do with us, WinWeb. We provide software and business services online to start and run a small business. All our software is ‘online’, we do not upload programs onto your computer, nor do we scan your computer for viruses.

WinWeb SecureTec is a description of the security and business continuity benefits of OnlineOffice, our product. It is not to be confused with virus protection in the sense that we scan your computers. We only make sure that our clients data on our servers is a secure and virus free as possible. We do not extent this service outside our network. If you are looking for that I have mentioned programs in my previous post.

winwebsecurity.com is the website - unbelievably still online - which claims to scan your computer for viruses, it apparently is a counterfeit program and more and more information is becoming available. Please do not click on any links on this website, as you can not be sure if you are not infecting your computer.

We regard this activity as a breach of our trademark and have instructed our US lawyers accordingly. We will try and have this website shut down ASAP, but realize it could take some time. This will not stop the the circulation of the malware but it may help a little to shorten the life cycle.

Our 24/7 support staff is trying to help everyone that is contacting us, and they are doing a marvelous job. Please do not threaten or harass our support team, please understand they are trying to help you, while at the same time we have no obligation to do so. Obviously we have an interest to help, but I have to provide a secure and harassment free environment for my staff to work in. Believe me when I say, we understand you are upset.

You can look up the registration details for winwebsecurity.com and see clearly who has registered this domain. Do the same on winweb.com and you will see it is not the same.

Believe me when I say nobody is more upset than WinWeb right now, this is causing real and undeserved damage to our reputation. — ST.

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Can’t pay your tax bills?

26-Nov-08

If you run a small business and are finding it difficult to pay your tax bills now is the time to seize the opportunity given by the Chancellor in his Pre-Budget Report 2008, a promise to you to take ‘as long as they need’ to pay up.

It is worth noting the lower rates of interest being charged by HM Revenue & Customs when compared to the banks.

For more guidance on this click here.

 

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Pre-Budget Report 2008 - VAT Rate Changes

26-Nov-08

As you will all know by now VAT will from 1 December be reduced from 17.5% to 15% for a 13 month period.

Please ensure if you are using software to maintain your accounts that this software is updated for the change.

For a summary on dealing with the rate change please click here.

For the more ambitious amongst you click here for the detail guide.

For guidance from HMRC please visit their Pre-Budget Report - VAT Rate Changes page here.

 

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