Budget Updates
Concise, founder-friendly briefings on UK Budget and Autumn Statement measures — what has already taken effect, what is coming, and the practical implications for your business. Sourced from GOV.UK and HMRC.
Autumn Budget announcements checked against the linked primary sources on 28 October 2026. Retained guidance below keeps its earlier review scope; not every topic has been re-reviewed.
Announced 28 October 2026 · forthcoming changes
Plan for April 2027 without replacing today's rules. Future tax measures are subject to legislation; eligibility, devolved decisions and implementation conditions matter.
Autumn Budget 2026: What It Means for Your BusinessForthcoming · April 2027
For workers aged 21 and over, £12.71 remains the current hourly rate until the April 2027 increase to £13.21. Forecast hours, employer NIC and pension costs; do not apply the future rate as today's minimum.
GOV.UK — primary sourceForthcoming · April 2027
Announced for 6 April 2027, subject to legislation: the £1,000 allowance rises to £3,000 for eligible individual trading and miscellaneous income. It is not a universal limited-company allowance and cannot be used in addition to actual expense deductions. The related trading-income reporting threshold also rises to £3,000.
GOV.UK — primary sourceForthcoming · April 2027
For qualifying disposals from 6 April 2027, the announced lifetime limit falls from £1m to £500,000, subject to legislation. This limits eligible gains, not sale proceeds, and is not a tax-free allowance. The qualifying BADR rate remains 18%; eligibility and previous claims matter.
GOV.UK — primary sourceForthcoming · April 2027
From 6 April 2027, the UK-wide savings rates are planned to rise a further two percentage points relative to the previously announced 2027 rates, to 24%, 44% and 49%, compared with current 20%, 40% and 45%. Subject to legislation; these are not salary or dividend rates.
GOV.UK — primary sourceForthcoming · April 2027
Proposed from 6 April 2027 for England, Wales and Northern Ireland: a further two percentage points relative to the previously announced 2027 rates, to 24%, 44% and 49%, compared with current 20%, 40% and 45% in those jurisdictions. Subject to legislation. Scottish property taxation and devolved powers, including Wales's ability to set property rates, require separate consideration.
GOV.UK — primary sourceForthcoming · April 2027
From 1 April 2027, qualifying retail, hospitality and leisure properties are due to receive full Small Business Rates Relief up to £18,000 rateable value, tapering to zero at £21,000. Eligible bills are capped by CPI inflation for two years to 31 March 2029: a real-terms freeze, not a universal cash freeze or exemption. Improvements and losses of other reliefs can affect protection; check the official conditions.
GOV.UK — primary sourceOriginal review: 7 August 2026. Employer NIC and CGT/BADR rates rechecked on 28 October 2026; other retained summaries retain their original review date.
The increase announced at Autumn Budget 2024 took effect on 6 April 2025 and remains the position for 2026/27: employer Class 1 NIC is charged at 15%, with an annual secondary threshold of £5,000. Payroll cost should be modelled on this basis before any salary review.
GOV.UK — Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027Eligible employers can claim Employment Allowance of up to £10,500 against their employer Class 1 NIC bill in 2026/27. Eligibility conditions apply — not every employer qualifies, and single-director companies with no other employees are generally excluded. Check the GOV.UK eligibility criteria before claiming.
GOV.UK — Employment Allowance eligibilityThe main CGT rates are 18% on gains falling within any remaining basic-rate band and 24% above it — the rate that applies depends on your other taxable income, so 18% does not apply automatically to every gain. The Annual Exempt Amount for individuals is £3,000. Business Asset Disposal Relief is charged at 18% for qualifying disposals from 6 April 2026.
GOV.UK — Capital Gains Tax ratesLegislated in Finance Act 2026, most unused pension funds and pension death benefits will form part of the deceased's estate for Inheritance Tax from 6 April 2027. Death-in-service benefits paid from registered pension schemes are excluded, and normal exemptions and reliefs still apply — so not every pension death benefit will be taxable. Estate planning involving pensions is worth revisiting well before that date.
GOV.UK — Inheritance Tax on pensions technical noteThe employee Class 1 main rate is 8%, with 2% on earnings above the Upper Earnings Limit. Self-employed Class 4 NIC is charged at 6%, with 2% above the Upper Profits Limit. These rates followed the reductions announced at Spring Budget 2024 and remain useful context when comparing salary and dividend remuneration for directors.
GOV.UK — National Insurance rates and allowancesThe £12,570 personal allowance, £37,700 basic-rate limit and £50,270 higher-rate threshold are maintained through the 2030/31 tax year, until 5 April 2031 — an extension announced at Budget 2025, beyond the earlier April 2028 end date. Where earnings rise while thresholds stay fixed, a greater proportion of income can fall into tax; the effect depends on individual circumstances and is worth modelling into multi-year remuneration plans.
GOV.UK — Maintaining Income Tax thresholds until 5 April 2031Summaries are for general guidance and reflect publicly available information from GOV.UK and HMRC at the time of writing. They are not a substitute for tailored advice — individual circumstances vary, so please speak with us before acting.
Let's talk numbers
Book a free 30-minute discovery call. We'll review where you are, where you're heading, and what's standing in the way.
