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UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: smearo on May 11, 2011, 08:29:26 pm

Title: going ltd
Post by: smearo on May 11, 2011, 08:29:26 pm
hi all
my accountant today has advised me to go limited...
how many of you guys already are ? and also what are the pros and cons of
being a limited company
cheers wayne
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: poleman on May 11, 2011, 08:37:04 pm
I'm ltd! went 6 years ago!

Yes good points! but I would say no don't do it! why! lots more paper work! just keep it simple!
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: smearo on May 11, 2011, 08:46:53 pm
cheers for input poleman
do you not have a accountant?
the 1st £10-000 tax free sounds appealing to ;D ;D
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: Pope vader on May 11, 2011, 09:13:51 pm
since when is the first 10k tax free?
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: poleman on May 11, 2011, 09:22:26 pm
down side! if you went ltd and didn't like it and went back to self employed! then in law your have to buy back everything you already own!
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: britishwill on May 11, 2011, 10:33:30 pm
10k tax free... come on!  Maybe  6 years ago...............
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: smearo on May 11, 2011, 10:42:40 pm
i googled the pros and cons and this was one of the pros
plus my accountant has told me i should save x amount each year
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: Blue Frog Systems on May 11, 2011, 11:09:40 pm
If you trust in what your accountant is telling you, then go for it.
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: groundhog on May 12, 2011, 07:57:14 am
I expect it means more money for your accountant!!! so be careful!!  ;)
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: groundhog on May 12, 2011, 08:02:42 am
Hey Smear, I just checked out your website... its very professional and everything, but I have to say there is one thing I don't like.. and thats the business name 'Smear Free' the reason is that smear is a negative word, I think you would be much better off using words such as 'sparkle' 'Gleam' 'Shine' etc. Sorry I know it has nothing to do with the thread, but I just felt I had to say something!!  ;)
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: Pole 2 Pole on May 12, 2011, 01:21:33 pm
True......but it only reminds me of a test that women have one a year......ok.....I'll shurrup :-) but it doooooo.
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: smearo on May 12, 2011, 07:47:54 pm
any more thoughts on the ltd side of thing peeps
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: Steve CM on May 12, 2011, 07:53:21 pm
i have gone LTD and as from the 1st of July all my domestic prices will have 20% vat added to them...wish me luck :)
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: groundhog on May 12, 2011, 07:57:45 pm
True......but it only reminds me of a test that women have one a year......ok.....I'll shurrup :-) but it doooooo.

I wasn't going to mention that one!!!!!  :-X
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: edward1 on May 12, 2011, 09:14:37 pm
groundhog/well pointed out .and polite to.

steve cm
 be careful ,just increase your prices and dont tell your custys its vat.they dont like vat one bit.i had multimillionairs moaning about it ,but were happy for me to increase the price as long as it wasnt vat.
also have you looked at the flat rate method .it works for me.
 
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: stevenpaulmatthews on May 12, 2011, 09:16:13 pm
i have gone LTD and as from the 1st of July all my domestic prices will have 20% vat added to them...wish me luck :)

Why didnt you just start another company that was limited and vat reg and charge your commercial work the 20% vat and you your existing company as domestic only, not limited or vat reg not having to raise your domestic customers prices
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: groundhog on May 12, 2011, 09:18:19 pm
groundhog/well pointed out .and polite to.
 
Thanks Edward, I didn't want to be rude... but somebody had to tell him!!!!!!!!!!  ;)
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: smearo on May 12, 2011, 09:25:29 pm
ground idiot
what is the name of your company?
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: groundhog on May 12, 2011, 09:40:48 pm
ground idiot
what is the name of your company?


Thats not very nice!!, I was trying to give you some advice... just ignore it if you don't like it, the name just sounds wrong to me!! sorry!!!
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: outdoor restore on May 12, 2011, 09:45:14 pm
i have gone LTD and as from the 1st of July all my domestic prices will have 20% vat added to them...wish me luck :)

Why didnt you just start another company that was limited and vat reg and charge your commercial work the 20% vat and you your existing company as domestic only, not limited or vat reg not having to raise your domestic customers prices

Do not do this unless you have spoken to your accountant, we were told by ours that the taxman would consider it "artificial separation" or something like and is not allowed.
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: Pole 2 Pole on May 12, 2011, 09:47:50 pm
ground idiot
what is the name of your company?

What's that all about???  :o :o :o
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: birdymiller on May 12, 2011, 10:00:01 pm
Smear giving ground idiot a bit back!
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: Terry A on May 12, 2011, 10:01:33 pm
As someone mentioned earlier 10k tax free is no longer a perk we ltd companies enjoy.
Also you will then be classed as an employee so your insurance  costs will go up.
There is far more work involved for your accountant so his costs are likely to double.

It won't mean you have to register for vat unless your turnover is over the threshold.your accountant will let you know what this is.

Apart from the above negatives I think we do pay slightly less tax on our profit this is called corporation tax.so all in all i'm not sure if there is any real incentive to being a Ltd co.

Sorry if this hasn't helped you make your mind up.

Terry.
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: Steve CM on May 12, 2011, 10:12:57 pm
i have gone LTD and as from the 1st of July all my domestic prices will have 20% vat added to them...wish me luck :)

Why didnt you just start another company that was limited and vat reg and charge your commercial work the 20% vat and you your existing company as domestic only, not limited or vat reg not having to raise your domestic customers prices

because its illegal  
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: Steve CM on May 12, 2011, 10:15:44 pm
every heard of the example of a launderette and a dry cleaners next door to each other. both sepertae businesses but pretty much do the same business
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: groundhog on May 12, 2011, 10:20:17 pm
Smear giving ground idiot a bit back!


Actually I was trying to help Smear-Test by giving him a bit of advice, it's like when someone has BO in a workplace, nobody wants to be the one who says something, but eventuallly someone has to... well I'm just the man for the job!!  ;D
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: stevenpaulmatthews on May 12, 2011, 11:10:15 pm
i have gone LTD and as from the 1st of July all my domestic prices will have 20% vat added to them...wish me luck :)

Why didnt you just start another company that was limited and vat reg and charge your commercial work the 20% vat and you your existing company as domestic only, not limited or vat reg not having to raise your domestic customers prices

because its illegal  

look into that Steve as from what i have heard its not illegal if the 2 companies have two different owners bank accounts phone numbers trading under slightly different names.......have you heard about the new "flat rate" VAT?
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: Steve CM on May 12, 2011, 11:20:12 pm
i got advised that the flat rate only applies upto around 200k inclusive of vat i will be going past that in no time at all. plus by charging 20% it puts my business in a healthier position. of course i will lose some but i just need to replace them if it happens. i'm past thinking about splitting etc i just want to move forwards
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: wpclean on May 12, 2011, 11:26:14 pm
I would never employ a ltd company to do any work for me !    To me it smacks of somebody not wanting to take personal responsibility of their duties, and hiding behind a company that can go bust and then re start in a different name while owing thousands to poor customers !
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: Steve CM on May 12, 2011, 11:27:50 pm
I would never employ a ltd company to do any work for me !    To me it smacks of somebody not wanting to take personal responsibility of their duties, and hiding behind a company that can go bust and then re start in a different name while owing thousands to poor customers !

lol...yeah course it is ;D
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: outdoor restore on May 12, 2011, 11:45:40 pm
i have gone LTD and as from the 1st of July all my domestic prices will have 20% vat added to them...wish me luck :)

Why didnt you just start another company that was limited and vat reg and charge your commercial work the 20% vat and you your existing company as domestic only, not limited or vat reg not having to raise your domestic customers prices

because its illegal  

look into that Steve as from what i have heard its not illegal if the 2 companies have two different owners bank accounts phone numbers trading under slightly different names.......have you heard about the new "flat rate" VAT?

I would check what you've heard, We looked into this and were told by our Accountants (not somebody down the pub) you cannot use the same equipment/vehicles/staff and pretend they are separate business entities!!
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: smearo on May 13, 2011, 09:40:02 am
turning into a good topic now
thanks guy for input
apart from ground dicks two bob input  ;D ;D
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: Perfect Windows on May 13, 2011, 11:44:33 am
I would never employ a ltd company to do any work for me !    To me it smacks of somebody not wanting to take personal responsibility of their duties, and hiding behind a company that can go bust and then re start in a different name while owing thousands to poor customers !

Hope you don't use electricity or gas or eat at McDonalds or buy petrol or shop at Tescos or buy a car or go to a garage or go to football matches or pay for Sky  or.......

Vin
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: Steve CM on May 13, 2011, 03:10:54 pm
i have gone LTD and as from the 1st of July all my domestic prices will have 20% vat added to them...wish me luck :)

Why didnt you just start another company that was limited and vat reg and charge your commercial work the 20% vat and you your existing company as domestic only, not limited or vat reg not having to raise your domestic customers prices

because its illegal  

look into that Steve as from what i have heard its not illegal if the 2 companies have two different owners bank accounts phone numbers trading under slightly different names.......have you heard about the new "flat rate" VAT?

I would check what you've heard, We looked into this and were told by our Accountants (not somebody down the pub) you cannot use the same equipment/vehicles/staff and pretend they are separate business entities!!

bang on!
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: Perfect Windows on May 13, 2011, 10:03:29 pm
i have gone LTD and as from the 1st of July all my domestic prices will have 20% vat added to them...wish me luck :)

Why didnt you just start another company that was limited and vat reg and charge your commercial work the 20% vat and you your existing company as domestic only, not limited or vat reg not having to raise your domestic customers prices

Absolutely, 100% certainly, under every possible circumstance, you would be hammered for this.

Vin
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: groundhog on May 13, 2011, 10:17:19 pm
turning into a good topic now
thanks guy for input
apart from ground dicks two bob input  ;D ;D

Sorry I upset you smear.. but sometimes I guess the truth hurts!!!!!!!!!  ;)
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: smearo on May 13, 2011, 10:31:34 pm
grow up ground prick
u aint upset me one bit fella
i am running a thriving business under smear-free
maybe yr a bit jealous you did not do it first
this post was about going ltd not about my business name..
i also notice we don't see yr business name
or web site to view so do me a favour and go back to yr
office job
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: AuRavelling79 on May 13, 2011, 10:56:45 pm
hi all
my accountant today has advised me to go limited...
how many of you guys already are ? and also what are the pros and cons of
being a limited company
cheers wayne

Why does your accountant say you should go limited?
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: groundhog on May 14, 2011, 05:43:26 am
grow up ground prick
u aint upset me one bit fella
i am running a thriving business under smear-free
maybe yr a bit jealous you did not do it first
this post was about going ltd not about my business name..
i also notice we don't see yr business name
or web site to view so do me a favour and go back to yr
office job

Whats with the insults buddy? ??? I did originally post about going LTD.. to warn you that it may be more beneficial to your accountant than it is to you, as it will undoubtably mean more work/income for him!! I didn't mean to upset you about your business name, I just felt I needed to say something as in my opinion it aint a good choice!! But hey thats just me!!  ;)
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: smearo on May 14, 2011, 06:48:40 am
by going ltd he said i will miss most of payment on account next
year plus i will benefit fom a slightly better tax rate going forward
downside was he was going to charge me £100 extra which is nothing
if he saving me money long term...
my acccountant is a family friend so not having me over which is why i
am suprrised more of you are not ltd if it really is beneficial
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: Simon Spencer on May 14, 2011, 07:56:57 am
Hi Smear,

Unless you are making a net profit of around £60k a year you wont be any better off, If you are, then go forward you will save money.

As for spliting company up into 2 to avoid vat, the tax man will class this as income diversion, not worth trying to get away with it!

Regards

Simon
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: ronnie paton on May 14, 2011, 09:45:19 am
i am ltd and have been for two years and i think it was the best thing i ever did, i look more profesional/bigger
i save money  i can put and justify more expenses through than being a sole trader.

i pay less tax and ni.

your accountant should be able to give you a more comprehensive view on this has this is there job but i v outlined a view things.
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: ronnie paton on May 14, 2011, 09:52:58 am
have a read through this all  though a little out of date

http://www.theefficiencycoach.co.uk/blog/index.php/business-efficiency/sole-trader-or-limited-company/
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: Steve CM on May 14, 2011, 10:22:49 am
ronnie do you add vat to your domestics? or factor it into the price? When you went over to vat did you add on the price to your customers?
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: ronnie paton on May 14, 2011, 10:31:58 am
factored it in

i went on flat rate though so i never lost or gained.

aprt from when i made big capitol expenses.
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: Steve CM on May 14, 2011, 10:42:33 am
i stand to have to pay 15k a year in vat on my domestics if i don't add the charge. I'm gonna add it and see what happens. i'm hoping the backlash won't be too bad. its better than going out and getting 15k a year in extra work and then having to staff it etc.

He who dares...wins! (hopefully) :)
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: Ian Lancaster on May 14, 2011, 11:16:28 am
re start in a different name while owing thousands to poor customers !

You've got me puzzled there.  How can a window cleaner owe money to his customers unless he demands payment before doing the work?
Title: Re: going ltd
Post by: Ian Lancaster on May 14, 2011, 11:22:00 am
down side! if you went ltd and didn't like it and went back to self employed! then in law your have to buy back everything you already own!

Not quite sure what you mean, Poleman.  Whichever way, you own the company, so the only person you can buy it back from is yourself.  Admittedly the Ltd Company owns everything, but YOU own the Ltd Company.  So who would get the money you had to use to buy back the assets?

I was Ltd when the perk was first £10,000 tax free, then went back to sole trader, then went back to Ltd a couple of years ago, all on the advice of my accountant.  Never any mention of 'buying back' anything