New Premises for Office Assistants

We have recently moved into new, larger premises!

The modern offices, based in Rainham, Essex are centrally located and easily accessible with ample parking.

The move falls in line perfectly with our expansion. Our new offices at 82 Rainham Road are welcoming and make it much easier for clients to visit. With more space we can comfortably grow and continue to take on new staff to cope with our expanding client base.

An office warming-come networking event was held at the new premises on 2 December and was a great success. It was good to see all our clients and contacts at our offices enjoying some wine, cheese and good company. A big thank you to everyone who attended!


A second event is planned for spring 2010.

Any business in Essex or London looking to benefit from professional bookkeeping services can now contact us on 01708 524 800 or info@officeassistants.org.uk. For more information on our range of services, visit http://www.officeassistants.org.uk/.

Pre-Budget Report: What News for the Small Business?

As usual, there is both good and bad news for small businesses in the Chancellor's 2009 Pre-Budget Report.

The first bad news is that VAT goes back up to 17.5% on January 1st. The only concession because of the date is that any business that is still open at midnight on New Year’s Eve will be exempt from the change up to 6am, or until they close if it’s before then. But everyone will be liable to cough up 17.5% of relevant income to HRMC after that time. You’ll have to add 2.5% to prices or take a hit.

The bad news on National Insurance contributions doesn’t kick in until 2011, but you need to factor this in to your planning. An extra 1% on the wage bill each month from April 2011 may mean shelving planned projects and not taking on extra staff.

There are a few rays of sunshine, though. A feared excess of public spending cuts is not in the pipeline yet.

The small companies’ tax rate will remain at 21% for another year. And you can continue to arrange deferments of some tax payments under HMRC’s Business Payment Support Service. The continuation of this scheme seems to be open ended at the moment.

The relief from business rates for certain empty property will also continue for the next year. Any business in the low carbon market will have clear tax advantages.

Indirectly, the roll out of high-speed broadband, especially in the currently poorly provided areas, will also make it easier for many SMEs to do business.

So, good news or bad news for the small business? Or is it a case of balancing the very bad with the not so bad?

Making a Claim on your Insurance: Hidden Rule Warning

What do you think about when you are deciding whether to make a claim on your home contents insurance? How much you can get and whether you can claim more than the excess is probably about the extent of your thinking.

But there is something else you need to think about and it involves a hidden rule that could affect your ability to obtain insurance cover in the future.

Think: have you made any other home insurance claims in the last three years?

If you claim more than twice in three years, most insurers will consider you a high risk because your rate of claims is unusual. When you apply for a quote to a new insurer, if you divulge that you have made three or more claims in the last three years, most of them will decline to quote.

And when your current renewal comes around you will be horrified at the hike in your premium. If any of your claims were for small amounts, they could be completely negated by the price you now have to pay.

Suppose your house was burgled in year one and you made a claim. Then in year two a storm damaged your garden shed, which was also covered by your policy. Although it did not cost that much to repair, you decided to claim again. Then the burglars returned so you made another claim.

This could be expensive in more ways than one. Do remember this hidden rule and think before you make a smaller claim: you never know what might be round the corner.