This month we want to remind our readers of our Milton Keynes Partner, Tracy Mcleod. Tracey joined Cloud 9 nearly a year ago, and has been building her portfolio of clients in her spare time. It has come to the point now, where Tracy now wants to concentrate fully on her Cloud 9 clients, and therefore she has more availability to help more clients will all things bookkeeping related. Here is a little bit about Tracy as a reminder to you all……

Tracy joined C9 with the perfect combination of experience. Originally coming from a banking background, Tracy then made the transition in accountancy and bookkeeping taking a job at a firm of accountants in Buckingham.

Having worked with Xero in practice, Tracy, like we all do, fell in love with the software. So much so, she then took a job working for them, advising clients how to use the software and helping them with their day-to-day queries.

Despite enjoying each of the steps in her career path, her real passion remained in bookkeeping, and this is what has led her to join forces with C9 so that she can start assisting businesses and their owners with all things bookkeeping related.
 
Tracy would love to help you with your business, and she can work with any accountancy system. So if you you would like a free, no obligations quote, to see how Tracy and C9 can help you and your business, please do not hesitate to get in touch and we would be happy to help!

Contact Tracy: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The most common question we get asked is, how can I withdraw funds from my company as tax efficiently as possible?  The answer isn’t a simply one, and depends on a few factors, but generally, as long as your company is making the post tax profit to support it, the best combination is a low salary, and dividends.

So, how much salary should I take in 2018/19? Again, that depends on a few things, but lets assume for a minute that you are the only employee of the business. In this case, we would be recommending a salary fo £8,424 per annum, which is equal to the national insurance threshold.

The reason we recommend the above, is that any salary declared over and above this, will attract both 12% employee’s national insurance, and 13.8% employer’s national insurance, but whilst the salary does go down as a cost for the business, and therefore save the company corporation tax, the rate for this is on 19% and therefore you would be out of pocket by 6.8%.

However, if you have another employee on your payroll, who earns at least £702 per month, this then makes the company eligible for the employment allowance, which, if isn’t fully utilised by the other employee, could mean you could afford to increase your salary to the tax threshold of £11,850, as the excess over the NI threshold would only be subject to the 12% employee’s national insurance.

In summary, there are lots of variables that could influence the optimum salary for you, so to be sure you are declaring the correct amount, be sure to get in touch with our team and we would be happy to run through your circumstances with you.  Drop us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We are excited to say that we are heading to Xerocon for the 4th year running.  As the founders of a Cloud based bookkeeping franchise, it would criminal if we didn't go to the conference hosted by the market leaders, and that is why again this year we will be packing our suitcases and heading the 'Big Smoke' for another two packed days of education on the software and the industry.

In our opinion, there’s no conference like it. Xerocon is as beautiful as their software – and we get the opportunity to meet thought leaders and ecosystem partners in a stunning environment, and walk away with a wealth of knowledge. Xerocon is the best place to learn about upcoming Xero initiatives, technologies and offers that help our partners flourish.

We are looking forward to get to know the people in the know Tap into insights from the Xero team and see how updates and innovations can benefit your business, and understand how Xero can make the transition to Making Tax Digital seamless for us all.

From past experience, listening to speakers spark our imagination and look at things differently and challenge your thinking as speakers talk to the topics that impact our industry. We will hear from Xero’s leadership team including Rod Drury and Gary Turner alongside some stellar guest speakers.

We look forward to debriefing you all on our visit, and we hope to keep you ahead of your competition, just like we are staying ahead of ours.  If you have any questions on Xero or Cloud 9, please contact us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We are delighted to announce that Jehan, who heads up our Kettering area, has now completed his training and has passed his Xero certification test.

For our regular readers, you will already be aware of Jehan's background, but for the new Cloud 9 followers, to bring you up to speed, Jehan has recently joined Cloud 9 and has come to us having already achieved the AAT qualification, and has previous experience in accountancy roles, including a spell with accounting giants, Grant Thornton.

Now Jehan has completed his induction, he is now available to help you and your business with all things bookkeeping related.  Jehan is able to process your sales and purchase invoices, as well as the other day-to-day duties, such as reconciling the bank.  However, Jehan has shown a real interest in taking his services to the next level, and he looking for  opportunities to provide management information and add value to your business.

The read more about Jehan, and what he can offer you and your business, please take a look at http://cloud9bookkeeping.co.uk/jehanzaib-sabih, or drop him an email on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. where he will be more than happy to assist with any enquiries.