How you pay yourself, worked out properly.
As a director, the split between salary and dividends is one of the few decisions that quietly affects how much of your own money you keep. Get it wrong and you pay more tax than you needed to. Annabel brings 16 years of in-business experience as a Finance Director, is an AAT Licensed Accountant, and you hear back within one working day.
- The right salary and dividend mix for the current tax year
- Dividend tax changes from April 2026 factored in, not forgotten
- Enough left in the company for VAT, Corporation Tax and wages
- Plain English answers on what to draw and when
No long-term contract. There is a three-month settling-in period, and if it is not working you leave with clean books and nothing outstanding.
Get a free quote
Fees scoped to your situation. Reply within one working day, reviewed by Annabel.
What our clients say
★★★★★
Amazing Advice, Saved Thousands
“offering amazing business advice & has saved me thousands!”
★★★★★
Finances Finally Under Control
“she truly cared about helping businesses to take control of their finances.”
★★★★★
Clear Even If You Don’t Speak Accounts
“clear communication made everything easy to follow, even for someone who does not naturally “speak accounts.””
★★★★★
Set My Mind at Ease
“the support and advice I have had has been extremely helpful and has set my mind at ease”
Taking money out of your own company and hoping it is right?
Most directors settle into a salary and dividend pattern once and never revisit it. But thresholds move, profits change, and the dividend tax rates are set to rise from April 2026. Draw too much and you face a Self-Assessment bill you did not plan for. Draw too little and your money sits in the company earning nothing.
- A salary and dividend split you set years ago and never revisited
- No idea how the April 2026 dividend tax changes affect you
- Dividends drawn with no plan for the Self-Assessment bill they create
What sorted looks like
You draw the right mix for your own circumstances, with the tax consequences worked out before you take the money, not after. The company keeps enough back for what it owes, and you know what lands on your tax return.
- A salary and dividend mix reviewed against this year’s thresholds
- The April 2026 dividend rate changes planned for, not a surprise
- Your Self-Assessment bill known in advance, not at the deadline
- A fixed fee agreed up front, scoped to your situation
What directors say about the advice
The reviews that matter most here are the ones about commercial advice and keeping more of what the business makes.
I switched accountants to work with Annabel because I felt she truly cared about helping businesses to take control of their finances. She opened my eyes to how an accountant actually should work with you! She has fixed so many lazy, unprofessional mistakes by my old accountant by being so meticulously thorough, offering amazing business advice & has saved me thousands!
Annabel’s energy, passion, and genuine desire to help people understand their business finances really shine through in everything she does. Her support and knowledge have been superb, and I now see her as a vital part of my business and its continued growth.
What the planning covers
A clear view of how to pay yourself, built around your profits, your other income and what the company needs to keep back.
The Right Salary and Dividend Mix
You get a split worked out for the current tax year, not a rule of thumb from a forum. It accounts for your personal allowance, the Corporation Tax position, and how much the company can actually afford to pay out.
Current tax yearReady for the April 2026 Changes
Dividend tax rates are changing from April 2026, and that affects how much it costs you to draw the same amount. You get the impact explained in plain English and a plan that reflects it, rather than finding out when the bill arrives.
Forward planningYour Tax Bill, Known in Advance
Dividends feed into your Self-Assessment, so you get a running view of what you will owe personally. The money is set aside before you spend it, and the January deadline stops being a shock.
No surprisesNot one good experience, several
Directors, salon owners and first-time founders. Different businesses, the same straight advice and the same habit of saving people money.
Saved Me Thousands, Fixed Old Mistakes
“She has fixed so many lazy, unprofessional mistakes by my old accountant by being so meticulously thorough, offering amazing business advice & has saved me thousands!”
Made Changing Accountants Smooth and Stress-Free
“She has made the whole process of changing accountants so smooth and stress-free. Her step-by-step guidance and clear communication made everything easy to follow, even for someone who does not naturally “speak accounts.””
Support and Advice Set My Mind at Ease
“Having never been self employed or a limited company before, the support and advice I have had has been extremely helpful and has set my mind at ease knowing that any problems or queries I have will be handled or answered.”
Advice from someone who has sat on your side of the desk
Director pay is a commercial decision as much as a tax one. It helps to have an accountant who has run the numbers from inside a business.
Finance Director Experience
Annabel spent 16 years inside growing businesses, including as a Finance Director, before setting up the practice. She has made these pay and profit decisions for real companies, so the advice is commercial, not just a textbook calculation.
Explained So It Makes Sense
You get the reasoning in plain English, not a spreadsheet you need a glossary for. You will understand why the split is what it is, which matters when you are the one signing off your own pay.
Planned, Not Patched Up
Dividend decisions work best looked at across the whole year, not scrambled together in March. The April 2026 rate changes are factored in ahead of time, so you can adjust before they cost you rather than after.
Up and running in four steps
A free call, a scoped fee, and a plan for how you pay yourself. Most of the work sits with Annabel, not with you.
Free Discovery Call
A free, no-obligation call of 20 to 30 minutes. Annabel asks about your profits, your other income and how you currently draw money. You get honest advice whether you go ahead or not.
A Fee Scoped to You
You get a proposal built around your situation, not a template tier. The fee is fixed and agreed up front, with no surprises and no published price list getting in the way.
We Do the Numbers
Annabel works out the salary and dividend mix, factors in the April 2026 changes, and sets out your Self-Assessment position. You sign it off rather than build it.
Draw With Confidence
You take money from your company knowing it is the right amount, the tax is accounted for, and nothing nasty is waiting at the deadline. The guesswork is gone.
“Friendly, supportive and very quick to respond to any queries or sort advice. I would 100% recommend.”
Fair questions before you book
How do the dividend tax changes from April 2026 affect how I pay myself?
The cost of taking a given amount in dividends is set to change from April 2026, so a split that works this year may not be the best one next year. You get the impact worked out against your own figures, in plain English, and a plan that adjusts ahead of time. It is worth reviewing before the change takes effect, not after. Rates and allowances are confirmed with you using current HMRC figures at the time of planning.
What does salary and dividend planning cost?
There is no published price, because the right fee depends on your profits, your other income and how your affairs are set up. You get a fixed fee scoped to your situation and agreed on the free discovery call. No surprise add-ons later.
My current accountant just copies last year’s figures. Can you look at it properly?
Yes. Plenty of directors come to us on a split that was set once and never revisited. Annabel reviews it against this year’s thresholds and your wider position, and if your books need tidying first, that is scoped in rather than sprung on you.
Am I tied into a long contract?
No. There is a three-month settling-in period, and after that either side can walk away. If it is not working you leave with clean books and nothing outstanding. No lock-in.
Does the planning make sure the company keeps enough back for its own bills?
Yes. Dividends can only come from profits after Corporation Tax, so part of the job is making sure the company retains enough for its VAT, Corporation Tax and wages before you draw. You get a view of what is genuinely available, not just what is sitting in the bank. That stops the common trap of drawing money that was really owed to HMRC.
Will I know my Self-Assessment bill in advance?
Yes. Dividends feed into your personal tax return, so you get a running view of what you will owe rather than a shock the following January. The money can be set aside as you go. Knowing the number early is usually the difference between a planned payment and a scramble.
Stop guessing how to pay yourself.
A free call, a fixed fee scoped to you, and a salary and dividend plan that reflects the current tax year and the changes coming in April 2026.