The LtdRecord blog
Plain-English guides for UK directors.
Company records, dividends, director’s loans and official post — written for people running companies without a back office, by Dr Jinzhao Hu.
LtdRecord vs dividend voucher templates vs accounting software: which do you need?
A free template, your accounting software, or a dedicated record-keeping tool — three honest ways to produce a dividend voucher, compared. What each one covers, what each one misses, and when each is the right answer.
The year-end chase: collecting records from limited-company clients without the pain.
Every practice knows the ritual: the deadline gets close, the email goes out, the shoebox arrives late. Why record collection breaks down with one-person companies, what a good handoff looks like — and how to make the chase someone else's job.
7 min readWho can see your company's records? Cloud storage, encryption and UK GDPR, explained.
Your board minutes, loan agreements and receipts say a lot about you. What encryption at rest actually protects, why per-company keys matter, the honest limits of any cloud provider — and the questions to ask before you upload.
7 min readTwo directors on the board: who actually has to sign the paperwork?
Add a second director and every board minute raises the same question: one signature or both? How boards make decisions under the Companies Act 2006, what the chair signs, when you need every director — and how to co-sign without chasing anyone round the kitchen table.
8 min readScam letters to UK companies: telling real HMRC and Companies House post from fakes.
Fraudsters write to new UK companies within weeks of incorporation. How to spot a fake demand, what genuine official post looks like, and how LtdRecord's letter decoder warns you before you pay.
7 min readDividend paperwork for UK limited companies: vouchers, board minutes and getting it right.
Every dividend needs a board minute and a dividend voucher — and profits to pay it from. What each document must say, when to produce it, and what happens if the paperwork is missing.
7 min readDirector's loan accounts: the records, the nine-month rule and the s.455 charge.
Money moving between you and your company lands in the director's loan account. How the s.455 charge works — 33.75% rising to 35.75% for loans from 6 April 2026 — and the records that keep you out of trouble.
8 min readWhat records must a UK limited company keep — and for how long?
Company law, HMRC and common sense each set their own clock: three years, six years, ten years. A plain-English map of what to keep, for how long, and the cheapest way to stay on the right side of it.
6 min readBought something for the company on your own card? Here's how to record it.
Paying personally and sorting it out later is normal — losing the paper trail is the mistake. Expense claims, reimbursements and the director's loan account, explained for one-person companies.
6 min read