Guides
Six areas where the Bar's finances work differently from everyone else's. Start wherever the pressure is.
The tax year, four times over
Making Tax Digital, quarterly updates, the basis period tail, payments on account and VAT cash accounting.
Read the guideNobody is paying into a pension for you
The annual allowance, the taper, carry forward against lumpy receipts, and the LSA / LSDBA.
Read the guideThe downside
No sick pay, income protection and own-occupation definitions, parental leave at the self-employed Bar, and life cover in trust.
Read the guideMoney that isn't yours yet
Aged debt, tax reserves, where reserve cash should actually sit, and direct gilts for additional-rate taxpayers.
Read the guideSilk, the bench, and stopping
The income shape change on taking silk, the judicial pension and its annual allowance problem, and decumulation with no fixed retirement date.
Read the guideWhat's left
Inheritance tax at the £1m+ band, gifting, trusts, and pensions entering the estate from April 2027.
Read the guide
Everything here is generic education based on current legislation and is not personal advice; individual circumstances differ. Some matters covered — including tax and trust planning — are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.