the

Daily Accountancy Briefing

ICAEW presses Treasury for an MTD review as October's deadline run begins

Friday, 2 October 2026•UK & Ireland

ICAEW urges HM Treasury to review the foundations of Making Tax Digital before the April 2027 threshold drop, Ireland's 2025 Ethical Standard for Auditors takes effect from December 2026 and a European sustainability assurance standard is due by end of October, the FCA consults on pension-scheme money protections and tighter SIPP due diligence, and a busy October compliance calendar lands with Corporation Tax, Self Assessment registration, VAT and PAYE deadlines.

Accountancy in Practice

ICAEW urges government to review MTD rollout ahead of Autumn Budget

Post-implementation review soughtLow taxpayer awareness flagged

In its Autumn Budget 2026 submission, ICAEW has called on HM Treasury to assess and strengthen the foundations of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, pointing to member feedback that awareness among sole traders and landlords remains low and that practitioners are encountering repeated software errors and incorrect taxpayer records. The institute is pushing for a formal post-implementation review before the £30,000 threshold brings a further wave of taxpayers into scope in April 2027.

What this means for firms. If ICAEW's push lands, a review could slow or reshape the April 2027 threshold drop. Firms planning onboarding capacity for the £30k wave should build in a contingency for a delayed or adjusted timeline.

ICAEW

Technical Updates: Ireland Audit

IAASA BRIEFING 21 OCT

Ethical Standard for Auditors (Ireland) 2025 takes effect from 15 December 2026

Periods from 15 Dec 2026Early adoption permitted

IAASA has reminded firms that the Ethical Standard for Auditors (Ireland) 2025 applies to audits of financial statements for periods beginning on or after 15 December 2026, with early adoption permitted. Audit teams should begin independence-policy and partner-rotation reviews now, rather than waiting for the effective date to arrive.

What this means for firms. Independence policies and partner-rotation schedules should be reviewed this quarter. Early adoption is an option worth considering for firms whose current policies already substantially meet the new standard.

IAASA

European sustainability assurance standard due by end of October

EU Commission adoption expectedCSRD-linked limited assurance

The European Commission is expected to adopt a European sustainability assurance standard by the end of October 2026, which will apply in Ireland on adoption. Firms providing CSRD-linked limited assurance should prepare methodology and training updates ahead of the standard landing, rather than waiting for the final text before starting preparation.

European Commission, IAASA

IAASA Audit Committee Briefing 2026 scheduled for 21 October

AI in auditGeopolitical risk and governance

IAASA's annual audit committee briefing takes place on Wednesday 21 October, with a programme focused on AI in audit, financial reporting in a volatile geopolitical environment, and corporate governance. Firms advising audit committee clients should flag the briefing date as a useful reference point for year-end committee discussions.

IAASA

HMRC & Tax

BUSY OCTOBER CALENDAR

October deadline calendar: CT, Self Assessment registration, VAT and PAYE

CT payment: 1 OctSA registration: 5 OctVAT: 7 Oct, PAYE/NIC/CIS: 19 and 22 Oct

Headline dates in-month: Corporation Tax payment on 1 October, for accounting periods ending 31 December 2025; Self Assessment registration notification on 5 October; VAT return and payment for periods ending 31 August 2026 on 7 October; and PAYE, NIC, and CIS deadlines on 19 and 22 October. A busy calendar worth circulating to the full client book as a single reminder rather than four separate ones.

1 Oct

Corporation Tax payment, Dec 2025 year-ends

5 Oct

Self Assessment registration notification

7 Oct

VAT return and payment, Aug periods

19/22 Oct

PAYE, NIC and CIS deadlines

HMRC

Software Updates

Sage broadens Copilot beyond core bookkeeping

Sage CopilotPayroll, HR and finance workflows

Sage continues to lean into Sage Copilot and its subscription and cloud platform strategy, broadening beyond core bookkeeping into payroll, HR, and finance workflows. The expansion positions Sage more directly against the all-in-one practice-stack ambitions already visible in Intuit's Accountant Suite and Xero's Documents and AI capture features.

Techfinitive

Corporate Finance & M&A

UK PE deal-making indicators turning positive for 2026

Stronger than 2025Tech, healthcare, professional services, energy transition

2026 is on course to be a stronger year for UK private equity transactions than 2025, with sponsors particularly active in the mid-market. Technology, healthcare, professional services, and energy transition remain the most sought-after sectors, and public-to-private transactions are expected to remain a defining feature of the UK market through the rest of the year.

Bloomberg Tax, sector commentary

Independent Financial Advisory

FCA consults on pension-scheme money protections and SIPP due diligence

Reducing consumer harm on firm failureTighter SIPP operator due diligence

The FCA is consulting on new rules governing the handling of pension scheme money and assets to reduce the risk of consumer harm when firms fail, alongside previously announced plans to tighten due-diligence standards for SIPP providers. Advisers with SIPP permissions should review supervisory arrangements over scheme operators and investment permissions ahead of the consultation closing.

What this means for firms. SIPP-permissioned advisers should audit their due-diligence file on scheme operators now. The direction of travel is toward tighter oversight, and firms ahead of the curve will have less remediation work when final rules land.

FCA

Soderberg and Partners' Benchmark acquisition progresses

Announced 6 July 2026Best Practice IFA Group affected

The acquisition of Schroders-owned Benchmark by Soderberg and Partners continues to work through regulatory approval. The deal has knock-on implications for the Best Practice IFA Group network sitting within Benchmark, and IFA principals in that network should monitor transition communications closely as the deal nears completion.

Deal announcements

UK IFA network sector shrinks modestly in H1 2026

5,869 AR firms, down 6510,545 investment advisers

Across the 17 largest UK IFA networks there are now 5,869 appointed-representative firms and 10,545 investment advisers, down 65 firms in the first half of 2026, a continuation of the slow consolidation trend as smaller appointed representatives move directly authorised or exit the market entirely.

5,869

appointed-representative firms, down 65 in H1 2026

10,545

investment advisers across the 17 largest networks

Sector research