Nicholas Campion

To check if HMRC has processed your tax return, sign in to your HMRC online account or the HMRC app using your Government Gateway details. For Self Assessment, your tax calculation (SA302) and Tax Year Overview become available once the return is processed, alongside any repayment status. Online returns are usually acknowledged within 72 hours, though full processing and any refund can take longer, with repayments typically arriving within one to two weeks. Corporation Tax and VAT returns are checked through your business and VAT accounts, and HMRC’s ‘Check when you can expect a reply’ tool gives an estimated date if you’re waiting on a response.

Time freedom is a state of having complete autonomy over your time. That means being in control of when, where, and how much you work. While some founders start a business to work less, others may intend to work the same number of hours but on a flexible schedule of their own choosing. In both cases, becoming time-free is their main motivation. Time freedom isn’t an automatic outcome of starting a business but rather a result achieved through deliberate action.

The most common legal mistakes startups make include using verbal agreements, choosing the wrong business structure, overlooking co-founder agreements and issuing company shares without understanding dilution. Mistakes also involve confusing share transfers with share issuances, not protecting intellectual property (IP), misclassifying employment status, and missing company filings. Other mistakes are issuing unpaid shares, poor record-keeping, ignoring data protection rules and using AI-generated documents carelessly.