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October 2025 Insights Newsletter

The monthly newsletter from the team at Insight Training

Autumn 2025 Budget Update

 Join Ros Martin on 28th November, 9.30-11.30, for our Autumn Budget Update.

This session will cover the main developments arising out of the budget on 26th November, including any subsequent press releases and draft legislation, and will use examples where relevant to highlight the changes.

To book email liz@insight-training.co.uk or visit Autumn Budget Update.

Data Analytics and AI

Due to popular demand, join Peter Herbert and subject specialist, John Toon, on 17th Nov, 9.30-11.30 to explore practical steps that firms can use to embrace these tools.

The session will cover practical first steps to take for firms to take; important operational and commercial considerations when using data analytics and AI; top tips for training the team and important ethical and data protection issues.

To book email liz@insight-training.co.uk or visit Data Analytics and AI.

In this month’s vlog, Peter Herbert discusses top tips for auditing revenue.

In October’s blog, we discuss FAQs on leasing under the revised FRS 102 .

Upcoming courses

Our 2026 CPD programme is coming soon.

You can download our booking form and brochure here

Date – Time – Course – Presenter

24th Oct – 9.30-12.30 – Family Tax Planning – Malcolm Greenbaum

5th Nov – 9.30-11.00 – Materiality, Sampling and Misstatements – Maya Norbury

5th Nov – 11.30-1.00 – Auditing Stock – Maya Norbury

10th Nov – 9.30-12.30 – MTD Update – Rebecca Benneyworth

11th Nov – 9.30-12.30 – Autumn Audit Update – Peter Herbert

12th Nov – 9.30-12.30 – AML Refresher and Update – Peter Herbert and Karen Eckstein

13th Nov – 1.00-2.00 – Building Resilience and Managing Change – Nicky Clough

17th Nov – 9.30-11.30 – Data Analytics and AI – Peter Herbert and John Toon

18th Nov – 9.30-12.30 – Financial Reporting and Tax Update – Peter Herbert and Ros Martin

Our 2025 AML, Ethics and GDPR E-Learning Programmes are available now. 

“Excellent delivery, easily understood with some good points raised. Delegate, Autumn series

FAQs from recent courses

Financial Reporting

Do the rules on increased section 1A disclosures and the removal of the filleted and abridged accounts regimes come in at the same time. If so, when is that?

No they don’t. The rules on increased disclosures in FRS 102 Section 1A take effect as part of the FRS 102 Periodic Review for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2026. The removal of the filleted and abridged accounts regimes for small and micro companies and LLPs is happening as part of changes introduced by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA) for financial statements filings after 1 April 2027.

Financial Reporting

We have just picked up a new client which has redeemed preference shares during the year. Since preference shares are, in substance, debt not equity, do the normal capital maintenance rules apply?

Yes, the normal rules on capital maintenance relating to share buy backs and capital reduction schemes do apply because these rules are based on legal form, not commercial substance. Share buy backs are commonly made out of distributable reserves or via a fresh issue. Assuming the former, key steps are: (1) Check the company’s articles of association to ensure the transaction is permitted; (2) Pass an ordinary resolution; (3) Ensure the necessary Companies House submissions are made subsequent to the procedure; and (4) Make the necessary capital redemption reserve transfer in the accounting records to maintain the ‘creditors buffer stock’.

ISQM

In relation to cold file reviews, we tend to get external cold file reviews done every few years, and do internal cold file reviews in the interim years. Is this ok for a medium-sized firm?

There is no hard and fast rule about cold file reviews in ISQM 1. It simply requires firms to select at least one completed engagement for each responsible individual on a cyclical basis determined by the firm. However, it is important to consider the requirements of ICAEW’s Audit Regulations also. These stipulate two criteria for the review of completed engagements: (1) the cycle of inspection of completed engagements for each responsible individual must not exceed three years and (2) monitoring must include at least one inspection of a completed engagement, each year.

Medium-sized firms that we perform cold reviews for generally ask us to perform reviews annually. However, what is being advocated by the questioner is totally acceptable, provided that the quality of the internal reviews performed in the interim years is considered adequate.

In a recent poll

Is increasing the micro entity threshold to £1M turnover a good idea?

Oct 2025 pie

It wasn’t that many years ago that the audit exemption threshold was £1M and it now partly determines micro-entity status and thus eligibility for FRS 105. We still meet lots of delegates that rarely use FRS 105 but polling responses reflect the fact that many are in favour of the recent across the board increases in turnover and total asset thresholds that help to simplify accounting for SMEs.

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