SBA in Individual Tax Returns — sole traders no longer need to calculate this outside BrightTax

Claim SBA on qualifying commercial building expenditure through the capital allowances section of the SA103 Self-Employment schedule. BrightTax calculates the allowance and applies it to the tax computation automatically.

• 3% annual allowance on qualifying expenditure — calculated automatically
• Time-apportioned for accounting periods shorter or longer than 12 months
• Supports second-hand purchases where the allowance passes from a previous owner

Released: 1 July 2026

SBA in Partnership Tax Returns — allowance allocated to partners in their profit-sharing ratios

Partnerships can now claim SBA through the Partnership Tax Return capital allowances calculator. The allowance is calculated at partnership level and allocated to partners automatically, flowing through to each partner's individual return.

• Partnership-level calculation with automatic partner allocation
• Flows to each partner's SA100 — no manual apportionment needed
• Same 3% rate and time-apportionment rules as ITR

Released: 17 July 2026

SBA in Corporation Tax Returns — available through the Capital Allowances calculator

Companies can now claim SBA through the BrightTax Corporation Tax Capital Allowances calculator. The allowance flows automatically into the CT computation and CT600.

• Add SBA assets directly in the Capital Allowances calculator
• Feeds automatically into the CT computation and CT600
• Time-apportioned for accounting periods other than 12 months

Released: 23 July 2026

General Notes on all return types — one place to record what the next person needs to know

A free-text Notes field is now available on the summary screen of every BrightTax return. Switch to Edit mode, add your note, and save. The note travels with the return.

• Available on Individual Tax Returns, Partnership Tax Returns, VAT Returns, Corporation Tax Returns, and Accounts Production
• Notes are excluded from the IRMark calculation and all HMRC submission payloads — informational only
• Notes do not roll forward to the following year's return
• Visible to all team members with access to the return

Released: ITR, PTR, VAT: 17 July 2026  |  CT, AP: 23–24 July 2026

10 additional SA100 boxes now support line-by-line breakdown entry

Click the drill-down icon next to any supported SA100 box to enter individual line items with date, description, amount, and reference. The summary total updates automatically from the line items — no separate entry needed.

• Bank and building society interest (Box 1)
• Foreign dividends (Box 6)
• Pensions and retirement annuities (Box 11)
• Incapacity benefit (Box 13)
• Other taxable income with allowable expenses (Box 17)
• Registered pension scheme payments (Trade Return Box 1)
• Gift Aid donations (Trade Return Box 5)
• Shares gifted to charity (TR Box 9), land and buildings gifted to charity (TR Box 10), and winter fuel payments (WFP Box 1)

Released: 17 July 2026

Edit mode is now available on all return types — including AP, CT, and prior-year returns

Use the toggle in the bottom-left corner of any return screen to switch between Read Only and Edit mode. One user holds the edit lock at a time — other team members can view in read-only mode whilst you are editing.

• Consistent behaviour across all return types — ITR, PTR, VAT, CT, and AP
• Grey fields in Edit mode are calculated automatically and cannot be edited directly
• Switching back to Read Only releases the lock and allows other team members to edit

Released: ITR, PTR, VAT: 17 July 2026  |  CT, AP: 23–24 July 2026

Short-life asset elections are now available in Partnership Tax Return capital allowances

Partnerships can now make a short-life asset election for qualifying plant and machinery within the PTR Capital Allowances calculator. Assets placed in a single asset short-life pool receive a balancing allowance on disposal within eight years — without affecting the main pool.

• Add a short-life asset pool directly in the PTR Capital Allowances section
• Balancing allowance calculated automatically on disposal
• Allowance allocated to partners in profit-sharing ratios and flows to each partner's SA100
• Assets not disposed of within eight years transfer to the main pool automatically

Released: 1 July 2026