Best AI office assistants for UK trades firms in 2026
Five AI tools for a trades office, scored on the jobs each covers, set-up, approval, support, a price you can read and track record.
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Five AI tools for small UK accountancy practices, scored on the jobs each covers, set-up, approval, support, a clear price and track record.
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How ready is your firm for AI? Find out in 3 minutes.Take the 3-minute readiness scorecardLatest guides
Running the practice
Statutory Sick Pay: £123.25 a week or 80% of earnings, whichever is lower, for up to 28 weeks, worked for a client's employee
GOV.UK sets Statutory Sick Pay at £123.25 a week or 80% of average earnings, whichever is lower, for up to 28 weeks. The £154.06 crossover, worked.
Compliance and safety
A married couple own a rental together: the 50/50 income split, Form 17 and its 60-day limit, worked
HMRC splits a married couple's joint rental income 50/50 unless a valid Form 17 arrives within 60 days. A worked example shows the effect.
AWR, right to work and the Conduct Regulations
A 17-year-old temp: the 8-hour day, the 40-hour week, the 30-minute break, and two clients added together
Young workers aged 15 to 17 are capped at 8 hours a day and 40 a week, with hours at every employer added together. Five rotas and a two-client week tested.
SRA, AML and transparency
The ICO data protection fee for a law firm: £52, £78 or £3,763, £5 off by direct debit, and the 21-day window
The 2018 Charges Regulations set three fees, £52, £78 and £3,763, with £5 off for direct debit. A table shows the net fee and what the £5 is worth in each tier.
Rules and paperwork
RIDDOR over-7-day injury on a trades job: weekends count, and the report is due within 15 days of the accident
HSE: an injury keeping a worker off for more than 7 consecutive days is reportable within 15 days of the accident. Four worked cases on real dates.
Running the practice
A dental nurse's child is ill and she rings in: time off for dependants, no set limit, what counts as an emergency and what does not, worked
Emergency time off for dependants: a reasonable time, no limit on how often, pay optional, a booked hospital visit not covered. Six cases sorted.
Fees, payments and postage
Packing orders at home: the HMRC flat rate of £10, £18 or £26 a month, worked for five weekly routines
HMRC simplified expenses pay a flat £10, £18 or £26 a month for working from home, from 25 hours a month. Five routines worked.
Allergens, licensing and rates
Does a pub kitchen need food hygiene certificates? What the law says staff must have, and the record count for 14 staff, worked
The hygiene regulation asks for supervision, instruction and training matched to the job, not a named certificate. Training records for 14 staff, worked.
Annual reviews and ongoing service
Normal minimum pension age rises from 55 to 57 on 6 April 2028: which clients it catches, with access dates worked
GOV.UK says the normal minimum pension age rises from 55 to 57 on 6 April 2028. Birth dates, access dates and the protected pension age check for a client.
Leasehold law changes
The external wall record for a high-rise block of flats: when regulation 5 applies, what it must contain, and six blocks counted
Regulation 5 of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022: when a block needs an external wall record, with six invented blocks tested.
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