--- title: blog | Dean Shepherd CTA FMAAT, Chartered Tax Adviser, ~30 years experience description: "I'm Dean Shepherd, a Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) and Fellow of the AAT, with approaching 30 years in UK tax and accountancy. \n
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I run ESXR, a deliberately small accountancy practice for established service-based businesses — from creative agencies to consultants — who want their finances handled properly by someone who genuinely has time for them. \n
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Before going out on my own, I spent eight years in the tax software industry, shaping how the products actually worked and helping build the software your accountant uses every day. I also lecture on tax and speak at industry conferences, which keeps me at the front of the profession rather than catching up with it. \n
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I write these articles to make tax and money a little less stressful: plain English, no jargon, grounded in what actually works for real businesses rather than textbook theory. \n
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If something here raises a question about your own situation, I'm always happy to help — \ndrop me a message, or \nbook a chat." --- [Skip to content](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/author/dean-shepherd#main-content) [![Eat Sleep Excel Repeat Logo](https://esxr.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/ESXR%20Tshirt%20Transparent.png?width=70&height=70&name=ESXR%20Tshirt%20Transparent.png "Eat Sleep Excel Repeat Logo")](https://www.esxr.co.uk) - [Home](https://esxr.co.uk) - Who I help - [Creative agencies](https://esxr.co.uk/accountants-for-creative-agencies) - [Consultants](https://esxr.co.uk/accountants-for-consultants) - [Film, TV and media](https://esxr.co.uk/accountants-for-film-tv-and-media) - [Content creators](https://esxr.co.uk/accountants-for-content-creators) - [Meet me](https://esxr.co.uk/book-a-meeting) - [Reviews](https://esxr.co.uk/#customer-reviews) - [Pricing](https://esxr.co.uk/#pricing) - [Insights](https://esxr.co.uk/blog) - [About](https://esxr.co.uk/about) - [020 8938 3736](tel:+442089383736) - [Contact](https://esxr.co.uk/contact-us) # Eat Sleep **Blog** Repeat ![Dean Shepherd CTA FMAAT, Chartered Tax Adviser, ~30 years experience](https://esxr.co.uk/hubfs/Dean03.webp) ## Dean Shepherd CTA FMAAT, Chartered Tax Adviser, ~30 years experience I'm Dean Shepherd, a Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) and Fellow of the AAT, with approaching 30 years in UK tax and accountancy. I run ESXR, a deliberately small accountancy practice for established service-based businesses — from creative agencies to consultants — who want their finances handled properly by someone who genuinely has time for them. Before going out on my own, I spent eight years in the tax software industry, shaping how the products actually worked and helping build the software your accountant uses every day. I also lecture on tax and speak at industry conferences, which keeps me at the front of the profession rather than catching up with it. I write these articles to make tax and money a little less stressful: plain English, no jargon, grounded in what actually works for real businesses rather than textbook theory. If something here raises a question about your own situation, I'm always happy to help — [drop me a message](https://esxr.co.uk/contact-us), or [book a chat](https://esxr.co.uk/book-a-meeting). ## Recent Articles [![Model of a Georgian townhouse office packed in an open suitcase, lit by warm sunlight.](https://esxr.co.uk/hubfs/261027%20Central%20Management%20and%20Control.webp)](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/one-director-two-countries-where-is-your-company-really-tax-resident) - [Dean Shepherd CTA FMAAT, Chartered Tax Adviser, ~30 years experience](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/author/dean-shepherd) - October 27, 2026 ### [One director, two countries: where is your company really tax resident?](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/one-director-two-countries-where-is-your-company-really-tax-resident) Over the past few months I’ve had a run of conversations with business owners whose lives have gone international. Some... [Read more](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/one-director-two-countries-where-is-your-company-really-tax-resident) [![Company director signing a dividend board minute and voucher at a studio desk, with a banking app ready on a phone and management accounts alongside.](https://esxr.co.uk/hubfs/261012%20Dividends.webp)](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/dividend-paperwork-the-five-minute-job-that-protects-you-from-an-expensive-problem) - [Dean Shepherd CTA FMAAT, Chartered Tax Adviser, ~30 years experience](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/author/dean-shepherd) - October 12, 2026 ### [Dividend paperwork: the five-minute job that protects you from an expensive problem](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/dividend-paperwork-the-five-minute-job-that-protects-you-from-an-expensive-problem) Most of the company owners I work with pay themselves a modest salary and take the rest of their income as dividends.... [Read more](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/dividend-paperwork-the-five-minute-job-that-protects-you-from-an-expensive-problem) [![Creative business owner at her studio desk, chin in hand, waiting on a reply, beside an opened corporate letter, a cold coffee and a fountain pen.](https://esxr.co.uk/hubfs/261010%20Lost%20Interest.webp)](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/7-signs-your-accountant-has-quietly-lost-interest-in-you) - [Dean Shepherd CTA FMAAT, Chartered Tax Adviser, ~30 years experience](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/author/dean-shepherd) - October 10, 2026 ### [7 Signs Your Accountant Has Quietly Lost Interest in You](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/7-signs-your-accountant-has-quietly-lost-interest-in-you) Most people don’t leave their accountant after one big disaster. They leave after a slow drift. [Read more](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/7-signs-your-accountant-has-quietly-lost-interest-in-you) [![Closed document folder with an orange tab in a desk out-tray, beside a capped fountain pen and coffee, with a wall clock behind.](https://esxr.co.uk/hubfs/260930%20Late%20Filing.webp)](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/filing-your-accounts-late) - [Dean Shepherd CTA FMAAT, Chartered Tax Adviser, ~30 years experience](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/author/dean-shepherd) - September 30, 2026 ### [Filing Your Accounts Late](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/filing-your-accounts-late) Filing Your Accounts Late at Companies House: What It Costs, and Why On Time Is Worth More Than You Think Today, 30... [Read more](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/filing-your-accounts-late) [![Desk calendar with one date circled in orange, beside a fountain pen, a camera lens and colour swatches, with a folded newspaper.](https://esxr.co.uk/hubfs/260929%20Budget.webp)](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/budget-day-is-28-october) - [Dean Shepherd CTA FMAAT, Chartered Tax Adviser, ~30 years experience](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/author/dean-shepherd) - September 29, 2026 ### [Budget Day Is 28 October](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/budget-day-is-28-october) Budget Day Is 28 October. Here's What Creative Business Owners Should (and Shouldn't) Do Before Then We have a new... [Read more](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/budget-day-is-28-october) [![Mobile phone on desk with marked answers on a sheet](https://esxr.co.uk/hubfs/260713%20GovUK%20Chatbot.webp)](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/governments-new-ai-chatbot) - [Dean Shepherd CTA FMAAT, Chartered Tax Adviser, ~30 years experience](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/author/dean-shepherd) - July 13, 2026 ### [I asked the government's new AI chatbot six tax questions. Here's how it did.](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/governments-new-ai-chatbot) In May, the government launched GOV.UK Chat — an AI assistant built into the GOV.UK app that answers questions in plain... [Read more](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/governments-new-ai-chatbot) [![Return to sender envelope on desk](https://esxr.co.uk/hubfs/260709%20HMRC%20Direct%20Debits.webp)](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/direct-debit-for-vat-and-paye) - [Dean Shepherd CTA FMAAT, Chartered Tax Adviser, ~30 years experience](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/author/dean-shepherd) - July 9, 2026 ### [Direct Debit for VAT and PAYE: a good idea HMRC is about to ruin](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/direct-debit-for-vat-and-paye) I have been telling clients to pay their VAT by Direct Debit for years. It is one of the few genuinely free wins in tax... [Read more](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/direct-debit-for-vat-and-paye) [![Cozy workspace](https://esxr.co.uk/hubfs/260703%20DLA.webp)](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/directors-loan-account) - [Dean Shepherd CTA FMAAT, Chartered Tax Adviser, ~30 years experience](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/author/dean-shepherd) - July 3, 2026 ### [Your Company's Money Isn't Your Money: The Director's Loan Account, Explained](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/directors-loan-account) Picture this. You pay for something personal out of the company account because it happens to be the bank card in your... [Read more](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/directors-loan-account) [![Desk scene with glasses resting on a diary](https://esxr.co.uk/hubfs/260629%20Glasses.webp)](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/can-i-put-my-glasses-through-the-businessheres-the-honest-answer) - [Dean Shepherd CTA FMAAT, Chartered Tax Adviser, ~30 years experience](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/author/dean-shepherd) - June 29, 2026 ### [Can I Put My Glasses Through the Business? Here's the Honest Answer](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/can-i-put-my-glasses-through-the-businessheres-the-honest-answer) A client asked me this the other day, and I suspect a lot of people quietly wonder the same thing: [Read more](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/can-i-put-my-glasses-through-the-businessheres-the-honest-answer) [![Clear desk with laptop and calendar](https://esxr.co.uk/hubfs/260626%2031%20July%20POA.webp)](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/your-second-payment-on-account-is-due-on-31-july) - [Dean Shepherd CTA FMAAT, Chartered Tax Adviser, ~30 years experience](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/author/dean-shepherd) - June 26, 2026 ### [Your Second Payment on Account Is Due on 31 July — Here's What It Actually Is (and How to Pay Less)](https://esxr.co.uk/blog/your-second-payment-on-account-is-due-on-31-july) Every July, I get a version of the same message: "HMRC says I owe more tax. Didn't I already pay in January?" 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