This report is available on Pulse, our new accounting system
The Tax Crystal Ball is a powerful forecasting tool that helps you predict your end-of-year tax liability based on your current business performance. This feature allows you to plan ahead and know exactly how much to save each month for your tax bill.
What Does the Tax Crystal Ball Do?
The Tax Crystal Ball analyses your completed months of data in the current financial year and:
- Calculates your average monthly profit
- Projects four different scenarios for your annual profit
- Calculates Income Tax and National Insurance Class 4 contributions
- Shows you exactly how much to save each month to cover your tax bill
- Allows you to adjust your personal allowance if needed
Which Income Sources Are Included?
The Tax Crystal Ball includes:
- Consultant Income (Slimming World franchise activity)
- Team Developer income and expenses
It does not include UK Property or Additional Self Employment income. This focuses purely on your Slimming World-related activities.
How to Access the Tax Crystal Ball
- Log into your client portal
- Navigate to Reports
- Look under Overall Tax Reports
- Click on Tax Crystal Ball
Understanding Your Results
Data Summary Section
At the top of the report, you’ll see:
- Average Monthly Profit: Your average profit across all completed months
- Remaining Months: How many months are left in the financial year
- Data Confidence: The percentage of the year completed (more months = more accurate predictions)
The tool also shows which specific months were included in the calculation.
Projection Scenarios
The Tax Crystal Ball provides four different scenarios to help you plan:
- Cautious (-10%): A conservative estimate if your performance decreases slightly
- Current Average: Based on your actual average performance continuing
- Optimistic (+10%): If your business grows by 10%
- High Growth (+20%): An ambitious growth scenario
The Current Average row is highlighted in light blue as this is your most realistic projection based on current performance.
Understanding the Columns
- Avg Monthly Profit: Your expected monthly profit for that scenario
- Projected Annual Profit: Total profit if this performance continues for the full year
- Income Tax: Estimated Income Tax based on 2025/26 rates
- NI Class 4: National Insurance Class 4 contributions
- Total Tax: Combined tax liability (Income Tax + NI Class 4)
- Net After Tax: What you’ll have left after paying tax
- Monthly Tax Amount*: How much you should save each month to cover your tax bill
*The Monthly Tax Amount is the figure you should be putting aside monthly. This ensures you’ll have enough saved when your tax bill arrives.
Adjusting Your Personal Allowance
The tool assumes the standard UK personal allowance of £12,570 for 2025/26. However, you may need to adjust this if:
- You have PAYE employment that uses some/all of your personal allowance
- You have other income sources that use your personal allowance
- You have a different personal allowance (e.g., Marriage Allowance, high earners)
How to Adjust Personal Allowance
- Scroll to the bottom of the Tax Crystal Ball page
- Find the Adjust Personal Allowance section
- Enter your available personal allowance in the box
- Click Refresh
Example: If you have a part-time job earning £8,000 per year, you would enter £4,570 (£12,570 – £8,000) as this is what remains for your self-employment.
If your personal allowance is fully used elsewhere, enter £0.
When Should I Check the Tax Crystal Ball?
Early in the year: Check it after completing your first few months to start planning early. The predictions will be less accurate but give you a baseline.
Mid-year: Around September/October (6 months in), the predictions become much more reliable as you have 50% of your data.
Throughout the year: Check monthly as you add new data. The more months completed, the more accurate your projections become.
Important Notes and Disclaimers
⚠️ This is an estimation tool
- Predictions are based on your current average performance
- Actual results will vary based on your final profit figures
- Business performance can fluctuate throughout the year
⚠️ Tax calculations use 2025/26 rates
- Personal Allowance: £12,570
- Basic rate (20%): £12,571 – £50,270
- Higher rate (40%): £50,271 – £125,140
- Additional rate (45%): Over £125,140
- NI Class 4: 6% (£12,571 – £50,270), then 2% above
⚠️ Assumes no other income
- If you have other income sources, adjust your personal allowance accordingly
- Does not include property or additional self-employment income
⚠️ Always consult your accountant
- This tool is for planning purposes only
- Your accountant will provide your final tax calculations
- Individual circumstances may affect your actual tax liability
Tips for Using the Tax Crystal Ball
- Set up a monthly savings account: Use the “Monthly Tax Amount” figure to automate monthly transfers into a tax savings account
- Plan for different scenarios: Look at both the Cautious and Optimistic scenarios to understand your best and worst-case tax bills
- Update monthly: Check back each month after entering your new data to see if your projections have changed
- Share with your accountant: Export or screenshot the results to discuss tax planning strategies with your accountant
- Adjust for seasonality: If your business has seasonal peaks (e.g., January New Year rush), remember that averages may not reflect these variations