In the UK
41 sections, about 8,000 wordsRenewals and deadlines Greymill tracks
- Ask each client to confirm its size for IR35Yearly
Figures Greymill knows, with their sources
- £52ICO data protection fee a year for a micro organisation (tier 1).As of Oct 2026. Source: legislation.gov.uk
- £15 millionIR35 small client turnover limit. With a small client, your own company makes the IR35 call.As of Oct 2026. Source: legislation.gov.uk
- £100Fixed compensation you can add to a late business invoice of £10,000 or more, on top of interest.As of Oct 2026. Source: legislation.gov.uk
Words of the trade it understands
- day rate
- SOW and engagement letter
- PSC (personal service company)
- inside or outside IR35
- SDS
- fee-payer
- deemed employment payment
- umbrella
Free lessons for the UK
- My day rate looks healthy, so why does the year not add up?A consultant is paid for the days they bill, not the days they are available, and fixed fees and retainers can quietly turn a good rate into a poor one.Read the lesson
- How much of the money in my consulting company is actually mine to take?In a one-person consulting company part of every invoice belongs to HMRC, and drawing the rest the wrong way can lock cash away for at least a year.Read the lesson
- Is this contract inside IR35, who decides, and what does it do to my take-home?On every engagement through your own company, the client's size, sector and UK connection decide who makes the IR35 call, and a client's SDS can be formally challenged.Read the lesson
- Can I take a success fee for finding investors, or help with a client's visa application?Introducing investors, recommending investments, dealing with HMRC for clients and advising on visas each sit behind a regulatory line, and crossing some of them without permission is an offence.Read the lesson
- The client's contract makes me liable for everything and wants to own my toolkitAdvice contracts hurt consultants in two places: an uncapped or stricter duty than the law implies, and IP clauses that hand over the methods you reuse on every job.Read the lesson
- Placing associates with clients without their IR35 bill coming out of my marginWhen a boutique places associates who work through their own companies, it becomes a link in the off-payroll chain and can end up paying employer NI on their fees.Read the lesson
- How do I win public sector work, and stop depending on one big client?Consultancies win through referrals, a narrow niche and frameworks, and public sector work comes with its own rules on registration, conflicts, payment and IR35.Read the lesson
- Closing my consulting company: strike-off or liquidation, and the claim that arrives afterwardsClosing a consulting company the cheap way can turn retained profit into income, and stopping your PI on the same day can leave a later claim with nothing to answer it.Read the lesson
In the US
34 sections, about 6,600 wordsRenewals and deadlines Greymill tracks
- California LLC fee estimate dueYearly
- Texas franchise tax report dueYearly
- Florida annual report dueYearly
- New York PTET election deadlineYearly
Figures Greymill knows, with their sources
- $24,500401(k) employee deferral limit for 2026.As of Oct 2026. Source: irs.gov
- $800California minimum franchise tax an LLC or corporation pays each year.As of Oct 2026. Source: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
- $184,500Social Security wage base for 2026: pay above it carries no Social Security tax.As of Oct 2026. Source: ssa.gov
Words of the trade it understands
- hourly and day rate
- MSA
- SOW
- utilization
- 1099 contractor
- LLC and S corporation
- reasonable compensation
- QBI
Free lessons for the US
- My hourly rate looks fine, but fixed fees and retainers keep running overYour rate only means something once you count unbilled hours, write-downs and the extra days a fixed fee or retainer quietly absorbs.Read the lesson
- Should my consulting LLC elect S corporation status, and what does that do to QBI and my retirement plan?For consultants, the S election, the phase-out of the qualified business income (QBI) deduction for service businesses and the retirement plan interact, so the headline payroll tax saving is only the start of the answer.Read the lesson
- Can I take a success fee for introducing investors, or advise on a client's 401(k) menu?Investment advice, finder fees, legal drafting, immigration work and health data each sit behind a federal or state line, so check before you take on the work next door.Read the lesson
- The client's MSA wants unlimited liability, a noncompete and everything I have ever builtConsulting MSAs hurt owners in three places: liability and indemnities, ownership of the work, and restrictive covenants that may not be enforceable in your state at all.Read the lesson
- Can my consulting firm bring in other consultants as 1099 subcontractors?A consulting firm that subcontracts consulting work meets the strictest version of the classification tests, especially in California, so check before the first SOW.Read the lesson
- Winning government consulting work without being shut out by a conflictGovernment work rewards consultants who register early, pick the right route in, and keep clear of organizational conflicts of interest.Read the lesson
- A spoofed email diverted a payment, or a claim arrived after my E&O stoppedTwo consulting losses that land in the gaps between policies: a wire sent to a fraudster without social engineering cover, and a claim on old advice after the E&O has lapsed.Read the lesson
Questions owners ask
Is there an AI for consulting and advisory?+
Yes. Greymill is an AI team for small businesses that is briefed on consulting and advisory, written separately for the UK and the US: 41 sections for the UK and 34 for the US, about 14,600 words of reviewed industry knowledge, as of Oct 2026.
Which renewals and deadlines does Greymill track for consulting and advisory in the UK?+
In the UK: Ask each client to confirm its size for IR35 (yearly). As of Oct 2026.
Which renewals and deadlines does Greymill track for consulting and advisory in the US?+
In the US: California LLC fee estimate due (yearly); Texas franchise tax report due (yearly); Florida annual report due (yearly); New York PTET election deadline (yearly). As of Oct 2026.
Which figures does Greymill know for consulting and advisory in the UK?+
ICO data protection fee a year for a micro organisation (tier 1): £52 (legislation.gov.uk, as of Oct 2026). IR35 small client turnover limit. With a small client, your own company makes the IR35 call: £15 million (legislation.gov.uk, as of Oct 2026). Fixed compensation you can add to a late business invoice of £10,000 or more, on top of interest: £100 (legislation.gov.uk, as of Oct 2026).
Which figures does Greymill know for consulting and advisory in the US?+
401(k) employee deferral limit for 2026: $24,500 (irs.gov, as of Oct 2026). California minimum franchise tax an LLC or corporation pays each year: $800 (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, as of Oct 2026). Social Security wage base for 2026: pay above it carries no Social Security tax: $184,500 (ssa.gov, as of Oct 2026).
Does Greymill replace my accountant, solicitor or other professional advisers?+
No. Greymill gives you a whole team to think with every day: the numbers modelled, the contract read, the campaign planned, the hire prepared, the filing checklist ready, all before you speak to anyone by the hour. What Greymill produces is software output from the information you give it, so Greymill takes no instruction, owes no professional duty and files nothing unless you send it yourself. Where a matter needs a regulated professional to sign it off, Greymill says so and tells you exactly what to take to them. Customers arrive at their accountant or lawyer with the work done and the questions sharp, which is usually the cheapest hour they will ever buy.
How much does Greymill cost?+
Plans start at £100 a month plus VAT in the UK and $130 a month plus tax in the US. Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial on full Scale access, no card needed.
How Greymill helps
Tell Greymill about your business once. Its sixteen specialists share one memory of it, so the one you ask already knows your trade, your country and your numbers. Connect your books and inbox. Nothing is sent unless you press Send, and your books change only when you press Approve. Greymill files nothing unless you send it yourself and is not a regulated adviser: where a matter needs one, it says so and tells you what to take to them.