Start with what your household needs each month after tax, and add a monthly amount for savings and goals. Your accountant then works out the salary, dividends or drawings that deliver that figure, and checks the business can afford it after tax and reserves.
Illustrative figures, after tax
Use real bank statements. The free Healthcheck sorts several months of your personal account into the four numbers on the left, and a coach checks the categories by hand.
Put a monthly amount against each goal: the cash reserve, the holiday, the deposit. These belong in the figure from the start.
£3,600 a month after tax is £43,200 a year. Your accountant works out the gross pay, and the mix of salary, dividends or drawings, that leaves you that amount after tax.
The business needs to cover its own tax, VAT and a cash reserve before it pays you. If it falls short, something has to change on one side or the other.
You are paid by the company as an employee and a shareholder.
The split is a tax decision for your accountant. Buzz Accounting sets it for its clients.
You pay income tax and National Insurance on your profit, whatever you draw.
Three things can move: the household's spending, the business's prices or costs, or the dates on your goals. A coaching session works through the household side, agrees what changes first and sets a date to look at the figure again. The business side is for your accountant or a business coach.
If your income changes from month to month, set your pay from a holding account. Budgeting with an irregular income shows how.
There is no single percentage that suits every business. A business that holds stock or pays VAT quarterly needs to keep more cash back than one with steady income and few costs. Start from your household figure, then check it against what the business can afford after tax and its own reserve.
Transfer money from the business account to your personal account. These drawings are not a business expense, and you pay income tax and National Insurance on your profit whatever you draw. A fixed amount on the same day each month makes the household budget easier to run.
That is a tax question for your accountant, who will look at your profit, your other income and the company's position. Buzz Accounting sets the split for its clients. A money coach works out the after-tax figure the household needs, which your accountant then works back from.
Yes. A single session is £39 for half an hour or £69 for an hour. Connect your personal bank account to the free Healthcheck first and your coach starts the session with your real spending. You leave with a monthly figure to take to your accountant.
Which pension to use and how much to pay in is regulated advice, and Buzz Money Coach is not authorised to give it. A coach can show what the household can spare each month. If you want a recommendation we can introduce you to Equity & General, who are authorised by the FCA.
Coaching is not regulated financial advice. Choosing a pension, an investment, a mortgage or a protection policy is regulated advice, and Buzz Money Coach is not authorised to give it. If you want a recommendation we can introduce you to Equity & General, who are authorised by the FCA. Sources: GOV.UK (tax on dividends, Self Assessment payments on account). The worked example is illustrative. Figures checked 21 October 2026.
What the household needs from the business, personal reserves and exit goals.
A fixed monthly pay from a holding account, with tax kept separate.
Your real spending in four numbers, and one to three changes a session.
£39 a half-hour, £69 an hour or a month, £399 for the Money Road Map.