Most UK business owners are running serious operations through the wrong setup — exposed to unnecessary risk, moving money inefficiently, and leaving their wealth unprotected. A holding company fixes all of that. ASWATAX makes it happen — cleanly, correctly, and with full HMRC clearance. Typically completed in 4 to 6 weeks.

Get The UK Business Owner's Complete Guide to Holding Companies — a plain-English breakdown of how to protect your assets, structure your wealth, and set up correctly from the start.

If any of the below sounds like your situation — you need to read this page carefully.
One company doing everything. Properties sitting in the wrong entity. No clear separation between what you trade and what you own. It works — until it doesn't. One claim, one dispute, one bad year — and everything you've built is exposed.
Money moving between your businesses are via unsecured loans. Dividends are hitting your personal tax return at 33.75% or 39.35% when they could be moving between group companies completely tax-free. Every year you delay costs you real money.
Your trading company carries risk every day — contracts, employees, clients, liabilities. If your assets — property, cash, investments — are sitting in that same company, they're exposed to every one of those risks. A holding company ring-fences what you've built.
Under a holding company structure, dividends paid from your trading company to your holding company are exempt from corporation tax. No tax on the transfer. No personal tax bill. The money sits at holding company level, ready to reinvest — on your terms, in your time.
Different shareholders have different goals, different tax positions, different timelines and different appetites. A flat structure with everyone in the same company makes this almost impossible to manage cleanly. A holding company gives each shareholder the flexibility they need without disrupting the whole.
If something happened tomorrow — how does your wealth pass to your family? Without the right structure, the answer involves HMRC taking a significant share. A holding company, combined with a Family Investment Company, gives you the architecture to pass assets on efficiently and on your own terms.
Over 30 verified Google reviews from business owners, property investors and accountants across the UK.
"Worked with ASWATAX on a group restructure for my property business, including setting up a holding company and aligning everything properly from a tax perspective. They were excellent throughout. The advice was clear, well thought through, and commercially focused covering CGT, stamp duty and VAT in a way that actually made sense for how the business will operate going forward. What stood out was their ability to translate strategy into something practical and executable, rather than just theory. They also handled the process end-to-end, including HMRC clearance and legal documentation, which made things seamless on my side. Would highly recommend to anyone restructuring or scaling a property business."
"I’ve worked with ASWATAX both personally and in a professional capacity with my own clients, and I can’t recommend them highly enough. They consistently provide excellent, tailored advice that’s both technically strong and easy to understand. What really stands out is their ability to combine professionalism with a genuinely approachable style — they take the time to understand each situation and deliver practical, clear guidance. A trusted and reliable firm that I’m always confident referring to others."
"I had multiple areas where tax advice was required within my family owned group of small businesses. Omar carried out a detailed analysis and provided a report with various options available. I then commissioned ASWATAX to set up a Family Investment Company (including a discretionary trust), restructure our parent company’s shares and carry out a demerger of one of our companies within the group. To date I can not fault ASWATAX and highly recommend their professional tax advice and implementation."
"ASWATAX have provided great support in preparing our group of companies to be in the best structure to support growth and be as tax efficient as possible. We hope our partnership continues into the future."
"I first spoke to Omar over a year ago where we spoke about a Group structure and its benefits. Omar answered my questions, was patient and wasn’t pushy. I knew he was at the end of the phone when and if I received to go down that route. Eventually when we were ready to move forward with a Group structure Omar made everything simple to understand and the process has been a great experience."
"Omar has been excellent from engagement to the provision of the report. Always willing to support and carries his workout with an ultra dynamic approach - adapting very quickly to new changes and taking on board all sorts of ideas. Looking forward to continuing the working relationship for many years to come!"
A holding company sits above your trading businesses and properties. It acts as a control centre — allowing profits to move between entities efficiently, protecting your assets from trading risk, and giving you the cleanest possible structure for growth, investment, and eventual exit.
It isn't a loophole. It isn't complicated. It's the most widely used, HMRC-approved corporate structure in the UK — and it's available to any business owner who sets it up correctly.
Profits can flow from your trading company to your holding company without triggering unnecessary tax charges — keeping more of your money working where you need it.
Properties, cash reserves, and investments held at holding company level are protected from any claims or liabilities that arise in your trading business. What you've accumulated stays safe.
The right structure means a potential tax-free gain when you sell — through the Substantial Shareholding Exemption. For business owners thinking about the future, this alone can be worth hundreds of thousands.
Right now, money moving across your businesses may be getting caught unnecessarily. The right group structure eliminates that friction — legally and permanently.
If your business ever faces a claim, a dispute, or an unexpected liability — assets in the wrong place are exposed. A holding company separates what you trade from what you own.
A well-structured group gives you far greater control over your estate. Assets pass on more efficiently, with less exposure to inheritance tax — ensuring your wealth ends up where you intend.
Bringing in investors, launching a new venture, rewarding key people with equity — a holding company gives you the clean architecture to do all of this without disrupting what's already working.
The Substantial Shareholding Exemption means that when you sell a subsidiary through a holding company, the gain can be entirely free of tax. It only applies if your structure is right.
Tax legislation changes. Business owners who restructure now lock in the benefits under current rules. Those who wait risk doing so under less favourable conditions — or missing the window entirely.
Scenario: A business owner with £150,000 in their trading company, reinvesting into property.
Our fee pays for itself many times over — often on the very first transaction after restructuring.
Every group is designed around your circumstances. These are real structure types we implement — following full HMRC clearance.

Your existing trading and investment companies become subsidiaries of a new HoldCo — a clean, HMRC-approved group structure without disturbing the underlying businesses.

Separating a trading group from a property investment group so each shareholder holds what suits their goals — with HMRC clearance obtained up front.

A holding company sits above the trade, with Family Investment Companies alongside for each family — dividends flow up exempt from corporation tax.

A Family Investment Company invested alongside the operating group — separating personal and family wealth from trading and property activity.

Founders, the younger generation and a discretionary trust each hold different share classes — a flexible platform for succession and inheritance tax planning.

A property investment portfolio is separated into distinct corporate groups — allowing different families to own and control their share cleanly, with full HMRC clearance.
For illustrative purposes only. Specifics are advised based on your particular circumstances, discussions and planning.
A holding company is just the start. ASWATAX advises across the full business lifecycle — from growth through to exit and succession.
A Family Investment Company is one of the most powerful tools available for passing wealth to the next generation — with control, flexibility, and significant tax efficiency. We design, structure, and implement FICs alongside your holding company or as a standalone solution.
Exiting your business is one of the most significant financial events of your life. Get the structure right beforehand and the tax position right throughout — and you keep far more of what you've built. We advise on pre-sale restructuring, Business Asset Disposal Relief, and deal structuring.
Acquisition brings its own tax complexities — due diligence, deal structuring, earn-outs, and integration. We ensure you're acquiring in the most efficient way and that the structure you're buying into makes sense from day one.
If your business is spending on research and development, you may be entitled to significant relief — and most businesses either don't claim or underclaim. We have a unique, robust process: we identify what qualifies, discuss with your R&D team, prepare the claim correctly, ensure compliance and reporting is up to date, and defend it with HMRC. Yes, scrutiny has increased, but so have our understanding and capabilities. We have successfully defended many claims too!
From share schemes and EMI options to property tax planning, business lifecycle advisory, extracting profits tax efficiently and bespoke tax support — ASWATAX works with business owners who want proactive, senior-level advice throughout the year, not just at year end. We also support in navigating certain one-off transactions and restructures.
With the right structure in place, you decide how your wealth passes on — not HMRC. We advise on the most effective ways to reduce your inheritance tax exposure, whether that's through a Family Investment Company, gifting strategies, discretionary trusts or a combination of all three. Proper planning now can save your family hundreds of thousands — and ensure what you've built ends up exactly where you intend.
Pricing below applies to a standard restructure — one holding company above one trading company. For anything more complex, use the bespoke quote section below.
All fees are exclusive of VAT. Available over 3 monthly instalments. 5% discount if paid in full on engagement.
Full tax advisory and HMRC clearance — everything on the advisory side handled by ASWATAX. You engage a solicitor separately for legal implementation.
Best suited to clients who already have a trusted legal relationship.
Everything managed under one roof. Tax advisory, in-house legal implementation, Companies House filings, and a full tax valuation — all in one fixed fee. Nothing to coordinate, nothing to chase.
No solicitor needed. One firm, one fixed fee, everything handled.
Our most comprehensive package — built for clients who want total certainty. Everything in Premium, plus the only guarantee of its kind in the UK market.
The only risk-free restructuring package in the UK.
Multiple trading companies. Existing group structures. Family Investment Companies. International elements. If your situation goes beyond a standard one holding company above one trading company — tell us below and we'll come back to you with a bespoke fixed fee within 24 hours.
We take 30 minutes to understand your current structure, your assets, and your goals. No obligation. No cost.
We produce a full review of your ownership, recommend the optimal structure, and confirm the HMRC clearance position before we proceed.
We prepare and submit your clearance application and handle every query until HMRC confirms approval. You don't have to chase anyone.
Our in-house lawyers execute the restructure, prepare all documents, and file with Companies House. You're done — typically within 4 to 6 weeks of instruction.
ASWATAX is a specialist UK tax advisory firm. Every engagement is led personally by a qualified Chartered Tax Advisor — never passed to a junior, never handled at arm's length.
Chartered Tax Adviser regulatedWe focus exclusively on complex corporate restructuring and HMRC clearances for UK business owners and investors. This is all we do — and we do it at the highest level.
Unlike most tax advisors, we have our own lawyers. No separate solicitor to brief, no delays, no double fees. One firm. One fixed price. Everything included.
We know how HMRC thinks and we write applications that are commercially grounded, robustly argued, and built to succeed. We handle every query until clearance is confirmed — at no extra charge.
You'll know exactly what you're paying before we start. No hourly rates. No scope creep. No invoice surprises. The fee we quote is the fee you pay.
Book a free, no-obligation discovery call with one of our Chartered Tax Advisors. We'll review your situation, tell you exactly what's possible, and give you a fixed fee before we start anything.