Understanding Shares and Reserves: A Practical Guide for Accountants | 21 April
This comprehensive webinar explores both everyday and less common legal and accountancy issues surrounding shares and reserves. Understanding what is possible - and having a strong conceptual overview - is essential for providing accurate advice to clients and identifying the full range of options available to them.
It is often during exit routes that problems such as unlawful dividends or issues within a company’s capital structure come to light. This session will help you recognise, prevent, and address these challenges with confidence.
The course will cover the following area:
Dividends:
- Final v Interim dividends
- Legality of dividends / what are distributable reserves
- Directors’ fiduciary duties
- Dividend waivers – Risks and who can prepare them
- Possible restrictions in a Company’s Memo and Arts
- Dividends in Specie accounting for both sides of the transaction
- Accounting for dividends including illegal dividends
- Disclosure requirements (FRS 102 to FRS 105)
Shares:
- Plcs V. private companies
- Types of shares: ordinary shares / preference shares / treasury shares
- Exploring common terms – authorised, called up, paid up etc
- Accounting requirements particularly regarding whether preference shares should be accounted for as debt or equity
- Disclosure requirements (FRS 102 to FRS 105)
New Shares:
- How to issue them
- Possible restrictions in a Company’s Memo and Arts
- Recognition of share premium, merger relief, group reconstruction relief
Changes in Shares:
- Consolidation
- Splitting
- Re purchase (Shares Buy Backs) including the need to create a capital redemption reserve
Capital Reduction:
- Solvency v Court Route
Revaluation Reserves:
- When they arise
- Accounting treatments
Capital Contributions:
- Overview
- Accounting for long-term non-commercial loans
Date: Tuesday 21 April 2026
Time: 9:30am - 1:00pm
CPD hour: 3.5
Price:
IFA members & affiliates | EB: £75 Reg: £95
Non-members | EB: £99 Reg: £125
About the speaker
About the speaker 
Matthew Shaw is the Managing Director of Metis Compliance Limited. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
He has spent over 23 years in technical and training, previously being the technical director of the HAT Group of Accountants (HAT).
Matthew has lectured to accountants in practice, accountants in industry and financial institutions on UK financial reporting. He also spearheaded HAT’s response to FRS 102 and FRS 102 Section 1A, preparing disclosure checklists and work programmes.