Feature · Director's loan tracking

Know exactly where your director's loan stands. Today.

The director's loan account is one of the easiest ways for a UK director to walk into a tax bill they didn't see coming. Pulse pulls the balance from Xero in real time, warns you before the s455 charge bites, and shows when a dividend would be cleaner than another drawing.

Live DLA balance

The current value of your director's loan account, refreshed whenever you sync Xero.

s455 trigger warnings

Pulse warns you as the balance approaches £10,000 and again before the 9-month repayment deadline.

Dividend headroom

See how much you could declare as a dividend right now based on distributable profits and cash.

Movement history

Every drawing, repayment and journal that hit the DLA — clearly listed and timestamped.

Why a DLA dashboard saves you money

HMRC charges section 455 corporation tax on overdrawn director's loan balances that aren't repaid within nine months and one day of your accounting period end. The rate is 35.75% (rose from 33.75% on 6 April 2026) — and unlike normal corporation tax, you only get it back when the loan is repaid, which can tie up cash for years.

The trap is that most directors don't see the balance until their accountant pulls it together months later. By then the period end has passed and the choice is "pay the s455" or "find the cash to repay the loan now". Pulse's whole job is to make sure that never happens to you.

Equally, when distributable profit and cash are both there, declaring a dividend is usually cheaper than running an overdrawn DLA. Pulse shows the distributable profit, the cash you could pay it from, and the dividends already declared in the year — so you and your accountant can make the call with real numbers.

What you get

Live DLA balance from Xero, refreshed on sync
Visual timeline of every movement across the year
s455 risk indicator with the £10,000 and 9-month thresholds
Dividend headroom calculation based on profits and cash
Distributable profits view tied to your year-end date

Connect Xero, see your DLA See pricing

Pulse provides factual information, not tax advice. Always confirm s455 exposure with your accountant.