Business Services

Our Business Services

As an accountant, we offer a wide variety of services to help you with your financial enquiries. We make it our business to help your business, but we also help individuals and families make the most of their financial situation as well.

Accounting software and I.T.

Information technology (IT) is one of the key resources available to every business to achieve its short and long-term objectives. Using the knowledge gained from our own systems and those designed for other clients, our in-house IT team are able to advise on IT related matters with first-hand experience. We can install software, provide training and help you to obtain the best from your chosen system. Our expertise enables a complete range of services to be offered, including:

• Software selection

• Hardware selection

• Installation & training

• Management reporting solutions

• Payroll systems

If you are spending too much time writing up books, typing invoices and chasing debts we help to take control by computerising your accounts system. We can help you to make the best use of IT resource to produce financial information that is accurate and appropriate for running your business effectively. With the correct accounting software you will save hours of hard work leaving you more time to deal with the more important areas of the business.

In short, whether you are investing in new technology, reviewing existing systems or have simply outgrown your current resource, we can help.

Annual accounts preparation

We provide a range of compliance services to support all aspects of business administration. We can help you by making sure accounts are prepared in the correct format, statutory books and other company secretarial records are kept up-to-date and that all statutory returns are prepared. Our experienced team will relieve you of the regulatory burden and leave you more time to concentrate on other areas of your business. In short, we will make sure everything is in the right format, in the right place and at the right time.

Our range of compliance services includes:

• Annual accounts preparation

• Company Secretarial services

• Payroll procedures

• Tax returns

• Grant claims

Audits

We are registered Auditors and have a range of client in various industries and the service sector. We also audit Charities, Community Interest Companies and Educational establishments.

Bank accounts and Raising Finance

We offer support when liaising with banks and other financial institutions. Drawing on our wealth of experience we can support our clients through this often daunting experience.

Book-keeping, including healthchecks

We can help you with all your general bookkeeping requirements, either at your offices or at our office. You may require help to write up books or need us to add the finishing touches to information on bookkeeping systems in order to create your own management information. If you do not employ a bookkeeper then we can take up the role or help you recruit the right person for your business.

Tax disputes, enquiries and fee protection

With the increased risk of such investigations it may be worth considering taking out an annual insurance policy to protect you and your business from unexpected costs; an investigation will undoubtedly result in additional accountancy work being undertaken. The amount of work will depend upon the complexity of the case but the cost could be substantial.

Company Taxation

Under Corporation Tax Self Assessment (CTSA), the legal responsibility for correctly calculating the corporation tax liability falls on business owners. We understand the issues facing owner-managed businesses and can prepare tax returns in a timely and efficient manner. We will also calculate your company’s tax liability and assist with the calculation of any quarterly instalment payments.

The increased reporting obligations, investigation policies on the part of the tax authorities and harsher penalties for non-compliance mean that your time and resources can be taken up with tax administration. We will help to minimise corporate tax exposure and relieve the administrative burden of compliance with current tax legislation. Effective corporate tax planning can also result in significant improvements in your bottom line.

Starting in Business – Company Formations

Most people starting up in business in the Thames Valley do so because they have a good business proposition and the enterprise and commitment to see it through. However, they may not be experts in the legal and financial aspects of running a business and such matters often appear daunting. Fortunately you do not need to be an expert in these fields to succeed in business but you do need the support of a team of trained experts.

We can help. Just bring us your business ideas and we will help you to make them a reality!

We will help you to:

• Decide on the most suitable structure for your business – sole trader, partnership, limited liability partnership or limited company

• Prepare a business plan, cashflow projections, budgets, and trading forecasts

• Assess the finance requirements, advise on the best sources of finance and draw up the necessary proposals

• Establish a good working relationship with your bank

• Complete any registration procedures with Companies House, Inland Revenue and HM Revenue & Customs;

• Deal with company secretarial issues

• Set up a recording system for your internal use and for complying with statutory requirements

• Decide on what computer hardware to buy and help with the installation of accountancy software

• Keep on top of bookkeeping, VAT, payroll and other accounting requirements

• Help with all aspects of business compliance and administration

Business healthcheck and support

Our Business Health-Check is designed to identify the health of your business and leads on to our Business Diagnostics Sessions. We will help you identify the changes needed to improve your business. Are you working IN the business or ON it? Do you have an exit strategy? We can help you address these and many other issues

Business Bookkeeping and Budgets

A good bookkeeping system will help you keep accurate records so you can:

analyse your business activities

attract investors

seek finance

lodge and pay tax

meet your reporting requirements.

It’s difficult to set up systems without a bookkeeping background. So if you need help getting started, choosing the right software package, improving what you have, managing data entry and producing the management report you need we can help.

Most packages allow you to enter a budget. The planning involved will help you direct you efforts and help you understand where the business is going. We can help you prepare budgets understand how to use them.

Company formation

We can advise on the selection of options when forming a limited company or limited liability partnership. Who should be Directors do you need a Secretary, how much share capital and how many classes of share. We can provide a Registered Office Address for official correspondence and much more. The tax implications need to be considered before you form the company. We can advise you.

Company secretarial

Regardless of whether you choose to appoint a company secretary or not, there are still company secretarial duties to undertake. These include creating and maintaining the company’s registers and making necessary filings at Companies House within prescribed timescales. If you are a director of the company you are legally obliged to ensure that the company meets these obligations and there are severe penalties for non-compliance.

Many choose to entrust these important matters to the experts. We can provide a company secretarial service that suit your needs leaving you free to concentrate on your business.

Contractors and IR35 and Employment Status

HMRC have been restricting who can be defined as self employed for some years. A new set of rules has been brought in and Employers can now used an Employment Status Indicator that is available online on the HMRC website.

This will help employers get it right as the cost of getting it wrong can be significant. The tool is designed to help employers, workers decide whether a worker is an employee or self-employed. We can help where to make sure the right decision is made and the implications are understood. Also we can help where it is legitimate to change some of the terms of the contract to fall outside employment.

Employee remuneration planning

You are entitled to arrange your affairs to pay the absolute legal minimum amount of tax but this needs care as HMRC have many anti-avoidance rules which need to be understood.

We take an active interest in maximising your tax planning opportunities legally. We can recommend various courses of action for you and your employees, dependent upon the individuals personal situation, we aim to ensure that you pay the least amount of tax as legally possible.

Management accounts, info & systems

Regular management information is vital to the continued success of any business. We work closely with you to get to know your business so we can make suggestions to help improve profits or to develop and grow your business. We can prepare your monthly or quarterly management accounts to ensure you always have reliable and accurate information on which to base your business decisions.

Tax returns and self-assessment

We have the expertise and software to take the headache out of the form filling and compliance aspect of Self Assessment. We can provide you with practical advice on the tax position for limited companies, partnerships, trusts and sole traders plus the planning opportunities available to you. We can complete tax returns, calculate any tax liability and advise you on exactly when to make payments and how much to pay

Payroll, PAYE returns

Running a payroll can be time consuming and complicated and divert resources from the core activities of your business. We can address this by installing payroll software and training your staff. Outsourcing this activity also helps relieve the pressure and we can offer cost-effective solutions. We are able to provide the complete service, what ever the size or complexity of your business, or simply provide support when needed.

VAT returns, planning, disputes, registration

Ever changing regulations and the growing demands of Customs & Excise mean VAT compliance can be a difficult administrative process. We can help to ensure that you comply with the regulations and that overpayments are not made. To help you manage this complex area, we provide an efficient, cost-effective VAT service, which includes:

• Assistance with VAT registration

• Advice on VAT planning and administration

• Use of the most appropriate scheme

• VAT control and reconciliation

• Help with completing VAT returns

• Planning to minimise future problems with Customs and Excise

• Negotiating with Customs and Excise in disputes and representing you at VAT tribunals if necessary

Property tax

For many, property has a unique physical appeal that shares and investment funds just can’t match. But the Government has been clamping down on this form of investment as it looks to control the housing market. The tax position of buy-to-let investing is therefore changing and we can advise on the option and the implications of various actions.

Raising finance

We offer support when liaising with banks and other financial institutions. Drawing on our wealth of experience we can support our clients through this often daunting experience.

Property tax

Raising finance

We offer support when liaising with banks and other financial institutions. Drawing on our wealth of experience we can support our clients through this often daunting experience.

Registered office

Our registered office service is available to all companies registered with Companies House. So it can be utilised by:

Limited Companies

Limited Liability Partnerships

Companies limited by guarantee

Sole Traders Address Service for businesses that are not registered at Companies House. It can be utilised by:

Sole traders

Partnerships

Trusts and Associations.

Strategic planning

Every business should plan ahead to ensure success but daily business pressures often conspire to delay the strategic planning process. Financial forecasts are a crucial part of any business plan and we will ensure these are both meaningful and robust.

Tax planning and protection

Being the subject of a tax investigation by the HMRC can be a stressful and worrying experience. With the onset of personal and corporate self-assessment, HMRC staff can now review cases on a ‘sample basis’; consequently, tax investigations have become more frequent. We have a wealth of experience in dealing with HMRC investigations, whether they are enquiries into an individual’s Tax Return under the Self Assessment regime, more detailed enquiries or employer-related investigations into PAYE and P11d compliance. If you are about to be the subject of an investigation, we can provide expert help and support