Electricians, plumbers, heating engineers
Test equipment, van costs, training and insurance all go through your books. We tell you what is worth claiming in the year you buy it, and what has to be spread.
Who we help
If you're on site by 7am, we're your people.
Four kinds of client, one way of working: a fixed fee, a named accountant and tax explained in plain English. Most live within about six miles of the office: Thornton Heath, Norbury, South Norwood, Selhurst, Addiscombe, Shirley, Purley, Coulsdon, New Addington, Sutton, Wallington and Mitcham.
Trades
243 of our 418 clients work in a trade. The tax questions are the same few, asked in a different order.
- Electricians41
- Plumbers and heating engineers37
- Builders34
- Decorators22
- Carpenters and joiners19
- Roofers14
- Plasterers13
- Tilers11
- Landscapers10
- Kitchen fitters9
- Scaffolders8
- Locksmiths6
- Other trades19
What trades ask us most
- How much should I put aside from each job?
- Can I claim the van, the tools and the phone?
- Do I need to charge VAT, and when?
- The contractor took 20% off. Do I get it back?
- Should I be a limited company?
Builders, carpenters, roofers, plasterers
Often CIS, often with a van, often with materials bought on a personal card. We keep the paper trail tidy and match every deduction to an invoice.
Decorators, tilers, landscapers, fitters
Busy in spring and autumn, quiet in the dark months. We smooth your tax figure so the January bill is never a surprise.
Not on the list? Locksmiths, scaffolders, handymen and other trades are welcome. If you work with your hands, we have probably done your tax.
CIS subcontractors
The Construction Industry Scheme is how HMRC collects tax from construction work before you've done your return. It's confusing mostly because the paperwork arrives in pieces.
When a contractor pays you, they take a deduction from the labour part of your invoice (not the materials, not the VAT) and pass it to HMRC. The standard rate is 20% if you're registered with CIS. It's 30% if you're not, which is why registering matters. The deduction counts as tax you've already paid. When your return is done, anything taken that was more than your tax bill comes back to you as a refund. Many subcontractors are owed one every year.
The contractor should give you a payment and deduction statement each month. Keep every one. We match them to your bank and to your invoices, and flag any that are missing before the tax year ends, when it's still easy to ask.
Gross payment status. Some subcontractors are paid with no deduction at all. To qualify you must pass a turnover test, a compliance test (your returns and payments up to date) and a business test. The turnover test is set by HMRC, currently £30,000 of construction work a year for a sole trader, before VAT and materials. We check the tests first and tell you if it's worth the application, which is a one-off £150 with us.
VAT. If you are VAT-registered, the domestic reverse charge means you often invoice a contractor without VAT, and they account for it. We check each invoice type so the VAT return comes out right.
General guidance. Thresholds and rules are HMRC's and can change, so check gov.uk or ask us before you rely on a figure.
Sole traders
Cleaners, hairdressers, driving instructors, caterers, mobile mechanics, dog walkers, tutors. Self-employed, not in construction, and told once that the tax was too small to matter.
It matters. The right expenses cut your bill, the right records keep HMRC quiet, and the right date for Making Tax Digital stops a surprise in April. Our sole trader package covers the return, the accounts, the quarterly updates and a tax figure to put aside, from £60 a month + VAT.
Two allowances worth knowing
The trading allowance. The first £1,000 of trading income is tax-free. If your income is under it, you may not need to report it. If you have expenses of more than £1,000 it is usually better to claim those instead.
Use of home. If you work from home for at least 25 hours a month, you can claim a flat £10, £18 or £26 a month depending on the hours, without keeping bills.
General guidance, checked against gov.uk.
- Hairdressers and barbers
- Driving instructors and couriers
- Cleaners and home helpers
- Handymen and mobile fixers
- Photographers and creatives
- Landlords with one or two lets
Limited companies
Fifty-eight of our clients run a company: a van and two lads, a small shop-fitting firm, a consultancy of one. Funmi looks after them.
We prepare and file your accounts, the corporation tax return and the confirmation statement. We run the director's payroll and tax return, set out a salary and dividend plan each April, and send a profit and tax estimate every quarter, so the nine-month corporation tax bill is never a shock. From £150 a month + VAT.
Thinking about going limited?
Sometimes it saves tax. Sometimes it only adds paperwork and a higher accountancy fee. We'll tell you which, even when the answer means a smaller fee for us.
We're a good fit if
- You want a named person who answers within a working day
- You want to know the fee for the year before it starts
- You work in or around Croydon, Sutton or Merton, or can use video
- You're behind and want it sorted without a lecture
We're probably not the right firm if
- You want the cheapest online-only service, with no phone line
- You need an audit or investment advice
- You run payroll for a large team
- You want a firm that does everything for a flat £30