Accountants for contractors

The formal year-end accounts every company must file at Companies House — publicly visible, prepared to FRS standards.

The two accounting standards small UK companies use: FRS 105 for micro-entities (minimal disclosure), FRS 102 1A for small companies (fuller picture).

The corporation tax return filed with HMRC alongside a tax computation — due 12 months after year end, though the tax is due at 9 months and a day.

Your company's official year-end date, set at incorporation (changeable within limits). Accounts are due 9 months after it.

Real Time Information — the rule that HMRC must receive a payroll submission on or before every payday, not at year end.

The legal duty to enrol eligible staff into a workplace pension and contribute. Applies from your first employee, with The Pensions Regulator watching.

The annual summary each employee gets after 5 April (P60), and the leaving statement when someone departs (P45).

HMRC's regime requiring digital records and software-filed returns — long mandatory for VAT, arriving for Income Tax from April 2026.

Whether you'd be an employee if the company wasn't in the middle — tested on substitution rights, control over how you work, and mutuality of obligation. Medium and large clients decide the status and issue a determination; you can and should challenge weak ones. We review contracts and working practices before signature, which is when the position is still shapeable.

Outside IR35 through a company: typically 68–75% of contract value after all taxes, depending on rate, pension use and expenses. Inside IR35: broadly comparable to employment, 55–62%. We model your actual numbers rather than quoting the internet's — pension contributions swing the outcome more than most contractors expect.

Since the limited-cost-trader rate of 16.5%, mostly no — the old easy win is gone for pure-labour contractors. But not universally: it depends on your recoverable costs. It's a two-minute annual check we run by default, because the wrong answer leaks money quietly.

If a contract is 'inside IR35', tax is broadly like employment; outside, you keep the company's flexibility on salary and dividends. Since the off-payroll rules, medium and large clients determine status — but the risk and planning still land on you. We review contracts and working practices so you know where each engagement stands.

Typically a modest salary (keeping NI credits) plus dividends from post-tax profits, reviewed each April as thresholds move. It depends on your other income and pension plans — the review is included in every package.

Yes. Even dormant companies must file accounts at Companies House and usually a confirmation statement. Our dormant package (£99) handles it all so you avoid penalties for a company that isn't even trading.

Most small companies file micro-entity accounts under FRS 105 or small-company accounts under FRS 102 Section 1A. We pick the right one for your size and circumstances — it affects what's disclosed publicly at Companies House, and we'll explain the trade-offs.

If you pay yourself a salary, yes — you need a PAYE scheme and RTI submissions even for one person. Director-only payroll is our most popular package at £25/mo, and we set the salary at the most tax-efficient level for you.

Every employer must assess staff for a workplace pension and enrol eligible employees. Even if your only staff member is you as director, you have duties to declare. We handle assessments, letters and declarations as part of the service.

When your taxable turnover in any rolling 12-month period passes £90,000 — a rolling test, not your accounting year, and the most common way businesses get caught out. We monitor it for bookkeeping clients automatically.

It depends on your margins and customers. The flat-rate scheme suits some service businesses; cash accounting helps if customers pay slowly; standard suits most. We'll compare them for your numbers before registering you.

Preparation and online filing of your full SA100 return, including the supplementary pages your situation needs. If your return is more complex — rental income, capital gains — the packages above show the fixed price, and we confirm it in writing before starting.

Yes. Late returns are common and fixable: we prepare and file the outstanding return quickly, and where there's a reasonable excuse we help you appeal penalties. The sooner it's filed, the sooner the penalties stop growing.