How can we help your business?
Bookkeeping and payroll are our skills. So what do we do and how can we help?
Bookkeeping, VAT and Xero
We have a team of bookkeepers who work with a variety of businesses and whilst there are fundamental principles to bookkeeping not every business has bookkeeping done in the same way. Some businesses sell online and all their income is received from the online platform, whereas others invoice and have to wait a period of time to receive payment. Some businesses make very few purchases - perhaps some insurance, some software, and the odd bit of stationery - whereas others have a multitude of purchase invoices. Some have one bank account, others have several plus credit cards and petty cash.
So the bookkeeping we do varies so much from business to business. If it was all the same it would be pretty boring but of course the variety means we have experience in so many different industry sectors. We work with service industries such as architects, property letting agents, and garages and with retail businesses - both online and High Street. We work with businesses in hospitality, those who are creative - artists and sculptors - and with those who have a trade such as tree surgeons and electricians. We also work with charities and not for profit organisations. It is difficult to classify every business into a particular type but that doesn't matter because no business is like any other.
We like the variety and being able to support our businesses with their growth (if they want to grow) or just keep their finances organised. We provide regular reports that enable them to see just how their business is progressing month on month and year on year. We remind them of customers who are taking a long time to pay and of bills which they may have forgotten to pay.
75% of our clients are VAT registered - more and more businesses have been pulled into VAT registration because they need to raise their prices to cover their costs. We do VAT registration for businesses, we work out which VAT scheme would be most beneficial for them and we ensure that their VAT returns are prepared and submitted before the due date. And we deal with HMRC on our clients' behalf if there is a VAT enquiry relating to any returns we have prepared and submitted.
We use Xero accounts software for bookkeeping and VAT returns as we have found it is ideal for the variety of businesses we work with. Some clients use Xero to raise their sales invoices and send to their customers and adding a payment method can mean quicker payment. We also provide Xero training to enable clients to use it appropriately in their business.
Payroll and Auto Enrolment
Our payroll team support employers with processing payroll and auto enrolment contributions, but of course, payroll involves far more than just processing.
Employers come to us because payroll is one aspect of your business you just can't get wrong. Employees, unsurprisingly, get upset when their pay is incorrect. Our role is to ensure that employees are being paid at the right level for their age (the National Living Wage or National Minimum Wage), that any non-statutory deductions do not take them below the National Living Wage and that statutory deductions and statutory payments are made accurately. In addition to this there are calculations to be made for employees working part months, unpaid holiday, unpaid sickness, part month pay increases and overtime payments to name a few of the calculations we regularly do.
Pension contribution deductions can also be a minefield. We have taken on so many payrolls where pension schemes have been set up incorrectly and employee and employer contributions were just wrong. It is not easy to put them right and it is very time consuming but we have got them sorted.
Payroll can be stressful as there is so much to take into account but we take that stress away and provide the answers.
Would you like our help?
- If you are a business that needs to go VAT registered - contact us and we will get you registered, keep your accounts up to date and produce and submit your VAT returns
- If your accounts need sorting out and you need someone to manage them on an ongoing basis - contact us and it won't be long before you are organised again
- If you are taking on your first employee or your payroll is becoming too much for you - contact us and we can quickly get you set up
- If your accountant is charging you too much to do your bookkeeping - contact us and we will do your accounts regularly throughout the year and provide your accountant with tidy accounts that they can produce your company accounts
We are friendly and approachable so our clients know they can talk to us if they need a listening ear or some guidance. Business owners do need someone they can talk to who maybe able to offer some advice or point them in the right direction for some help. Just talking something over can give you peace of mind.