Your questions, answered.

Straight answers about working with us, fees, HMRC deadlines, bookkeeping and payroll. Type a word or pick a topic.

Woman on the phone at her kitchen table, smiling and taking notes beside her laptop
15 minutesOur average reply time in office hours

All 24 questions

Getting started

Usually about three days from your first call or message to us starting work. We offer flexible packages to suit different budgets, and we'll tell you exactly what we need from you.

Yes. We contact your previous accountant for you and ask for everything we need, so you don't have to have an awkward conversation. Then we bring your accounts and tax up to date as quickly as we can.

No. You're welcome at Premier House on Victoria Road in Burgess Hill, but plenty of clients never visit. We can meet by video call and do everything else by phone, email and the client portal.

We're open 09:00 to 17:00, Monday to Friday, and closed at weekends and on public holidays. Call 01444 716592 or send us a message. In office hours most people hear back within 15 minutes.

Fees and services

Bookkeeping, sole trader and limited company accounts, self assessment returns, VAT, payroll and CIS, LLP accounts, Making Tax Digital, Companies House ID checks and right to work checks. If it involves your books or HMRC, ask us.

Our monthly fees start from £35 for sole traders and £95 for limited companies. The fee depends on what you need, so we'll give you a clear quote after a quick chat.

From £27.50 + VAT a month for up to 40 transactions, then 50p for each extra transaction. Bookkeeping is added to your accounts and tax return package, so your quote covers all of it.

Three ways: pay monthly with a one-off £15 + VAT set-up fee, pay once a year by Direct Debit with no set-up fee, or make a single one-off payment.

Tax and HMRC

You must register once your VAT taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000, or if you expect to go over £90,000 in the next 30 days alone. We can register you and keep your VAT returns right from then on.

It depends on your qualifying income: your self-employment and property income before expenses. Over £50,000 in 2024/25 means you joined from 6 April 2026. Over £30,000 in 2025/26 means you join from 6 April 2027, and over £20,000 in 2026/27 from 6 April 2028.

For most people, 31 January: that's the deadline to file your return online and pay what you owe for the tax year that ended the previous April. Paper returns are due by 31 October, and if you're new to self assessment you need to register by 5 October.

Register for self assessment by 5 October after the end of the tax year you started trading. HMRC then sends you a Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR). We can register you if you'd rather not deal with the forms.

Yes. A limited company must send its annual accounts and, once HMRC asks for one, a company tax return (CT600) even when it made no profit. Late filing brings penalties.

Bookkeeping and software

Mainly to save you time and help you grow. The bigger your business gets, the more complicated the books become. A bookkeeper keeps your figures accurate and up to date, so you know where you stand and nothing is missed.

It's never too late. Get in touch as soon as you can, because the year end is a busy time for us, but we do catch-up bookkeeping all year round.

Yes. With cloud accounting software we can keep your books up to date from anywhere, and you see your real figures whenever you log in.

We're certified Xero partners and also work with QuickBooks and FreeAgent. Behind the scenes we use Client Engager for our client portal, XAMA Tech, and specialist anti-money laundering software.

No. Unlike a limited company, a sole trader doesn't file accounts at Companies House, so your figures stay private. You should still prepare a profit and loss account and balance sheet each year.

Payroll

Yes, at any time of year, without disrupting your staff's pay and without any set-up costs.

We run payroll in BrightPay Cloud. You get payslips and reports, your staff can see their own payslips, and we send the RTI submissions to HMRC for you.

Their employer passes them on to us, or the employee can send them to us directly. We need their personal details, bank details, any student loan and their answers to the HMRC starter questions.

Security and qualifications

We're registered with the Information Commissioner's Office. Your data is stored securely with Microsoft, Google and Synology, synchronised every hour, and backed up regularly both on site and off site.

We hold an IAB practice licence, we're Xero certified advisors with payroll certification, and we're members of the CIPP and AAT. Mark Burtenshaw is MIAB, ACIPP and AATQB, and Kiera Knight is MIAB. We also carry £1 million of professional indemnity insurance.

Your own secure online space with us. You can upload and read documents, see your deadlines and what tax you owe, update your details and sign documents electronically.

Rather talk it through?

Kiera, Mark and Oakleigh are on Victoria Road in Burgess Hill, Monday to Friday. Tell us what you need and we'll give you a clear quote.

Kiera Knight, bookkeeper at Oval Accountants, hugging Oakleigh the office dog
Kiera KnightCompany Secretary and Bookkeeper