A lot of professional service firms come to us because they’re fed up with only hearing from their accountant when something is due.
They’re tired of the last-minute panic around deadlines and the nagging feeling that something somewhere hasn’t been dealt with.
When you’re already busy looking after your clients and managing work going through the team, the last thing you need is to be worrying about your accounts or chasing your accountant to do their job.
You didn’t start your business to spend your time wondering whether the accounts are right or whether something unwelcome is about to arrive from HMRC. But that’s where it ends up.
It’s rarely one big thing. The bookkeeping isn’t fully up to date, which means VAT returns have to be pulled together from incomplete records and payroll sits there each month regardless of what else is going on.
In a professional services firm, that creates knock-on problems. Work has been done, but invoicing hasn’t caught up, fees are coming in later than they should, and cash feels tighter than it ought to even though the team is busy.
You’re delivering good results for your clients, but the financial side of the business is a never-ending worry and you’re constantly playing catch-up.
You’re never completely comfortable that it’s all in order, but you don’t know what you don’t know, and that makes it more stressful. If you need an answer, you’re the one doing the chasing, and that doesn’t change if your accountant only appears at year-end.
We go through everything properly and get it into good order. That means getting the bookkeeping up to date so that VAT and payroll are working from accurate figures, and making sure nothing has been missed in the process.
It also means keeping an eye on whether the finances are keeping up with what’s happening in the business. Billing that’s fallen behind the work is one of the more common things we pick up early, and the cash position tends to follow when it does.
Once that’s in place, we keep on top of it throughout the year. If something comes up mid-year, you can get hold of us and get a straight answer.
When this side of things is properly handled, that background worry goes, and you stop carrying deadlines around in your head and get on with growing your business.
We also handle the switch from your previous accountant, so getting started is much simpler than people expect.
You’re always welcome to come in for a coffee. It’s the easiest way to decide if we’re the people you want to be working with.
Everything you need to stay compliant and pay yourself efficiently, and an annual meeting with your senior accountant to go through it all.
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Get You Sorted For business owners who are tired of feeling constantly on edge about their numbers |
Stay On Track For firms that are growing and starting to feel the limits of guesswork |
Grow With Confidence For owners who want to grow deliberately, not just keep things ticking over |
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| Accounts and tax returns sorted and filed on time | Included | Included | Included |
| Keep bookkeeping, VAT and payroll running properly, so the figures can be trusted and wages, tax and returns are dealt with on time | Included | Included | Included |
| Deal with Companies House admin | Included | Included | Included |
| Personal tax return, salary and dividend planning, so you pay yourself properly | Included | Included | Included |
| Ethical tax planning to reduce tax without taking unnecessary risks | Included | Included | Included |
| Business Roadmap (business budget) showing what the year needs to deliver | Not included | Included | Included |
| Growth Reports showing how the business is performing against the plan | Not included | Included | Included |
| Ongoing company tax planning, including larger asset purchase advice | Not included | Included | Included |
| Cash flow forecasting and planning, so you can sleep at night | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Board Meetings that take you off the Dance Floor and up onto the Balcony! | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Strategic support for hiring, growth, structure and bigger decisions | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Get Me Sorted |
If you already work with a bookkeeper or payroll provider, we can work alongside them.
Part of every Benson Wood package
Whichever package is right for you, these are included throughout the year to give you practical support when you need it.
Let’s Get Started
It’s more common than people think, and it’s not a problem we can’t work with. The first thing we do is go through where things stand and work out what needs to be dealt with and in what order. If there are penalties in the picture, we’ll tell you what they are and what can be done about them. Getting it sorted is always better than leaving it, and the sooner it’s dealt with, the less it tends to cost.
HMRC operates a points-based penalty system for late VAT returns. Each missed deadline adds one penalty point, and quarterly filers, which most professional services firms will be, reach the threshold at four points. Once there, a £200 penalty is issued for that filing and every late return after it. Getting VAT properly managed throughout the year means this stops being a risk.
Late filing triggers an automatic penalty the moment the deadline passes. For private limited companies, fines start at £150 for accounts up to one month late, rising to £375 for one to three months, £750 for three to six months, and £1,500 beyond six months. If it happens two years in a row, every penalty doubles. The sooner overdue accounts are dealt with, the better.
A typical package covers bookkeeping, VAT returns, payroll, annual accounts, corporation tax, personal tax returns, and a confirmation statement. At Benson Wood, the Get You Sorted package includes all of that, plus tax investigation insurance, a registered office address, remuneration and dividend planning, and ongoing support by phone, email or WhatsApp.
Yes. Payroll is included in the Get You Sorted package alongside bookkeeping, VAT and your annual accounts. If you already have payroll handled elsewhere and want to keep it that way, we can work around that. It doesn’t need to change for us to take on everything else.
Xero is cloud-based accounting software that keeps your bookkeeping up to date in real time. We use it with all our clients and handle the setup as part of onboarding. If you already have a bookkeeper in place and want to keep them, we can work with them directly, you don’t need to change your existing arrangements to work with us.
If you’re not confident your records reflect what’s happening in the business, they probably aren’t. Out-of-date bookkeeping means your VAT figures, payroll and accounts are all working from incomplete information. We review everything at the start and bring it up to date before anything else.
In our world, it’s about more than numbers, it’s about spotting the details others miss, counting what really matters and discovering hidden value! If you can find them all, you might be exactly the kind of client we work best with.
Find Out More
You’re now entered into our quarterly Tunnock’s hamper draw and have unlocked a complimentary financial health check.
Our free monthly eNEWS email keeps you up to date with the latest news from the world of accountancy.
Take our 2-minute assessment and find out how prepared you are.
Answer 8 yes/no questions. Each answer is weighted equally and you’ll see your growth readiness score at the end.
Question 1 of 8
This gives you a starting point for seeing how ready your business is for growth, and where a few gaps might be making things harder than they need to be.
Book a call with us and we’ll talk through your results properly.
CEO BA CA
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