Bookkeeping · Accounts · Tax
Books that close on time, every month
Saffron Notch is a two-partner practice for small companies, sole traders and landlords who would rather know their position in week one than find out in month nine. Fixed scope, a named accountant, and a filing calendar you can actually plan around.
- 01
- Monthly bookkeeping
- 02
- Year-end accounts
- 03
- VAT & payroll runs
- 04
- Personal tax returns
Who we work with
Four kinds of file, handled properly
We keep the client list narrow on purpose. If your situation sits in one of these four lanes, the work is familiar and the fee is predictable. If it does not, we will say so in the first reply rather than three weeks in.
Lane 01
Owner-managed companies
Turnover under the audit thresholdStatutory accounts, corporation tax computations and the confirmation statement, with a director's remuneration plan reviewed before the year closes rather than after it. One or two directors, with or without staff.
Lane 02
Sole traders & contractors
Self-assessment, quarterly reportingDay-to-day records kept current, expenses categorised against the trade, and a running estimate of the tax set aside so January is an administrative date and not a financial one. Includes contractors working through agencies.
Lane 03
Landlords & property partnerships
Per-property reportingRental schedules per property, finance-cost treatment, repairs separated from improvements, and partnership splits reconciled before the returns are drafted. Portfolios from a single let upward.
Lane 04
Small employers
Payroll on a fixed monthly cyclePayroll processed on an agreed day each month, payslips issued before pay date, pension contributions filed with the provider, and starters and leavers handled from a short form instead of a phone call.
Engagements
Pick the cadence, not a package name
Every engagement below is scoped in writing before work starts, so you know what is included, how often it happens, and what we need from you to hold the dates.
| Engagement | What it covers | Cadence | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ledger upkeepCore | Purchase and sales ledgers reconciled to the bank, receipts matched, supplier queries raised while they are still answerable, and a one-page month-end summary. | Monthly | Anyone invoicing regularly or holding stock. |
| Year-end & filingCore | Statutory accounts drafted, corporation tax computation prepared, a review call on the draft, then filing once you have approved it in writing. | Annual, from year-end + 6 weeks | Limited companies and partnerships. |
| VAT returnsAdd-on | Return prepared from reconciled records, treatment checked on anything unusual, and the submission made from your records with a copy sent back to you. | Quarterly or monthly | Registered businesses, or those approaching registration. |
| PayrollAdd-on | Payroll run on an agreed day, payslips issued, submissions filed on time, pension contributions reported, and starter and leaver paperwork handled. | Monthly, fixed date | Employers with one to roughly twenty staff. |
| Personal taxAdd-on | Self-assessment return prepared from your schedules, dividends and rental income included, and the payment dates confirmed in advance so nothing arrives as a surprise. | Annual, drafted from May | Directors, sole traders and landlords. |
| Advisory sessionsOptional | A scheduled working session on one question: a remuneration plan, a purchase decision, a price change, or whether a structure still fits. Notes written up afterwards. | Quarterly or on request | Clients planning a change in the next year. |
Fees are quoted as a fixed monthly or annual amount once we have seen a recent set of records. We do not bill by the email, and we will tell you before any piece of work falls outside the agreed scope.
Onboarding
Switching takes about three weeks
Most people put off changing accountant because they expect a mess. Here is the whole sequence, including the parts that need something from you.
First reply
You send the enquiry form. We reply with either a straight answer about scope and fee range, or two or three questions we need settled before quoting.
You send: entity type, software, year-endRecords review
We look at a recent month of records and the last filed accounts, then scope the engagement in writing with the cadence and the dates we will hold.
You send: last accounts, one month of recordsHandover
We write to your previous accountant for the handover papers, complete the identity checks, and agree the opening balances before anything is posted.
You send: signed engagement letter, IDFirst cycle
Your named accountant runs the first full month or quarter, then we review the output together and adjust the categories and reporting to suit how you read it.
You send: access to the bookkeeping fileDates we work to
The working calendar
These are the internal deadlines we hold ourselves to. They sit well ahead of statutory dates so that a query never becomes an emergency.
- Working day 3 Records cut-offBank feeds reconciled and anything missing from the previous month listed back to you in one message.
- Working day 8 Month-end summaryOne page: income, costs by category, cash position, and the two or three items worth a second look.
- Agreed pay date −4 Payroll approvalDraft payroll sent for approval four working days before pay date, so changes can still be made calmly.
- Quarter + 3 weeks VAT return readyPrepared and sent for approval well inside the filing window, with any unusual treatment flagged.
- Year-end + 6 weeks Draft accountsDraft statutory accounts and the tax computation, with a review call booked in the same week.
- Autumn Personal tax draftedSelf-assessment returns drafted months before the January window so the payment figure is known early.
The practice
Small on purpose
Saffron Notch takes on a limited number of files each year so that the person who prepares your accounts is the person who answers when you ask about them.
The practice runs on two principles. First, records get reconciled while the detail is still fresh, because a question asked in week one takes a minute and the same question asked in month nine takes an afternoon. Second, nothing is filed that you have not read and approved.
You get a named accountant and a named second reader on every file, so holiday cover is a handover rather than a gap. We work in your existing bookkeeping software where we sensibly can, and we will tell you plainly when the file would be better off moved.
- One named accountant per file, with a second reader on every return
- Fixed scope and fixed fees, agreed in writing before work begins
- Cloud bookkeeping software, or a structured spreadsheet if that is what you use
- Plain-language summaries alongside the statutory versions
Questions
Asked before the first call
The eight things people actually want settled before they send an enquiry.
Can I switch accountant part-way through a financial year?
Yes, and it is more common than switching at year-end. We request the handover papers from your previous accountant, agree the opening balances with them, and pick up from the last reconciled month. Mid-year moves usually take about three weeks from signed engagement letter to first full cycle.
How are your fees worked out?
We quote a fixed amount — monthly for ongoing work, a single figure for annual work — after seeing one recent month of records and the last filed accounts. The quote names what is included and what is not. If something genuinely falls outside the scope, we tell you the cost before doing it.
My records are behind. Is that a problem?
It is normal, and it is better said at the enquiry stage than discovered later. We quote catch-up work separately as a one-off, finish it before the ongoing cadence starts, and tell you honestly if the backlog means a filing date is already tight.
Do I have to change bookkeeping software?
Usually not. We work in the main cloud packages and can work from a well-structured spreadsheet for a small sole trade. We only recommend a move when your current setup is causing the errors we keep having to correct, and we would cover the migration cost in the quote.
Who actually answers when I have a question?
Your named accountant, who prepares your file. There is no call centre and no ticket queue. Routine questions are answered within one working day; anything needing research gets an acknowledgement with a date by which you will have the answer.
What do you need from me each month?
Bank access or statements, purchase receipts, and sales invoices if they are not raised in the software. That is it. Where something is missing we send a single consolidated list rather than a drip of separate emails.
Will you tell me when I need to register for VAT?
Yes. We track rolling turnover as part of monthly upkeep and flag it well before the threshold matters, together with what registration would mean for your pricing and your invoicing. The decision stays yours; the timing will not catch you out.
Is there anything you will not advise on?
We do not provide regulated investment, pension or insurance advice, and we do not take on statutory audits. For those we will say so immediately and tell you what kind of firm you need instead, rather than stretch the engagement to fit.
Start an enquiry
Tell us what needs doing
One form, one reply from a person. We answer with either a scope and fee range, or the specific questions we need settled before quoting.
Nothing is committed by sending this. If we are not the right practice for your file, we will say so in the first reply.