Bookkeeping that is behind, wrong or in several places is the most common reason business owners cannot answer simple questions: who owes us, what do we owe, are we profitable, and will we have the cash? We go from that position to a fully working accounts department in as little as a week, then keep it running.
Monthly cloud bookkeeping from £75. Catch-up work and automation builds are quoted as a fixed fee after we look at your books, so you know the cost first.
Get a QuoteFor a business with accessible records, this is the typical sequence. Larger backlogs or several years of gaps take longer, and we say so before we start.
Manual re-keying is where most bookkeeping errors and delays come from. Where your systems offer an API, we connect them so data flows into your accounts without retyping.
These are composite examples based on situations we commonly meet. Details are changed and combined, and none is a named client testimonial.
| Records for | Keep for |
|---|---|
| Self-employed (Self Assessment) | 5 years after the 31 January submission deadline |
| Limited companies | 6 years from the end of the accounting period |
| VAT records | 6 years |
Making Tax Digital for VAT already requires digital records, and Making Tax Digital for Income Tax will require the same for sole traders and landlords over the income thresholds. Good digital books are the foundation for both.
Clean books are what everything else rests on: management accounts, VAT returns, payroll and corporation tax. For a business that wants senior oversight as well, see our fractional CFO service. If the business is under financial pressure, see business restructuring and turnaround. Selling on several platforms adds work, so see our guide to multi-channel bookkeeping, and for software choices Xero vs QuickBooks. We work with businesses in Brighton, Hove and across Sussex, and remotely across the UK.
Sources: GOV.UK: how long to keep your records.
Bookkeeping is the systematic recording of all business income and expenditure. It is the foundation for tax returns, understanding profit, and managing cash flow. HMRC requires businesses to keep adequate records.
Yes. We are experienced with both platforms and can set up, migrate, or manage your books on either. We also provide training so you can handle day-to-day entries yourself if preferred.
Self-employed people keep them for five years after the 31 January submission deadline. Limited companies and VAT records are kept for six years. HMRC can ask to see them within those periods.
It catches missing transactions, duplicates and coding errors while they are easy to trace, and it means your VAT return, payroll and year-end accounts are built on records that agree with the bank.
For a business with accessible records, we can go from disorganised books to a working accounts department in as little as a week. That covers a clean-up, reconciled bank accounts, a rebuilt debtors and creditors list, automated feeds and a first set of reports. Large backlogs spanning several years take longer, and we tell you the timescale before we start.
Yes. We rebuild the sales and purchase ledgers from invoices, statements and bank records so you have an accurate aged debtors and aged creditors list, then set up reminders and a payment calendar so the lists stay accurate. Most businesses in difficulty have never had a reliable view of either.
Yes. We set up tracking by product, job, customer, site or channel, so reports show profit where it is made and lost rather than one total. That usually shows one or two lines carrying the rest, and gives you the evidence to reprice, cut or push them.
Yes. We set up bank feeds and rules, invoice and receipt capture, recurring invoices and automated payment reminders, and connect your other systems to your accounts through their APIs where they offer one, for example payment providers, online shops, marketplaces, payroll, CRM and booking systems. Where there is no ready-made connection we build a custom integration.
Yes. Where off-the-shelf tools do not fit, we build custom automation: data imports from your systems, reconciliation routines, invoice generation and dashboards that update on their own. We scope and price each build separately before starting, so there are no surprises.
Monthly cloud bookkeeping starts from £75 a month. A catch-up or clean-up of old records, and any automation or integration build, is quoted as a fixed fee after we have looked at your books, so you know the cost before work begins.
Yes. We can run bookkeeping, supplier payments, credit control, payroll, VAT, management accounts and the year-end, so you have a complete accounts function without hiring. If you also want senior oversight, our fractional CFO service adds a part-time finance director from £500 a month.
Yes. We can take over from your bookkeeper or accountant, work in the software you already use, or move you to a better setup if your current one is the problem. We handle the transfer of records and agree a clear handover date.