Contractor Accountants

Owning a successful limited company is all about having the right contractor accountant. Every contractor's business has needs as individual as ripples on a lake. Ask upermaany one of our experienced advisors and they'll vouch for that statement.

As such, you must make sure that whomever you appoint to do your accounts understands your individual business. Maximising your income to deliver long-term profitability isn't a straight-forward calculation. There are loopholes and pitfalls around every corner, blind to those who don't understand how it all works.Here are contractor accountants we recommend who'll partner with you to optimise your income and minimise the threat of IR35:

Compliance and tax-saving - working in harmony

Why is running a small business so intrepid? Because calculating tax for limited company contractors remains a specialist niche. We're here to help you find someone savvy enough to accommodate you, your business and where you fit in between.

HMRC offers all manner of benefits for compliant, self-employed people. It takes a full time expert to keep up with their many changes and identify those applicable to your business.

Contractor accountants develop this inherent knowledge of how to best present limited company accounts. They follow the changes in taxation law that you don't have time to.

When the taxman comes a-calling, you don't want to give him a window of opportunity to investigate further. That your accountant knows those boundaries and your business is worth its weight in gold, alone.

Also, optimising available tax breaks is essential to your business reaping those Government benefits. We're not talking cannon-fodder, either.

A good accountant will ensure that you remain compliant. That's their first job. The bonus is that they have the potential to save you thousands of pounds every year. Your limited company accounts in such capable hands will ensure you never pay over the odds.

Saving on your tax bill: an awesome feeling

If you've set aside more than your accountant tells you is owing come financial year-end, just: wow! Tax bill paid and a few bob to put towards the summer holiday, to boot. Awesome.

Conversely, knowing that you've overpaid and may struggle to claim it back can make you feel you've worked for nothing.

Okay, "working for nothing" is perhaps a tad overstated. Even so, you still don't want to give the taxman more than that to which he's entitled. You have far better uses for your hard-earned profit than the Treasury. We're 100% certain of that, too.

The safety net of having an accountant you can actually talk to

Your new partner will deliver an expressly personal service, ensuring you keep what's yours. And I say 'partner' because that's how you'll come to view your accountant: an extension of your own business.

It's a good thing, too. You'll have questions, and many of them. As they grow to understand your business, they'll be able to answer them in an instant.

They'll share the most common aspects of your annual tax return that you can keep track of, too. These, that your limited company accountant should maintain/prepare for you, are:

• PAYE/S660 tax assessments;
• Employers/Employees National Insurance contributions;
• VAT return (often prepared at the end of every financial "quarter");
• Annual accounts in anticipation of your fiscal tax bill;
• Corporation tax.

In all fairness, a High Street accountant should be able to show you savings on most of those aspects.

What sets contractor accountants apart is their understanding of IR35. To be more precise, they know how to present your finances to reflect an IR35 compliant status. The last thing you need is to have to deal with HMRC.

Contractor-specific accountancy firms will help prevent that. They'll not only have answers for the taxman, but will also deal with tax office correspondence on your behalf. Now that's priceless.