Compliance services

Back to top   Bookkeeping

We can relieve you and your business of a significant burden by taking care of all your bookkeeping and accounting needs. This ranges from making use of our inhouse bookkeeping bureau to the preparation of your annual accounts. We will treat every business individually so that we can tailor our approach to your requirements.

Besides the core bookkeeping, we can also maintain your VAT records, prepare your payroll and take on ad hoc projects to free up valuable time for your staff.

We believe that our high level of IT literacy can help improve our efficiency and help our clients to set-up their accounting systems to be efficient and effective. We are Sage Accountants Club Members and Quickbooks Professionals Group Members and can supply software.

Back to top   Business planning

Every business must plan ahead in order to ensure success, but it is too easy to succumb to the daily pressures of work and delay or ignore strategic planning. The result of poor planning is often rushed and misinformed decisions, over/under capacity, inefficiency and missed opportunities. Every business owner needs to invest time in developing a long-term plan, starting with what you want to achieve from your investment and what your reasons for being in business are, and then developing a plan to help achieve these objectives.

We are well placed to help you develop these plans and have a considerable pool of experience and expertise to draw on. The financial aspects are usually the backbone to any business plan and you need to ensure that this aspect has been adequately dealt with in your plan.

Contact us today for a strategic planning review.

Back to top   Business start-up

Most people who start up in business do so because they have a good business proposition, not because they are experts in the financial aspects of running a business. These factors can often be quite daunting to the entrepreneur and this is where we can help by evaluating your ideas and helping you develop them into a feasible business.

We can also help you:

• decide on the most suitable structure for your business (Limited Liability Partnership – LLP’ )
• prepare a business plan, cashflow projections, budgets and trading forecasts to prove the financial viability of your ideas and demonstrate this to the bank and potential investors
• assess your finance requirements and access the most appropriate source of finance
• help you establish relationships with banks, solicitors, etc via our well established network of contacts
• carry out registration procedures with Companies House, Inland Revenue or Customs and Excise
• set up an internal accounting system which complies with statutory requirements

Call us for a free initial consultation to find out how we can help your ideas become reality.

Back to top   Business valuation

One of our key objectives is to help our clients increase the value of their business.

We will produce a detailed report showing the current value of the business and ideas on how you can maximise its worth.

Back to top   Company secretarial

When running a hectic business you cannot afford to use valuable time making sure you are complying with the Companies Act. However you do need to be aware how this legislation affects your company and its directors. We can help by carrying out the company secretarial duties for you. Our services include:

• company formations
• preparation and filing of statutory returns
• preparation of all statutory documentation
• maintenance of statutory books
• general advice on company law

Back to top   Financial performance review

We will carry out a financial performance review of your business. This will be in the form of a detailed report which includes:

• graphs and charts illustrating how your business has performed this year
• ratio analysis to highlight areas of strength and weakness
• detailed commentary advising you which areas of the business can be improved

Back to top   Self Assessment

Individuals, partnerships and trusts are required to submit a self-assessment tax return for each tax year within strictly applied time limits. Ashdown Hurrey will draft the tax returns for you using the latest computer technology and submit the return on your behalf in an electronic format. For businesses, the accounts preparation software is linked to the tax return program, so that an efficient and integrated approach is taken to ensure all the correct information is provided to the Inland Revenue.

With self-assessment, the onus is on the taxpayer to provide the correct information to the Inland Revenue and this concept extends to limited companies completing corporation tax returns. It is essential the information submitted is correct and Ashdown Hurrey can make sure that you meet your requirements with confidence.

Back to top   Management accounts

A most important part of our compliance services is the preparation of periodic management accounts. Monitoring and controlling the financial performance of your business is of paramount importance and regular management information is vital to the continued success of your business. We can either carry out this function for you or help you set-up internal systems to generate the information.

We will also take this service one step further by interpreting these figures for you and making suggestions to help you improve your profits or to help your business grow.

Back to top   Payroll

• computer generated payslips
• administration of PAYE, national insurance, statutory sick pay, statutory maternity pay, etc
• completion of statutory forms (including year end returns)
• summaries and analysis of staff costs
• administration of incentive schemes, bonuses and ex-gratia termination payments.

Back to top   Statutory accounts & Audit

All limited companies are required to prepare accounts to meet a statutory format and be filed at Companies House within strict time limits. Ashdown Hurrey can advise you on the disclosure requirements, assist with the preparation of the accounts and ensure that they are filed with Companies House within the deadlines.

Limited companies whose turnover exceeds the statutory limit must also have their accounts audited. Ashdown Hurrey is registered to carry out this work and can advise you of the requirements.

It is not only limited companies which are subject to specific accounting and auditing requirements; many other organisations, including charities, solicitors, financial service providers and other professional organisations, are subject to strict compliance requirements. Ashdown Hurrey is authorised to carry out the necessary work and will assist the organisation to ensure that the requirements are met. A failure to comply with relevant legislation can be costly, not only in financial terms, but also, as importantly, in lost credibility.

Our approach to an audit assignment is not based purely on helping an entity fulfil its statutory obligations. An audit gives us an ideal opportunity to look inside a business to see what makes it tick. We can use this knowledge to work with the management team to help them get the best out of their business.

Back to top   Construction Industry Scheme

The Construction Industry has been the subject of specific rules and regulations for dealing with the taxation of workers and businesses for very many years. It is not only essential that all those working within the industry are compliant with the regulations, but also for businesses to arrange their affairs so that they do not become uncompetitive.

Ashdown Hurrey can advise on what is necessary to comply with the regulations for all those engaged in the industry, from subcontractors to major construction companies.