Construction & Trades Accountants in Brentwood, Essex & Across the UK
CIS, reverse charge VAT, messy paperwork, lumpy cash flow, and jobs you're not sure made any money. We sort all of it — so you can stay on the tools, not on the laptop at 10pm.
Who this is for
Built for trades businesses — not corporates.
If you run a small construction or trades firm in Essex or London, this is the page for you.
Sound familiar?
The stuff that quietly costs you money.
You're good at the trade. The paperwork side just isn't where you want to spend your evenings — and it shouldn't have to be.
Missing invoices and receipts
Suppliers, fuel, materials — half of it never makes it back to the office.
Random supplier payments
Cash in, cash out, no clear picture of what's actually owed or paid.
CIS deductions and returns
Verifying subbies, monthly returns, deduction statements — easy to get wrong.
Reverse charge VAT confusion
Wrong invoicing leaks cash and triggers HMRC queries.
Unexpected tax bills
A good year on paper, then a corporation tax or self assessment bill you weren't ready for.
No idea which jobs make money
You're busy, turnover looks fine, but profit is thin and you can't see why.
What we do
Everything a trades business actually needs.
CIS returns & subcontractor management
Monthly CIS filing, subbie verification, deduction statements, refunds reclaimed.
Reverse charge VAT done properly
Correct invoicing, clean VAT returns, no cash-flow surprises.
Bookkeeping on Xero or FreeAgent
Receipts in by photo, bank feeds reconciled, books always up to date.
Payroll for site teams
Weekly or monthly payroll, holiday pay, pensions, CIS deductions through PAYE.
Year-end accounts & corporation tax
Filed on time, every time. Zero late filing penalties across our client base in the last 3 years.
Job costing & management accounts
Margin per job, not just a year-end number. Know which work to chase and which to walk away from.
Cash-flow forecasting
Plan around stage payments, retentions, and the lumpy reality of construction cash flow.
Virtual FD & profit planning
Quarterly strategy calls so you're running the business, not just working in it.
How we work
Built to fit around a working day on site.
Simple onboarding, cloud software, and a real person who picks up the phone.
Discovery call
20 minutes, no jargon. Tell us about the business, where it hurts, and what good looks like.
Clear quote
Fixed monthly fee based on what you actually need. No surprise invoices.
Setup & cleanup
We get Xero or FreeAgent running, tidy the historic mess, and take over HMRC filings.
You get on with the job
Snap receipts on your phone. We handle the rest and flag anything that needs your call.
UK businesses supported across construction, trades and services.
Late filing penalties for our clients in the last 3 years.
Client retention — once trades businesses move to us, they stay.
Why trades businesses choose us
We speak builder, not boardroom.
We actually know CIS
Monthly returns, subcontractor verification and refunds reclaimed — not bolted on as an afterthought.
Reverse charge VAT done right
Correct invoicing, clean returns, no cash leaking through wrong VAT treatment.
Cloud built for site life
Snap receipts on your phone, bank feeds reconciled in the background. You're not chained to a desk.
Fixed monthly fee
No hourly billing, no surprise invoices. You always know what it costs.
A real person on the phone
Same team, same number. Not a chatbot, not a different junior every quarter.
Brentwood office, UK-wide service
Hands-on in Essex and East London, fully remote anywhere else in the UK.
How switching works
Already with an accountant? Switching is straightforward.
You don't have to manage the awkward bit. We handle professional clearance, request your records and take over the filings.
Free call
20 minutes to learn about the business and what's not working.
We handle handover
Professional clearance letter, records request, HMRC agent registration.
You carry on working
We migrate Xero or FreeAgent, take over filings, no break in service.
Common Questions
Do you handle CIS returns for contractors and subcontractors?
Yes. We file monthly CIS returns, verify subcontractors with HMRC, produce payment and deduction statements, and reclaim CIS deductions through payroll or self assessment. If you're a subcontractor owed a refund, we usually recover it within weeks of year end.
How does reverse charge VAT work for construction?
Since March 2021, most construction services between VAT-registered businesses fall under the domestic reverse charge — the customer accounts for the VAT, not you. We set this up properly in your bookkeeping so invoices show the right wording, your VAT returns are correct, and you don't lose cash flow by paying VAT you shouldn't.
Can you tell me which of my jobs are actually making money?
Yes. We track labour, materials, subcontractor costs and overheads against each job so you get a clear margin per project — not just an end-of-year profit figure. Most clients are surprised which jobs make them money and which ones drain it.
I'm behind on bookkeeping — can you catch me up?
Almost always. We've onboarded plenty of trades businesses with a year (or more) of receipts in a shoebox. We'll clean it up, get you on Xero or FreeAgent, and put a simple process in place so it never gets that bad again.
Do you work with sole traders or just limited companies?
Both. We work with sole trader sparkies and plumbers right through to limited company main contractors with payroll and subbies. Pricing is based on what you actually need, not a tier you're forced into.
Are you based in Essex? Can you help if I'm in London?
We're in Brentwood, Essex, and work with trades businesses across Essex, East London and the wider M25. Everything runs on cloud software so we don't need to be on your doorstep — but we're happy to meet on site or at our office.
Let's get the finance side off your plate.
Free 20-minute consultation. Straight answers, fixed monthly fee, no pressure.