Industry
Accountants for tradespeople
Straightforward accounting for electricians, plumbers, joiners, roofers and groundworkers.
Overview
Your sector, in practice
Trades businesses do not need complicated accounting. They need the records kept without eating a Sunday, the tax figure known in advance, and someone who can answer a question about a van or a VAT threshold in plain English.
We look after a large number of trades businesses across Scunthorpe, Ashby, Bottesford and the surrounding villages — some sole traders, some limited companies with a handful of vans on the road.
Challenges
What makes this sector different
Paperwork on the move
Receipts live in vans, glove boxes and jacket pockets. Any system that assumes a desk will fail.
Pricing without costing
Quoting from experience works until material prices move. Then the margin disappears quietly.
The VAT threshold
Crossing it changes your pricing to domestic customers overnight, and it arrives sooner than most expect.
Getting paid
Domestic customers and small builders both stretch payment. Invoicing discipline matters more than turnover.
Tax and accounting
Key considerations
Sole trader or limited company
The right answer depends on profit level, whether you employ, and how much you need to draw personally.
Vans and vehicles
A commercial van is treated very differently from a car for both VAT and benefit-in-kind purposes. Pick-ups sit in a grey area worth checking.
Tools and equipment
Capital allowances on tools, plant and equipment are straightforward and regularly under-claimed.
CIS status
If you subcontract to builders, deductions at source will affect your cash flow all year.
How we help
Our work for these businesses
- Mobile-first bookkeeping with photo receipt capture
- Sole trader versus limited company comparison on your figures
- CIS returns, refunds and subcontractor verification
- VAT registration timing and scheme selection
- Self Assessment or company accounts and tax
- Simple quarterly check-ins on profit and tax reserves
Watch out
Common mistakes we see
- Using one bank account for business and personal spending
- Quoting materials at last year's prices
- Missing the VAT threshold and paying it out of margin
- Claiming a car as a van without checking the classification
- Leaving the tax return until the week before the deadline
FAQs
Trades questions
It usually starts to make sense once profits comfortably exceed what you need to live on, because profit left in the company is taxed at company rates. It also adds filing obligations. We compare the two on your actual figures rather than a rule of thumb.
Enquire
Tell us about your business
A short conversation is usually enough for us to tell you whether we can improve on what you have now.
Related services
Services that work alongside this
- AccountingA complete accounting relationship: statutory compliance, regular reporting and someone to ring before you make a decision.
- BookkeepingAccurate, reconciled records kept up to date weekly or monthly, so VAT, payroll and year-end all take care of themselves.
- VATRegistration, scheme selection, quarterly returns and the awkward questions — reverse charge, partial exemption and cross-border supplies.
- Self Assessment Tax ReturnsReturns prepared and filed for sole traders, directors, landlords and higher earners — early, accurate and with the reliefs claimed.
Related industries
Businesses we work with
- ContractorsLimited company contractors and CIS subcontractors — status, extraction and cash flow handled properly.
- ConstructionCIS, reverse charge VAT, retentions and contract-level costing for builders and civils contractors.
- Limited CompaniesEverything a Scunthorpe limited company needs — accounts, tax, payroll, VAT and director planning in one place.
- Sole TradersSimple, affordable support for the self employed — accounts, tax returns and honest advice on going limited.