Construction & trades
CIS, subcontractors, retentions and the reverse charge — handled by someone who understands how a job actually gets paid for.
Why it's different
Most accounting is broadly the same whatever you do. Construction isn't.
You've got deductions taken off you before you're paid, deductions you have to take off other people, a VAT rule that works backwards compared with every other industry, and money sitting in retentions that you've earned but haven't seen.
Get any of that wrong and it shows up as a cash flow problem long before it shows up as a tax problem.
What we handle
Monthly CIS returns filed on time, subcontractors verified properly before you pay them, and deduction statements issued. If you're a subcontractor yourself, we make sure every deduction taken off you is claimed back rather than quietly lost.
For most construction services between VAT-registered businesses, the customer accounts for the VAT rather than you. It catches people out in both directions — charging it when you shouldn't, or not applying it when you should. We check the treatment rather than guessing.
Getting this wrong is expensive, and HMRC takes an interest. We'll look at how people actually work for you, not just what the paperwork says, and tell you where you stand.
Money held back on a job is still money you've earned. We make sure it's reflected properly in your accounts, and that you know what's outstanding rather than finding out two years later.
What you can claim, what you can't, and how to keep records that stand up. The rules differ depending on whether you're a sole trader or a limited company, and it's worth getting right.
A busy year isn't automatically a profitable one. With the bookkeeping set up properly you can see which jobs actually paid and which ones ate the margin — before you price the next one the same way.
The honest version
Most trades businesses don't have a profit problem. They have a visibility problem — and by the time the accounts arrive, the year is already gone.
Next step
No obligation. No hard sell. Just a conversation about how the business works, what's costing you time, and whether we're the right fit.
