Bookkeeper and accountant in King's Cross

The old railway lands behind King's Cross and St Pancras now hold Granary Square, Coal Drops Yard and a stretch of the Regent's Canal lined with studios and workspaces. Central Saint Martins sits at the heart of it, surrounded by design studios, small agencies, tech start-ups and independent contractors. Businesses like these often form a limited company early, and a limited company brings filings that a sole trader never sees.

We are a small accountancy practice based in Camden, London, the next neighbourhood along. We prepare your company's year-end accounts and Corporation Tax return, completed by the Chartered Accountant on our team, and the directors' Self Assessment tax returns where they are needed. Monthly bookkeeping keeps the figures ready for all of it.

Your company's first year, step by step

Registering a limited company is quick. Knowing what it then owes Companies House and HMRC, and when, takes longer.

1. 1

   Books from day one

   Every transaction recorded and matched to the company bank account each month.

2. 2

   Year end

   Your annual accounts are prepared once the accounting period ends.

3. 3

   Accounts filed

   Private company accounts are due at Companies House 9 months after the year end.

4. 4

   Corporation Tax

   Tax is due 9 months and 1 day after the period end, and the CT600 return within 12 months.

Corporation Tax is 19% on profits up to £50,000 and 25% on profits over £250,000, with marginal relief in between. If you control more than one company, those limits are shared between the associated companies, which is worth knowing before you set up a second one.

Paying yourself as a director

Founders and contractors who run a limited company often pay themselves through a mix of salary and dividends. Dividends come with a £500 tax-free allowance, then tax at 10.75% in the basic rate band, 35.75% in the higher rate band and 39.35% above that. How much to take, and when, is worth reviewing each year against the company's profits.

Taking dividends can mean you also need a personal Self Assessment return. We prepare the company's figures and your return together, so the two always agree. If you contract through your own company, our page for freelancers covers the choice between sole trader and limited company in more detail.

Agencies and studios with a growing team

When you take on your first employee, the company becomes an employer. That means PAYE submissions to HMRC on or before each payday, P60s for your staff by 31 May and workplace pension auto-enrolment duties. We can run your payroll alongside the books.

Who it suits

Who it's forStart-ups, design and creative studios, small agencies and contractors around King's Cross, St Pancras and Granary Square, especially in the first few accounting periods of a new limited company.

Questions about companies in King's Cross

Working from the streets east of the station, towards Angel? See our page for Islington, or browse all the areas we cover.