Accountants in Bath for Businesses and Individuals
Looking for accountants in Bath who explain things clearly and get back to you quickly? Phinch works with limited companies, directors, sole traders, partnerships, landlords and private clients across the city. Bath businesses deal with things other places do not. Hotels and cafes have busy summers and quiet winters plus VAT rules that shift depending on what they sell. Independent shops face business rates that catch new owners out. Creative studios and University of Bath spinouts often grow from freelance to limited company faster than their bookkeeping can keep up. We sort out your bookkeeping so you can see how the month actually went, file your VAT returns correctly under Making Tax Digital, run payroll, and get your annual accounts and corporation tax done on time.
Good tax advice is not just about filing on time. It is about knowing what is coming before it arrives. We help directors get the balance right between salary and dividends, work with property investors on rental income and capital gains tax, and sort out Self Assessment for people with money coming in from several places at once. Landlord work is a big part of what we do here. Between the student market around Oldfield Park and Widcombe and the number of listed buildings in the city, working out whether a job counts as a repair or an improvement is rarely simple, and it changes what you can claim. For longer term questions, our UK tax planning team can map out your options, whether that is taking value out of a business or reducing your exposure before a sale.
I am a business
No two Bath businesses are the same. A city centre cafe and a University of Bath spinout need very different things from an accountant. We take the time to understand yours properly, so the advice you get is actually worth acting on.
I am an individual
Most people treat income tax as something to get through. But if you are a landlord, a director, or earning from more than one place, a bit of planning early on usually saves more than it costs.
Accountants in Bath for Making Tax Digital, US Tax and Everything In Between
If you are a sole trader or landlord in Bath earning over £50,000, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax already applies to you. It started on 6 April 2026 and means digital records plus four updates a year instead of one return. The threshold drops to £30,000 in 2027 and £20,000 in 2028, so most people will be caught within three years. We can get your records onto compatible software and handle the submissions. We also offer something very few Bath firms do, which is US tax compliance alongside your UK return. If you are a US citizen or green card holder living here, you still have to file with the IRS wherever you earn, and you may need to report foreign accounts under FBAR rules. We cover worldwide income, foreign tax credits and the UK/US Double Tax Treaty, and we help people moving to the UK get the timing right before they arrive.
We work with clients across Bath and the villages around it, including Widcombe, Oldfield Park, Larkhall, Combe Down, Twerton and Bathwick. Most of it happens over video call with documents shared securely online, though we are happy to meet in person. People who switch to us usually say the same two things about their old accountant: they could never get hold of them, and they only heard from them when something was due. We work the other way round. You get a named contact who knows your situation, replies within a working day, and flags things early. Your fee is fixed and agreed up front, so you are never charged for picking up the phone. We are based in Weston-super-Mare, about 30 minutes away, and also work across Bristol and the Mendips.
Our Expertise - Core services
Financial Statements
Accurate financial statements and statutory accounts, prepared on time to meet Companies House and HMRC rules and clarify business performance.
Corporate Tax Compliance
Stay ahead of deadlines with accurate corporation tax returns, CT600 calculations, relief claims and compliant filing with HMRC.
Management Accounts
Turn current financial data into better decisions with tailored management accounts, cash flow insights, KPIs and monthly or quarterly reviews.
UK Self-Assessment
Stress-free UK Self Assessment support for the self-employed, directors, landlords and people with multiple incomes, filed accurately and on time.
US Tax Compliance
Specialist US tax return and FBAR support for American expats and UK investors, covering worldwide income, foreign tax credits and treaty advice.
UK Tax Planning
Personalised UK tax planning to minimise liabilities, maximise savings and support tax-efficient investment, retirement and estate decisions.
VAT Compliance
Keep VAT accurate and compliant with expert registration, return filing, Making Tax Digital, cross-border advice and HMRC investigation support.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on how your business is set up and how much help you need through the year. A sole trader who just needs a Self Assessment return will pay a lot less than a limited company that needs bookkeeping, VAT, payroll and year end accounts.
At Phinch we agree a fixed fee before any work starts. There are no hourly surprises, and we do not charge you for asking a quick question. Get in touch for a quote based on your actual setup.
A bookkeeper records your transactions and keeps your day to day records accurate and up to date.
An accountant takes those records and uses them. They prepare your statutory accounts, handle your tax filings, and tell you what the numbers mean for the decisions you are about to make.
Most small businesses in Bath need both jobs done, but not always by two different people. We handle bookkeeping and accountancy together, which removes the year end gap where records have to be reconciled and everything slows down.
Yes, and it is easier than most people think.
You tell your current accountant you are leaving. Your new firm then writes to them asking for professional clearance and your records. This is normal practice and they are expected to cooperate.
You can switch at any point in the year, though just after your year end filing is usually cleanest. Check your engagement letter for a notice period first, and make sure nothing is halfway through being submitted. Most handovers finish within two to four weeks.
The VAT registration threshold for 2026/27 is £90,000 of taxable turnover in any rolling 12 month period. That is not your financial year. Check it at the end of every month, looking back over the last twelve.
If you go over it, you have 30 days from the end of that month to tell HMRC. Your registration usually starts on the first day of the second month after you crossed the line.
The deregistration threshold is £88,000. Zero rated sales count towards the threshold. Exempt sales do not. You can also register voluntarily below £90,000, which is sometimes worth doing if your customers are VAT registered themselves.
More detail here: VAT accounting for small businesses and VAT compliance services.
If your gross income from self employment or property was over £50,000 in the 2024/25 tax year, then yes. It started on 6 April 2026.
You need to keep digital records and send HMRC four updates a year, plus a final declaration.
The threshold drops to £30,000 in April 2027 and £20,000 in April 2028.
HMRC worked out who was in the first group from 2024/25 Self Assessment returns and wrote to them. But it is still your responsibility to check whether it applies to you. Limited companies are not affected and carry on under corporation tax rules.
Usually not. Most HMRC letters are routine. A tax code notice, a reminder, or a request for information.
Read it properly and note any deadline. If it asks for personal details or a payment and you are not sure it is genuine, do not reply to it directly. Look up HMRC's contact details on GOV.UK and check that way, or send the letter to a tax adviser.
If the letter opens a compliance check or an enquiry, get advice before you reply. What you say first shapes everything that follows.
The minimum depends on how you are set up:
- Self employed, partnerships and landlords: at least 5 years after the 31 January deadline for that tax year. So records for 2025/26 need keeping until at least 31 January 2032.
- Limited companies: at least 6 years from the end of the accounting period.
- VAT records: at least 6 years.
- PAYE and payroll records: at least 3 years from the end of the tax year.
- Individuals who are not self employed: 22 months from the end of the tax year.
These are minimums, not targets. If HMRC opens an enquiry, you have to keep everything until it closes. And where HMRC suspects something deliberate, they can go back 20 years. A lot of accountants suggest just keeping everything for six or seven years to keep it simple.
HMRC charges an automatic £100 penalty the moment you miss 31 January. That applies even if you are one day late and even if you owe no tax.
After three months, daily penalties of £10 kick in and run for up to 90 days. That is up to £900 on top of the original £100. There are further penalties at six months and twelve months, and interest on late payments is charged separately from late filing penalties.
You can appeal if you have a reasonable excuse, but filing early is the safer route. More detail here: what happens if you miss the Self Assessment deadline.
Almost none of this work needs you and your accountant in the same room.
Records are shared securely online. Meetings happen over video. And under Making Tax Digital, filings have to be digital anyway.
What matters far more is whether your accountant replies when you need them, understands your situation, and offers the services you actually use.
We are 30 minutes away in Weston-super-Mare and we work with clients right across Bath. If you would rather meet face to face, we can arrange that. Most of our Bath clients find they would rather not give up a morning to the park and ride.
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01934 404000
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