Filing season

Self Assessment returns for the closed tax year are being scheduled now — later records mean a later slot.

Book a filing slot
Pine Line Accountants

A small practice, kept deliberately small

Books that balancebefore the deadline does

Pine Line keeps the bookkeeping, the annual accounts and the tax returns for sole traders, small limited companies, landlords and contractors. One accountant on your file, the same one every quarter.

Work covered

Bookkeeping, VAT, payroll, year-end accounts, Self Assessment and corporation tax returns.

How we work

Records in monthly, a short review call each quarter, and nothing filed without you seeing it first.

Taking on

New files accepted through the current quarter. Mid-year switches handled, including part-completed books.

Printed financial statements, a ledger and a calculator laid out across a desk
Every set of accounts is reconciled line by line before it leaves the office.

Who we work with

Four kinds of file, handled properly

Most of what an accountant does depends on how you're set up. Find your situation below — it tells you what we'd actually be doing each month.

01

Sole traders

You invoice under your own name, keep receipts in a folder or an app, and need one accurate return a year.

  • Income and expense categorisation from bank data
  • Allowable expenses checked, including use of home and mileage
  • Self Assessment prepared, reviewed with you, then filed
Typical rhythm Records sent monthly or quarterly; one return each January.
02

Limited companies

One to ten people, a company bank account, and directors who'd rather not think about Companies House dates.

  • Statutory accounts and confirmation statement
  • Corporation tax computation and CT600
  • Director payroll, dividends and the tax-efficient split
Typical rhythm Monthly bookkeeping, quarterly VAT, one year-end cycle.
03

Landlords

One property or a small portfolio, held personally or through a company, with mortgage interest to treat correctly.

  • Property income statements per address
  • Finance cost relief applied at the right rate
  • Repairs versus improvements separated before year end
Typical rhythm Statements collected annually; interim check each autumn.
04

Contractors and freelancers

Day-rate work through a company or as a sole trader, often with several clients and uneven months.

  • Invoice tracking and chasing schedule
  • Tax set-aside figure updated after each quarter
  • Status and contract questions flagged, not guessed at
Typical rhythm Quarterly review call; return prepared well before January.

What's handled

The whole compliance cycle, in one place

Bookkeeping feeds the VAT return, the VAT return feeds the year end, and the year end feeds your tax position. When one practice holds all of it, nothing gets reconciled twice and nothing falls between two advisers.

  • Bookkeeping — bank feeds reconciled, receipts matched, ledgers closed monthly
  • VAT — scheme chosen with you, returns prepared and submitted digitally
  • Payroll — RTI submissions, payslips, pensions and year-end forms
  • Year-end accounts — statutory accounts drafted, explained, then filed
  • Tax returns — Self Assessment and corporation tax, with the figures shown before submission
  • Correspondence — we answer HMRC letters on your behalf as your agent
An accountant working through figures in a notebook beside a laptop at a quiet desk
Quarterly reviews are short, specific and booked in advance.

Your tax year

The dates we track so you don't have to

These are the recurring UK deadlines that shape the year. We work backwards from each one, and you'll hear from us before the date, not after it.

5 April

Tax year endsLast day for pension contributions, ISA allowances and any planning that has to land inside the year.

6 April

New rates applyAllowances, thresholds and payroll codes change. We update your payroll and your set-aside figure the same week.

31 May

P60s issuedEmployees receive their end-of-year summary. We prepare and distribute these for payroll clients.

31 July

Second payment on accountDue for anyone in Self Assessment with a balance carried forward. We confirm the amount in June.

5 October

Registration deadlineNewly self-employed or newly receiving untaxed income must register for Self Assessment.

31 January

Return and balancing paymentOnline filing deadline plus the first payment on account. Our files are closed well before this date.

Rolling

Company datesAccounts and corporation tax run from your own year end, not the tax year. We hold those dates on your file separately.

VAT quarters and monthly payroll submissions sit on top of this calendar and are handled as they fall.

Fees

What it costs, before you ask

Fixed monthly fees, agreed in writing before any work starts. No hourly billing for phone calls and no surprise year-end invoice.

Sole trader

£65
per month
  • Bookkeeping from bank data
  • Annual Self Assessment
  • Tax set-aside figure each quarter
  • HMRC correspondence handled

Limited company

£145
per month
  • Everything in the sole trader fee
  • Statutory accounts and CT600
  • Confirmation statement
  • Director payroll and dividend planning

Property

£80
per month, per portfolio
  • Income statement per property
  • Finance cost relief applied
  • Capital versus revenue split reviewed
  • Annual return prepared and filed

VAT returns add £30 per quarter. Payroll is £6 per payslip. Anything outside the agreed scope — a restructure, an HMRC enquiry, a late set of historic books — is quoted separately before we begin.

Getting started

Three steps, usually inside a fortnight

Step one

A short call

Twenty minutes to hear how you're set up, what's currently late, and what software or shoebox the records live in. You get a fee figure at the end of it.

Step two

Handover

We write to your previous accountant for professional clearance, register as your agent with HMRC, and take copies of the last filed accounts.

Step three

First close

We reconcile the current period, tell you plainly what we found, and set the recurring dates for your file. From there it runs to the calendar.

Questions

Asked often, answered directly

Can I switch accountants mid-year?

Yes, and it's the most common way clients arrive. We write to your current accountant for professional clearance and the handover records. You don't have to have the conversation yourself, and you don't need to wait for a year end.

What records do you actually need from me?

Bank statements or a read-only bank feed, sales invoices, purchase receipts, and details of anything unusual — a loan, an asset purchase, a grant. If you already use bookkeeping software we'll work inside it. If you don't, a monthly folder of photographs is perfectly workable.

Do I have to change software?

No. We work with the main cloud packages and with spreadsheets. We'll only suggest a change if your VAT obligations require digital records you don't currently keep, and we'll do the migration rather than hand it to you.

I'm already late. Is it too late to fix?

Almost never. Late returns can be filed, penalties can sometimes be appealed where there's a reasonable excuse, and payment arrangements can be negotiated with HMRC. Tell us the position honestly on the first call and we'll tell you the realistic outcome rather than the comfortable one.

Will I speak to the same person each time?

Yes. One accountant holds your file and stays on it. That's the reason the practice is kept small — there's a limit to how many files one person can know properly, and we'd rather stop taking work than pass you around.

Are the fees really fixed?

The monthly fee covers the scope written into your engagement letter, including calls and emails through the year. Work outside that scope is quoted first and only starts once you've agreed it. You can end the arrangement with a month's notice and we'll release your records and file anything already paid for.

Enquiries

Tell us where you're up to

A few lines is enough. We'll reply with a fee figure and the first date we can take the file — or an honest note if we're not the right practice for it.

  • Replies within one working day
  • No obligation and no automated follow-up sequence
  • Late or incomplete books are welcome information, not a problem

We use your details only to answer this enquiry.