1. Whitehead & Howarth Chartered Accountants
  2. What we do
  3. Bookkeeping, VAT & MTD for Income Tax

Bookkeeping, VAT & MTD for Income Tax

Are you a sole trader, partnerships or limited company?

All businesses, whether they are sole traders, partnerships or limited companies, are required to maintain a minimum record of their business transactions. This becomes more critical when you are VAT-registered and are required to complete returns, normally on a quarterly basis.

Changes to reporting of Income under Making Tax Digital will also require more clients to report their income from various sources to HMRC on a quarterly basis from April 2026.

We can assist clients with implementing a range of software packages to assist them with these requirements.

Budgets and Forecasts

Whether you have set up a new business, you are seeking some financial support, or you are a well established enterprise, you will benefit from setting benchmarks against which to monitor your progress.

Budgets and forecasts are tools used by many organisations to predict their activity and then make regular comparisons.  We can prepare budgets and forecasts for you to meet your needs, or simply provide assistance in setting these up for you on your own accounting system to help drive your business forward.

Why Our Clients Choose Whitehead & Howarth Charted Accountants?

  • Nearly 100 years of trusted accountancy expertise.
  • Tailored financial solutions for SMEs.
  • Highly qualified and experienced professionals.
  • Transparent, fixed-fee pricing with no hidden costs.
  • Comprehensive support beyond traditional accountancy.

Get a quote

What is bookkeeping?

Bookkeeping is the process of documenting, examining and interpreting a business’ financial transactions. At Whitehead & Howarth, we recognise that the time involved in maintaining your accounting records can be time-consuming and intensive. That is why we offer an in-house bookkeeping service. We will undertake all of your bookkeeping tasks for a competitive monthly fee, therefore leaving you with more time to dedicate to your business.

VAT registration service

You must register for VAT if any of the following apply to your business:

  • your VAT taxable turnover is more than the £85,000 threshold in a 12 month period
    • you receive goods in the UK from the EU worth more than £85,000
    • you expect to go over the threshold in a single 30-day period

You can also register voluntarily if your business turnover is below £83,000.

If you don’t want to spend time struggling with VAT rules and calculating VAT returns, our specialist team can deal with this for you and leave you to get back to running your business. Whitehead & Howarth Chartered Accountants offer a VAT registration service and can guide you through what can sometimes be a confusing process. By using us as your agent to deal with your VAT registration and returns, we will liaise with HMRC on your behalf, therefore allowing you more time to concentrate on your business.  We can also deal with any VAT disputes that may arise.

We utilise the very best accounting software such as Sage, so it is possible to quickly produce your VAT return in a fraction of the time that it would normally take with a traditional, manual bookkeeping system. Using the latest Sage accounting software, we can produce monthly management reports and quarterly VAT returns to enable you to keep a finger on the pulse of your business’ finances whilst not becoming completely bogged down in the avalanche of paperwork that might otherwise ensue.  This leaves you with more time to do what you are best at – serving your own customers.

Get in touch to find out more about our bookkeeping and VAT services

Whitehead & Howarth Chartered Accountants provide services throughout Lancashire from St. Annes, Lytham, Blackpool, Poulton-le-Fylde and Kirkham on the Fylde Coast through to Preston and Blackburn across the North West of England.

All businesses, whether they are sole traders, partnerships or limited companies, are required to maintain a minimum record of their business transactions. This becomes more critical when you are VAT-registered and are required to complete returns, normally on a quarterly basis.

Whilst manually kept records may be suitable for some businesses, the use of computer spreadsheets or increasingly computerised accounting packages such as Sage are now commonplace and, for the most part, viewed as best practice.

We go the extra mile for our clients

We pride ourselves on delivering exceptional service to our clients, and we work tirelessly to ensure our Google Reviews reflect the high standards we uphold. Take a look at our reviews to see first-hand recommendations from our valued clients about their experience with the outstanding support and expertise we provide.

Fancy a chat?

To arrange a free, no-obligation chat to see how we can help you just fill out the form or click the link below.

Get a quote








    Recent Case Studies

    Evolve Document Solutions View Case Study
    Quicklaunch Ltd View Case Study