Accountants for branding and marketing agencies
Specialist accountancy for marketing, branding and creative agencies
WallsMan Creative handles project profitability, media pass-through, IR35 on freelance crew and the R&D relief most agency accountants miss.
What we do for marketing agencies
WallsMan Creative is an ICAEW-regulated chartered practice working exclusively with the creative industries, acting for marketing, branding, design, PR and digital agencies across Kingston upon Thames, London and the UK.
- Management reporting and project profitability:Â margin by client, by project and by retainer, not just a P&L
- Corporation Tax and year-end accounts: including work in progress and deferred income on retainers
- VAT: including recharged media spend, disbursements and overseas clients
- Payroll:Â permanent staff, plus the freelance layer that sits alongside it
- IR35 and employment status advice:Â for the freelancers, contractors and crew you engage
- R&D tax relief:Â for agencies with a development, product or technical build arm
- Bookkeeping:Â in Xero, structured so the numbers answer agency questions
- Cash-flow forecasting and growth planning: hiring, runway and the gap between winning work and getting paid
- Business valuations and exit planning:Â for agencies heading towards a sale
Who we work with in the branding market?
- Marketing and digital agencies: retainers, projects, media buying and performance work
- Branding and design studios:Â project-based, often with long lead times between pitch and payment
- PR and communications agencies:Â retainer-heavy, people-heavy, with utilisation as the core economic question
- Advertising agencies and production companies: where the work overlaps with our film, TV and media clients
- Web and app development agencies:Â where there’s usually an R&D claim nobody has made
- Agencies with a product arm: where the service and software sides need separating in the accounts before they can be understood, or sold
- Founder-led agencies going through their first hires: often the point at which the numbers stop being simple
Reasons why we offer accounting services for marketing agencies
All in the plan
It is true that most successful businesses have a plan. A plan for the buzzing busy periods but also for the dips. We, as an accounting team help our clients make those plans, monitor and adjust over time to help them reach their goals.
Too many hats
When winning and delivering the business is all consuming, business admin can become a hindrance. Giving the bookkeeping and admin to us gives you one less thing to worry about, so you can optimise your marketing strategies.
Visual reporting
Most creatives process things visually, we provide management reports that are visually easy to digest and understand rather than sheet of numbers. Helping you make better business decisions to make better marketing initiatives.
Nightmare jobs
Each project and business operations have the capacity to make you money or turn into a nightmare over spend. We provide the job by job costing and reporting to manage jobs in real time and maximise efficiency and return, so you can grow your agency.
Which sounds like you?
Irregular income, multiple streams and quiet months. We build your numbers around how you actually earn.
- Personal tax
- Self Assessment
- First-time freelancer
- Thinking about going limited
Corporation tax, dividends, payroll & the full suite of creative-sector reliefs. Tailored for your business.
- VAT
- Payroll
- Year-end accounts
- R&D/creative reliefs and funding
“Only two things get five stars from me. Back to the Future and WallsMan Creative. Since we have been using them we have only ever experienced incredible service. They have gone out of their way to answer all our questions and provide speedy solutions to all those panicked emails."
Frequently Asked Questions about accounting for branding and marketing agencies
Yes. WallsMan Creative works exclusively with creative industries, including branding agencies, marketing consultancies, and creative studios. With over 10 years of experience, we understand retainers, project-based fees, and agency growth challenges.
We regularly work with agencies operating on monthly retainers, fixed-fee projects, and mixed income models, ensuring revenue is recorded correctly and cash flow is managed effectively.
Yes. We support branding and marketing agencies as they grow, helping with structure changes, hiring plans, cash flow forecasting, and tax-efficient scaling strategies.
We regularly advise on freelancers, contractors, and subcontractors, ensuring correct tax treatment, compliant payments, and clear cost management.
We provide clear VAT guidance for agencies, including VAT registration, Flat Rate vs Standard VAT, international clients, and digital services.
Yes. We regularly advise agencies on IP ownership, licensing, and usage rights, and how these affect accounting and tax treatment.
We go beyond compliance, helping agencies understand margins, pricing, and profitability so they can build a more sustainable creative business.
Because we exclusively work with creative businesses. Our deep industry knowledge, 10+ years of experience, and understanding of agency life mean smarter advice without having to explain how your business works.
Useful reading for branding and marketing agencies
Guides and resources to help branding and marketing practices pay less tax and make smarter financial decisions.
Written by our team, for creative businesses like yours.
Related services
We offer a flexible service to our clients, so whether you need the basics, year end accounts and tax returns or specialist tax advice for creatives we can help. Browse the services and pick out what you want and we will create a package just for you.