For creative sole traders & limited companies
Switch to an accountant who actually gets creative work.
If you’re still explaining what a royalty is, why this year’s income is half of last year’s, or why a short-run exhibition counts as allowable expenditure… you’ve got the wrong accountant.
We’re specialists for the UK’s creative industries.
That’s everything we do.
These are the five most common reasons
UK creatives leave their last
accountant
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No proactive advice: I only hear from them once a year — and only when they need something from me.
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Surprise tax bills: January tax bill was nearly double what I'd set aside. Nobody warned me about payments on account.
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They don't get creative income: They treat my royalty statement like it's a foreign language. I end up explaining my own business.
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Just another number: I've been passed to three different account managers in two years. Nobody knows my work.
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Zero career guidance: Going limited? International client? First agent? Crickets. I have to figure this out myself.
If you just nodded at one of these, you’re probably overpaying in tax and in time.
Two paths. One specialist firm.
Whether you’re a freelance creative with a Self Assessment and a growing patchwork of multiple income streams, or a director of a creative limited company thinking about reliefs, dividends and your first hire: we’ve been here before.
Probably many times.
How switching works
Three steps. Two to four weeks. Zero awkward conversations.
We’ve done this hundreds of times. The paperwork isn’t difficult. It’s just annoying when you’ve never done it before.
We handle all of it so you don’t have to think about it.
A 30-minute fit call.
No pitch, no sales script. A real conversation with an accountant about your work, your structure and what you need. If we're not the right fit, we'll say so.
We handle the handover.
Professional clearance letter to your current accountant. HMRC agent re-authorisation. Your data migrated to your new accountant.
You get on with the work.
If your old accountant missed filings, we'll catch you up. If your records are a mess, we'll tidy them. Then we build your year ahead, proactively.
Behind on deadlines? Start here. We'll get you compliant before we build anything new.
What we won't do to
you.
The switching has a handful of classic friction points. We’ve eliminated all of them.
These are the things you won’t have to worry about.
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No switching fee, no exit fee, no surprise invoices.
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HMRC agent re-authorisation is handled end-to-end. No 64-8 forms landing on your doormat.
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Your data migrates into your new accounting software that works. No need to do anything on your side.
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If your old accountant missed filings, we catch you up. No panic surcharge.
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Fixed fee, agreed before you sign anything. Switchable if your structure changes.
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You keep your historical data. Everything copied and handed over, with parallel access if you want it.
Questions we get
every week.
Answers written the way we’d explain them on a call. Still have something specific?
Book a fit call and ask us directly.
Do they ask about expenses being personal when you know they're for the business? Do they offer advice on creative tax credits? Do they show understanding of the ebb and flow of projects?
Your industry, the quirks of your trade, and the little things that HMRC accepts or focuses on in your specific sector. Also, any specialist tax credits in your industry.
There are tax credits for specific creative things such as R&D, film, video games, audio, and theatre, but also expenses like use of home and general research for roles and projects.
Hard to say. If you're missing expenses, then yes, it's likely. If you're not set up in the most tax-efficient structure, then savings are also possible there. But all accountants should use the same general rules and principles, so just moving from one to another wouldn't necessarily change the tax you pay. And we can't guarantee that either.
It's more important that the relationship is strong and they understand your business: that's when you get the best advice, which is what usually leads to tax savings.
You can switch accountants at any time, but you probably shouldn't do it up against a deadline. So if payroll or a VAT return is due next week, it's best to get those sorted before changing. There's a handover process the accountants should do smoothly between them, but depending on how busy both accountants are, sometimes it takes a little while.
Yes, you can. Some people prefer to switch at year-end to make a nice clean break, but there's nothing stopping you from moving mid-year. You need to check you're not up against any deadline and review the terms of your current contract, as you may be tied in for a certain period of time.
It can take a few days, or a few weeks... that's why it's best not to do it against a specific filing or payment deadline.
No, we don't do this. There's no fee to simply move between two accountants.
It's polite to do it yourself. Your new accountant will reach out to them to do the handover, but if it's come out of the blue and the existing accountant isn't expecting it, it can be a nasty shock. If you find it uncomfortable, you can just send an email saying thank you for all the service they've provided, but that you're moving to a specialist and they'll be in contact soon.
The new accountant will apply for agent status for you. We do this internally, and usually there's nothing you need to do but look out for a code or similar to approve the authorisation.
If you own the subscription, then it just stays with you. If the accountant is the subscriber, they can transfer the subscription to the new accountant. If you're switching from one system to another, say from QuickBooks to Xero, you'd usually back up all the data and general ledgers before ending the subscription to the old system. Some people will keep the old one going for a year just to keep access during the handover and make sure everything's fine. As long as both accountants and the client know what the plan is, it should be managed without issue.
Depends. Some businesses already have software and the accountant will just use that. Some accountants only want to use their own software. Some clients are using one system, aren't happy with it, and ask to move to another. If you're comfortable with it and a bit of a control freak, then you may want to set it up yourself. If you're a technophobe and have no clue what to do, then it makes sense for the accountant to set it up for you.
It's usually a conversation to work out what's best for both parties and then take it from there.
Ready to actually enjoy this part of your business?
Book a quick fit call. No pitch, no obligation.
It’s only a conversation to see if we’re the right fit for each other. You’ll come away with a clear view of your next steps.