Numbers investors trust,from day one.
From incorporation and SEIS advance assurance to monthly management accounts and R&D claims, we give founders a finance function that scales without a full-time hire.
What makes your finances different.
Pre-revenue, post-spending
Startups spend before they earn. Losses need recording properly so they can be relieved against future profits or surrendered for an R&D credit, and runway has to be measured in months, not guesses.
Investors ask for things
SEIS and EIS certificates, cap tables, management accounts and clean statutory filings all arrive as requests with deadlines. A messy first year is expensive to unpick at a funding round.
Founder pay is awkward
Founders often take no salary, then a small one, then options. Each choice has tax, National Insurance and pension consequences, and HMRC expects a clear record.
Share schemes need valuing
EMI options are the standard tool for early hires but require an HMRC valuation and notification by 6 July after the end of the tax year in which they are granted. Get the sequence wrong and the tax advantage is lost.
What we do for you.
- Incorporate the company with the right share structure, or review one set up in a hurry
- Apply for SEIS and EIS advance assurance and issue compliance certificates after the round
- Set up Xero with a chart of accounts investors recognise, plus bank feeds and expense capture
- Produce monthly management accounts with burn rate and runway
- Prepare and file R&D tax relief claims under the merged scheme, with the technical narrative, in partnership with BDO LLP
- Advise on founder salaries, EMI option schemes and the HMRC valuation
- Run payroll as the team grows and register for VAT when it pays to
- File accounts, Corporation Tax and confirmation statements on time
The tax rules that matter here.
- SEIS
- Investors get 50% income tax relief on up to £200,000 a year, and the company can raise up to £250,000 under SEIS. The company must be under three years old with gross assets below £350,000 at the time of the share issue.
- EIS
- 30% income tax relief for investors on up to £1 million a year (£2 million for knowledge-intensive companies). From 6 April 2026 most companies can raise up to £24 million over their life and £10 million in any 12 months, generally starting within seven years of their first commercial sale.
- R&D tax relief
- Under the merged scheme a 20% expenditure credit applies to qualifying R&D costs. Loss-making R&D-intensive companies, spending at least 30% of total expenditure on R&D, can instead claim enhanced relief worth up to 27p per £1. Claims need a pre-notification for first-time claimants.
- EMI options
- From 6 April 2026, companies with gross assets of £120 million or less and fewer than 500 full-time employees can grant EMI options worth up to £250,000 per employee. Gains are usually taxed as capital gains, and Business Asset Disposal Relief can apply at 18% in 2026/27.
- Trading losses
- Early losses can be carried forward against future profits of the same trade, or carried back one year. Keeping the loss computation accurate matters more than it feels like in year one.
Rules and rates are those in force for 2026/27 at the time of writing. Check your own position before acting.
Run your own numbers first.
- Salary vs dividend calculator
Find the most tax-efficient mix of salary and dividends from your company's profit.
- Corporation Tax calculator
Corporation Tax on your profit, including marginal relief.
- Employer NI calculator
Employer's National Insurance and the true cost of a hire.
Worth asking.
Before the first funding round, and ideally at incorporation. Share structure, SEIS eligibility and the first year's bookkeeping are all much cheaper to get right than to fix. Most founders need a few hours of advice at the start and a modest monthly fee after that.
A letter from HMRC confirming that, based on the information provided, a proposed share issue is likely to qualify for SEIS or EIS relief. Investors usually ask for it before committing. We prepare the application, including the business plan and financial forecasts HMRC expects.
If it is working to resolve scientific or technological uncertainty, yes, including software development that goes beyond routine work. Qualifying costs include staff, subcontractors, software and cloud computing. First-time claimants must notify HMRC within six months of the accounting period end.
Often a small one. A salary up to £12,570 costs no income tax or employee National Insurance and earns a State Pension year, and it is deductible for Corporation Tax. Whether to go higher depends on cash, investor expectations and personal needs. Dividends only work once the company is profitable.
Yes. We prepare monthly or quarterly accounts in the format investors and boards expect: profit and loss against budget, balance sheet, cash and runway. They draw directly from Xero so the numbers reconcile to the bank.
Pre-revenue companies usually need a light monthly package covering bookkeeping, filings and a quarterly check-in, with SEIS, R&D and option scheme work quoted separately when needed. We send a written proposal after a discovery call.
The services involved
- Management Reporting & Cloud AccountingUseful reporting, software setup and training to help you understand and use your information.
- Annual Accounts & Corporation TaxYear-end accounts and company tax work within the agreed engagement.
- Payroll & PensionsPayroll processing and related workplace pension administration.
- Set Up a Limited Company: Business Startup & Company FormationSetting up a new business properly: structure, company formation, registrations, banking and software.
- Xero & QuickBooks Training, Setup & MigrationMoving to Xero or QuickBooks, set up properly, with training for you and your team.
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