East Sussex
Accountant in Brighton
Brighton’s economy is driven by a dense cluster of digital, creative, and tech businesses, alongside a strong tourism and independent retail sector.
- Experienced team
- Fixed fees
- National coverage
Why we work with Brighton businesses
Brighton’s business community is unusually concentrated in digital services, software, and creative production, sectors where tax complexity often catches founders off guard. We work with limited company directors and contractors across North Laine and the Lanes, as well as hospitality operators in Kemp Town and Hove. Our model is remote-first with in-person meetings on request, which suits Brighton’s fast moving freelance and small company culture. The mix of high growth tech and established hospitality means we handle everything from R&D credits to VAT schemes.
The Brighton business scene
Brighton has a genuine dual economy. On one side, American Express’s European HQ and Brandwatch anchor a growing tech and professional services corridor. On the other, Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals and the University of Sussex drive healthcare and research employment. The city’s independent retail scene, concentrated in North Laine and the Lanes, is unusually resilient for a UK seaside town, while tourism and hospitality remain significant across Kemp Town and the seafront. This mix creates a distinctive tax and accounting profile: digital businesses need R&D and share scheme advice; hospitality operators need VAT and payroll support; and the self employed contractor base needs straightforward, no nonsense compliance.
Business hubs in Brighton
North Laine · Lanes · Kemp Town · Hove
How Brighton’s economic mix shapes our service emphasis
Brighton’s sector mix means our work is rarely uniform. A digital agency in North Laine typically needs R&D claim preparation for software development work, often alongside EMI share scheme structuring for early employees. A hotel or restaurant group in Hove will prioritise VAT partial exemption and capital allowances on refurbishment. We also see a steady stream of healthcare professionals, from physiotherapists to private consultants linked to Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals, who need personal service company tax planning and IR35 reviews. The local concentration of independent retailers in the Lanes means we handle a lot of partnership and sole trader accounts, often with complex stock and margin calculations. Our experience gives Brighton directors confidence that we understand the technical detail behind their sector specific challenges, whether that’s R&D boundaries for a SaaS business or the VAT treatment of holiday accommodation.
Anchor employers in Brighton
American Express (European HQ) · Brandwatch · Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals · University of Sussex · Legal & General
What we do
What we do for Brighton businesses
Year-end accounts & corporation tax
Statutory accounts to FRS 102 / FRS 105, CT600 filings, marginal relief modelling between £50,000 and £250,000, group relief where it applies. Filed accurately, filed on time.
Director pay and tax planning
Optimal salary-and-dividend split for each director’s personal tax position, modelled annually and recalibrated when thresholds move. Pension contributions, BIK strategy, P11D where relevant.
VAT and Making Tax Digital
Registration timing against the £90,000 threshold, scheme selection (Standard, Flat Rate, Cash, Annual), partial-exemption handling, quarterly returns, MTD-compliant software setup.
Payroll, PAYE and pensions
Monthly payroll runs, RTI submissions, Employment Allowance claims (up to £10,500), salary-sacrifice schemes, workplace pension administration and auto-enrolment.
R&D tax credits
Merged-scheme claims under the post-April-2024 regime, qualifying-activity narrative written by qualified staff, costs eligibility review, ERIS where the loss-making intensive route applies.
Incorporation and structure
When to move from sole trader to Ltd, the real cost of incorporation (SDLT, CGT where property is involved), holding-company design, alphabet shares, group restructures.
Brighton worked example
Worked example: £8,796 R&D credit on iterative development
8 employee digital product studio
Take a Brighton digital product studio in North Laine building custom web applications for hospitality clients, including a booking system for a local hotel group. Claims of this kind are often dismissed as ineligible on sight, on the view that custom client work cannot be R&D. That is too broad. Where iterative development, user testing and API integration involve uncertainty a competent developer could not simply design out, the activity qualifies under the merged R&D expenditure credit scheme. Suppose the records support £43,980 of qualifying expenditure, giving a credit of £8,796 at the 20% rate, before the corporation tax charge on the credit. The wider point is that structuring projects to keep clear technical records makes each subsequent claim far cheaper to evidence.
Illustrative example. It is not a record of a client engagement and the figures are worked through to show how the rules apply, not taken from a real return.
Want the same read on your own figures?
What it costs depends on the size and structure of the business, so we will talk that through rather than quote blind.
Book a free callFAQ
Frequently asked questions from Brighton
Related reading
Guides for limited company owners
Free consultation
Speak to an accountant in Brighton
Book a free 30-minute call. We will talk through your situation and give you clear, practical recommendations. No jargon, no obligation.
- 24-hour response, usually same dayYou hear back from a person, not an autoresponder
- Fixed fees, agreed before any workIn writing, before anything starts
- One named accountant, not a team inboxThe same person every time you call