Surrey
Accountant in Farnham
Farnham's 39,000 residents support a business community shaped by creative arts, professional services, and tourism, with the University for the Creative Arts anchoring a distinct local economy.
- Experienced team
- Fixed fees
- National coverage
Why we work with Farnham businesses
Farnham's mix of creative industries, professional services, and healthcare creates varied tax and compliance needs. We work with limited company directors and small business owners across the Town Centre, Wrecclesham, Rowledge, and Hale. Our approach is remote first with in person meetings available on request, suited to a town where many clients run design studios, consultancies, or medical practices. The GU9 and GU10 postcodes cover a compact but diverse commercial base.
The Farnham business scene
Farnham is not a satellite dormitory town. Its economy draws on the University for the Creative Arts, which supplies a steady pipeline of design, media, and digital businesses. The town centre has a high density of professional services firms, from law practices to architectural studios, while Wrecclesham and Rowledge host a mix of sole traders and partnerships in tourism and hospitality. Frimley Health NHS and Bourne School Trust are significant local employers, and the castle grounds support a conference and events sector. The local business scene is distinctive for its high proportion of owner managed enterprises that value discretion and direct access to a senior accountant, rather than a call centre.
Business hubs in Farnham
Town Centre · Wrecclesham · Rowledge · Hale
How Farnham’s economic mix shapes our service emphasis
A creative arts or design studio in Farnham often needs help with VAT partial exemption if they mix exempt and taxable supplies, or with R&D tax credits if they develop new digital tools. A professional services firm in the town centre might prioritise corporation tax planning and exit strategy work, especially if they are partnership based. We also see healthcare practices, including those linked to Frimley Health NHS, where payroll and IR35 compliance for locum staff are recurring issues. Tourism and hospitality businesses in Rowledge or Hale often come to us for capital allowances on listed buildings or holiday let property. The local economic mix means we organise our service lines around project based work: one client might need a due diligence review before selling a design agency, while another needs a VAT health check on a hotel refurbishment. We tailor our advice to the specific trading structure, not a template.
Anchor employers in Farnham
University for the Creative Arts · Farnham Castle · Bourne School Trust · Frimley Health NHS · Waverley Borough Council
What we do
What we do for Farnham 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.
Farnham worked example
Worked example: £38,860 R&D expenditure credit on bespoke software
8 employee design consultancy
Take a Farnham design consultancy of eight people building a digital platform alongside the University for the Creative Arts, on the assumption that only hard engineering qualifies for R&D relief. It does not. Software development that resolves a technical uncertainty qualifies on the same terms, and so does the interface testing that proves the uncertainty was resolved. Costing the project on that basis gives £194,300 of qualifying expenditure, worth £38,860 at the 20% merged scheme credit rate before the corporation tax charge on the credit. Separately, computer equipment bought for the project attracts capital allowances, which are a deduction from profit rather than a cash credit. Tracking qualifying spend as it is incurred is what makes the claim defensible.
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 Farnham
Related reading
Guides for limited company owners
Free consultation
Speak to an accountant in Farnham
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