Bookkeeping
Your day-to-day records kept current, instead of rebuilt in a panic each spring.
- Monthly bank reconciliation
- Receipt and invoice capture
- VAT returns and filing
A small practice, kept deliberately small
Books that are quietly in order, all year round.
Stone Vessel looks after bookkeeping, tax returns and year-end accounts for sole traders and owner-managed companies — on a fixed monthly fee, with someone who already knows your numbers when you call.
- Fixed monthly fee Agreed in writing before any work starts, reviewed once a year.
- Answers in a day Questions come back within one working day, not at year end.
- Cloud-first records Your ledgers stay in software you can open yourself, any time.
Services
Four pieces of work, handled end to end.
Most clients take all four together, which is where the fixed fee makes sense. Take one on its own if that is genuinely all you need — we will say so.
Self assessment
The personal return prepared early, so the bill never arrives as a surprise.
- Sole trade and partnership pages
- Property and dividend income
- Payments on account planned
Company accounts
Statutory accounts and the corporation tax return, filed on time and explained.
- Year-end accounts preparation
- Corporation tax computations
- Confirmation statements
Advice as you go
The conversations that change the numbers, held before decisions are made.
- Salary and dividend planning
- Cash flow and forecasting
- Incorporation questions
How we work
Three steps, and you know the fee before step three.
Engaging an accountant should not feel like signing a blank cheque. Here is the whole of it.
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A review conversation
Half an hour on a call. You describe how the business is set up and where the record-keeping currently stands — including the parts that have slipped.
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A written proposal
A short document listing exactly what is included, what is not, and the fixed monthly fee. Nothing begins until you have read it and said yes.
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Steady, ongoing work
We collect what we need, keep the ledgers current month by month, and tell you what is coming up long before a deadline does.
Who we look after
Small enough to know the whole picture.
The practice takes on a limited number of clients, which keeps the work personal and the answers specific. These are the situations we handle most often.
- Sole traders and freelancers Designers, consultants, trades and other one-person businesses.
- Owner-managed limited companies One to twenty people, usually with the founders still on the payroll.
- Independent shops and studios Stock, seasonal takings and a till that needs reconciling properly.
- Landlords with a small portfolio Rental income, allowable costs and the property pages done once, correctly.
If your situation sits outside those — group structures, overseas subsidiaries, regulated financial firms — we will tell you plainly and point you toward a practice that handles that work every day.
Questions
The things people ask before they get in touch.
How is the fee worked out?
By the volume and complexity of the work, not by the hour. We look at transaction numbers, whether you are VAT registered, and how the business is structured, then quote one monthly figure covering everything in the proposal. It does not move mid-year.
Can I switch from my current accountant?
Yes, and it is routine. With your permission we write to them for the handover information, collect the prior year figures, and take it from there. You are not expected to chase anyone or explain why you are leaving.
Which software do you work in?
The main cloud bookkeeping packages, and we are happy to keep using whatever you have already set up. If you are starting from spreadsheets, we will suggest something simple and get it running for you.
What do you actually need from me?
Bank feeds connected, sales invoices raised, and purchase receipts photographed as they happen. That is the whole of your side of it. Everything else — categorising, reconciling, filing — sits with us.
What happens if a deadline is close?
Tell us anyway. We will say honestly whether it can still be met, what that takes, and what the position is if it cannot. Late work is handled without a lecture.
How far back can you tidy things up?
Several years, if needed. Catch-up work is quoted separately from the monthly fee, so you can see exactly what clearing the backlog costs before agreeing to it.
Start an enquiry
Tell us where the books stand.
A few details are enough to set up the review conversation. There is no obligation attached to it and no fee for the call.