Accountant

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Accountant owns a portfolio of limited company clients from data in, through drafts and client approval, to filed accounts and CT600, and is each client's main technical contact. Preparation is done by the Accounts Assistant support team.

Purpose of the role: deliver accurate, on-time year-end accounts and corporation tax returns for every client in the portfolio, explain the results in plain English, and spot opportunities to add value with zero late filings or penalties.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Accounts and tax delivery

• Own each job from data in to approved, filed year-end accounts (FRS 102 Section 1A, FRS 105, LLP and dormant) and CT600: request and chase the client's data, pass it to the support team for preparation, send drafts to the client and secure approval.
• Check that corporation tax computations reconcile to the accounts, covering adjustments, capital allowances, losses, marginal relief, associated companies and s455.
• Get the data in for assigned VAT returns and SA100s, quality-check the prepared returns and send them to clients within the monthly targets.
• Make sure confirmation statements and company changes are filed on time; route payroll changes to the Payroll team; escalate complex VAT, CIS, IR35 and CGT.

Client management

• Manage every assigned job through drafts, client approvals, and missing and pending information, keeping each one moving each week.
• Answer tickets within SLA and take calls, both direct and warm transfers. Stay available on Freshdesk at all times unless in a client meeting.
• Run client meetings on request or as needed, including accounts presentations that explain the P&L, balance sheet, corporation tax and director's loan account in plain English.
• Advise on profit extraction (salary and dividends), cash flow and tax payments, recognizing the boundary of routine advice.
• Resolve complaints yourself first. If one needs escalating, pass it to the Team Lead with a full handover of the issue and what has already been tried.
• Protect retention and client satisfaction: earn five-star reviews and spot commercial opportunities to route to the right team.

Quality and review

• QC jobs prepared by Accounts Assistants, clearing points before the client sees the work.
• Review ledgers and trial balances and flag errors or missing information.
• Brief the support team clearly and coach apprentices.

Portfolio and compliance

• Track deadlines, outstanding records and approvals across the portfolio; flag filing risk early.
• Keep accurate notes, statuses and follow-ups in line with Helpbox workflows.
• Work within engagement scope, apply professional skepticism, escalate AML concerns and protect client data under GDPR.

Route queries to Onboarding, Contracts & Billings, Payroll, Bookkeeping or Sole Trader

COMPETENCIES

Accuracy and attention to detail

Work clears review with no material corrections, and tax computations reconcile to the accounts.

Ownership and accountability

Owns the client portfolio end to end, chases missing records and flags filing risk early.

Client focus

Explains results and tax in plain English, responds within SLA and spots planning opportunities.

Communication

Gives clear briefs and review notes to the support team and keeps tidy file notes.

Teamwork and collaboration

Hands data and clear briefs to the Accounts Assistants who prepare the work, and coaches apprentices.

Compliance, ethics and confidentiality

Works within engagement scope, applies professional scepticism and escalates AML concerns.

Planning and deadline management

Zero late filings or penalties across the portfolio.

Continuous improvement and learning

Completes CPD and keeps current with tax and filing changes.

UK GAAP and Companies Act

FRS 102 Section 1A, FRS 105, micro and small company exemptions and filing options.

Corporation tax

Adjustments, capital allowances, losses, marginal relief, associated companies and s455.

Year-end accounts delivery

Takes a job from data in to approved, filed accounts and CT600.

Advisory insight

Advises on profit extraction, cash flow and tax payments.

Reviewing others' work

Reviews prepared files and clears points efficiently.

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

Accountancy foundations

Entity types, core accounting concepts, reading a P&L and balance sheet, year-end adjustments and statutory deadlines.

Bookkeeping and ledger review

Reviewing a trial balance or ledger, checking bank, debtors, creditors and VAT control reconciliations, spotting errors and using accounting software.

Limited company accounts

Running the year-end-to-filing workflow and quality-checking LTD, LLP and dormant accounts, including the adjustments in them.

Accounts advice

Explaining accounts, corporation tax and directors' loan accounts; salary vs dividends; capital allowances; knowing when to escalate.

Personal tax

Quality-checking straightforward SA100s, including employment, dividend, rental and sole-trader income and basic CGT.

VAT

Quality-checking VAT returns, applying VAT schemes and treatments, and escalating complex VAT.

Payroll and CIS

Understanding PAYE, NI, director payroll, P11Ds, CIS and IR35 well enough to spot issues and route payroll changes to the Payroll team.

Company secretarial

Companies House obligations, confirmation statements, share transfers, allotments and strike-offs.

Client experience

Tickets within SLA, inbound and outbound calls, client meetings, complaints and commercial opportunities.

Workflow and practice management

Following workflows, keeping notes and statuses up to date, AML, risk and scope, and prioritising workload.

Accounts presentation

Preparing for and running a full accounts presentation independently.

Portfolio ownership

Owning clients end to end, tracking deadlines and approvals, and managing risk, relationships, capacity and SLA.

Working across teams

Knowing what each team does and routing queries correctly.

SPECIFICATION

Experience

Delivering year-end accounts and CT600s for limited companies from data in to filing, including reviewing prepared work.

Technical knowledge

FRS 102 Section 1A, FRS 105, Companies Act filing requirements, corporation tax, directors' loans and dividends, iXBRL.

Software

Cloud accounting and tax software (e.g. Xero, QuickBooks) and Excel.

Qualifications

Minimum qualification: ACCA or ACA part-qualified / qualified, or AAT Level 4

Pay: £26,000.00-£36,000.00 per year

Work Location: In person