Accountant in Lewisham SE13 | Your Tax Help Accountants

Accountant in Lewisham

Tax & Accounting for Lewisham Businesses

Lewisham SE13 is a major South London town centre and transport hub, with Lewisham station (DLR, National Rail) and the bustling Lewisham High Street and market serving one of London's most ethnically diverse boroughs. The area has a large and varied small-business community - African, Caribbean and South Asian food shops, restaurants and retailers, hair and beauty businesses, professional services and a substantial trades and construction workforce. Major regeneration around Lewisham Gateway and the wider town centre has driven new development, residential growth and rising property values, expanding the landlord market.

That gives Lewisham a varied accounting profile. Market and High Street traders need cash-business bookkeeping and the right VAT treatment. The diverse small-business community often trades through Ltd companies with family involvement needing proper structures. CIS contractors working South London sites need monthly returns or annual refund claims. Self-employed drivers need vehicle expense capture. And the growing landlord community needs Section 24 planning and MTD readiness. Your Tax Help Accountants, HMRC-registered, serves Lewisham clients online with fixed monthly fees.

💡 As an HMRC-registered agent we deal directly with HMRC on your behalf, so you never have to spend hours on hold or navigate their website yourself.

What We Do

Full-Range Tax & Accounting for Lewisham

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Self-Assessment Tax Returns

Full SA100 for self-employed, landlords and individuals. Filed direct to HMRC, same day if urgent.

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CIS Compliance

Complete CIS for contractors and subcontractors. Monthly returns, deduction statements, refund claims.

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Limited Company Accounts

Year-end statutory accounts, Corporation Tax returns, and director self-assessment. All filed on time.

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Landlord Tax Advice

Rental income reporting, capital gains planning, Making Tax Digital, and allowable expense guidance.

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VAT Returns

MTD-compliant VAT submissions and ongoing bookkeeping to keep records clean and cash flow transparent.

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Payroll Services

Monthly payroll processing, RTI submissions to HMRC, and auto-enrolment pension administration.

Client Story

How we got a Lewisham CIS plasterer £5,900 back across two years

Client M is a self-employed plasterer working CIS for various contractors on South London construction and refurbishment sites. He'd had 20% deducted from his payments for two years and had filed basic returns through a high-street shop that hadn't claimed most of his legitimate expenses, leaving substantial refunds unclaimed.

We reconstructed his expenses from bank statements and the receipts he had: van costs (using the 45p HMRC mileage rate for the first 10,000 miles across multiple South London sites), tools and equipment, PPE and protective clothing, materials he supplied, phone proportion, accountancy and a small home office allowance. We re-filed both years' self-assessments claiming his personal allowance and the full legitimate expenses against the CIS-deducted income.

Total outcome: refund of £5,900 across the two years after proper expense claims against the CIS-deducted income, and a clean ongoing process where Client M photographs receipts as he buys them.

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

I'm a Lewisham CIS subcontractor. Am I owed a refund?

Almost certainly, if you've had 20% deducted and haven't claimed it back. The 20% is HMRC's estimate before expenses and your personal allowance. After your £12,570 allowance and legitimate expenses (van or mileage, tools, PPE, materials, phone, accountancy), the actual tax due is usually far less. Full-year CIS refunds are typically £2,000-£6,000. We'll maximise yours.

I run a Lewisham food shop or restaurant. What records and VAT do I need?

Daily takings (cash and card), stock purchase invoices, supplier statements, bank statements, payroll if you have staff, and other costs. For food businesses VAT is mixed - unprocessed food zero-rated, hot takeaway and catering standard-rated. We set up cloud accounting and your till to capture the split, and handle VAT registration and returns when you reach the threshold.

I'm a Lewisham self-employed driver - Uber, delivery, private hire. What can I claim?

Vehicle costs by either the 45p/25p HMRC mileage rate or actual costs (fuel, insurance, service, MOT, finance, capital allowances). Plus phone proportion for the apps, ULEZ business proportion, congestion charge, operator commission or rental, PCO licence for private hire, cleaning. We'll pick the better vehicle method each year and capture everything.

My Lewisham business is family-run. How do we pay family members?

Through proper PAYE for genuine work at market rates, with payslips and RTI submissions. Family shareholders receive dividends reflecting their shareholding. Roles and rates should be documented so HMRC sees the economic reality matches the tax treatment. We'll set it up correctly.

Should my Lewisham business be a Ltd company?

At profits above £40,000-£50,000 a Ltd company typically saves £2,500-£5,000+ a year through salary-plus-dividend structuring, plus limited liability and easier family involvement. Below £30,000 the saving rarely justifies the extra admin. We'll model both with your numbers.

I've just bought a Lewisham buy-to-let. Personal name or Ltd company?

For higher-rate taxpayers with mortgages, a company often saves tax through full mortgage interest deduction versus the Section 24 restriction. But company SDLT is higher (8% vs 5% for a personal second property). For one property with a small mortgage, personal usually wins; for portfolio growth, a company often makes sense. We'll model your position.

I work in the trades across South London and pay my own subcontractors. CIS contractor registration?

Yes - if you pay subcontractors for construction work you're a CIS contractor. You register, verify each subcontractor, deduct CIS at the correct rate, file monthly returns by the 19th of the following month and issue deduction statements. We handle the monthly compliance.

How do I get started?

Book a free 15-minute call via Calendly, or call our office on 020 8050 4564 or mobile 07478 645331. We work with Lewisham clients fully online, we're experienced with CIS construction work across South London, and we know the diverse SE13 business community.

Accountant in Lewisham for Small Businesses