Your annual tax return should not be a source of stress. We handle self assessment for sole traders, company directors, landlords and individuals with complex income right across Surrey and West London, making sure your return is accurate, filed on time and structured to keep your tax bill as low as the law allows.
Self assessment is HMRC's way of collecting income tax from people whose tax is not fully deducted at source. If you are self-employed, a company director, a landlord or you have income from investments, capital gains, savings or overseas sources, you are almost certainly required to complete one every year.
The problem is that most people treat the return as a compliance exercise rather than a planning opportunity. They gather their paperwork in January, fill in the numbers and pay whatever HMRC asks. In doing so, they miss allowances, overclaim the wrong reliefs, fail to structure their income efficiently across the year and end up paying more tax than they need to.
We take a different approach. Every return we prepare starts with a review of your full income picture for the year. We check that every allowable expense has been claimed, that your tax code is correct, that any available reliefs have been applied and that the return is structured in the most tax-efficient way for your specific circumstances. Our clients across Surrey and West London consistently pay less tax than those who file their own returns because we know what to look for.
Whether your tax affairs are straightforward or complex, we have the experience to prepare your return accurately, claim every entitlement and keep your personal tax bill as low as it should be.
Full preparation and submission of your annual self assessment tax return, covering all income sources, capital gains, pension contributions, Gift Aid donations and any supplementary pages your situation requires. We file online through HMRC's systems and send you a copy of the completed return and a clear summary of your tax position for the year.
Core serviceIf you are self-employed as a sole trader, your tax return includes your self-employment income and expenses on the SA103 supplementary pages. We review every business expense to ensure everything allowable has been claimed, including use of home as office, mileage, equipment, professional fees and any capital allowances on business assets you have purchased.
As a director of a limited company, your personal tax return typically includes your salary from the company, dividends received, benefits in kind from the P11D and any other income sources. We ensure your return is consistent with the company's year-end accounts and corporation tax return, and that your overall remuneration structure is as tax-efficient as it can be.
If you receive rental income from residential or commercial property in Surrey or elsewhere in the UK, that income must be declared on your self assessment return. We prepare the property income pages, claim all allowable expenses including mortgage interest relief under the restricted finance cost rules, and advise on how to structure your property income tax-efficiently going forward.
PropertyIf you have sold shares, investment property, a business or other assets during the tax year and made a gain above the annual exempt amount of £3,000, you need to report and pay Capital Gains Tax. We calculate your CGT liability, apply any available reliefs including Business Asset Disposal Relief, Private Residence Relief and holdover relief, and ensure the gain is reported correctly in your return.
If your income exceeds £100,000, your personal allowance starts to taper, creating an effective 60% tax rate on income in the £100,000 to £125,140 band. We advise on pension contributions, Gift Aid and other legitimate strategies to manage income in this band and reduce the effective rate to something more reasonable, particularly relevant for high earners across Surrey's professional and corporate workforce.
Since April 2024, the threshold at which the High Income Child Benefit Charge applies increased from £50,000 to £60,000. The charge claws back Child Benefit at 1% for every £200 of income above £60,000, reaching 100% at £80,000. Many families in Surrey are affected. We ensure the charge is correctly calculated on your return and advise on whether pension contributions could bring your income below the threshold.
If you receive income from overseas employment, foreign property, foreign investments or dividends from non-UK companies, that income must generally be declared on your UK tax return. We prepare the foreign income supplementary pages, apply double tax relief where applicable and advise on any special rules relevant to your residency position or domicile status.
If HMRC opens an enquiry into your self assessment tax return or issues a penalty notice, we act on your behalf throughout the process. We prepare the required responses, provide supporting documentation, attend any meetings with HMRC if necessary and, where a penalty has been issued, assess whether an appeal is appropriate and manage that process for you. We also help clients with overdue returns get back into compliance as efficiently as possible.
Income tax rates and the personal allowance remain frozen for 2025/26. With wages rising, more taxpayers are being pulled into higher bands without any change in the headline rates, a process known as fiscal drag.
HMRC does not always tell you that you need to file a self assessment return. It is your responsibility to register and file if the rules apply to you, and ignorance is not considered a reasonable excuse for missing a deadline.
The situations listed on the right are the most common reasons people across Surrey need to complete a self assessment tax return. If any of them apply to you and you are not currently registered, you should take action now. The registration deadline for the current tax year is 5 October following the end of the year in question.
If you are unsure whether you need to file, we are happy to check your position for you at no cost before you commit to anything.
Most returns for new clients are completed within two to three weeks of receiving your financial information. Returning clients benefit from a streamlined annual process.
We discuss your income sources, any changes since last year and whether there are any planning opportunities to consider before we prepare the return. This takes around 20 minutes.
We send you a simple, clear checklist of everything we need based on your specific circumstances. Most clients find they have everything to hand within a day or two of receiving it.
We prepare the return, check every allowance and relief, calculate your tax liability and payments on account, and send you a clear summary for review before anything is submitted.
Once you approve the return, we submit it to HMRC and send you confirmation. We also note your next key deadline and follow up well in advance so the process stays stress-free year on year.
We are based at Gough House, Eden Street, Kingston upon Thames, placing us at the heart of one of Surrey's most active business and residential communities. Our self assessment clients come from right across the county, from the professionals commuting from Cobham and Weybridge, to the landlords managing portfolios in Epsom and Leatherhead, to the sole traders and consultants working throughout the wider Surrey Hills and commuter belt.
Surrey has one of the highest concentrations of higher-rate taxpayers in the UK outside central London. High property values, a well-educated professional workforce and a large number of business owners and company directors mean that tax planning is not a luxury for Surrey residents but a genuine financial necessity. We understand the specific tax profile of our local clients and bring that understanding to every return we prepare.
We work equally comfortably with clients in person at our Kingston upon Thames office and remotely for those across Surrey who prefer a fully digital relationship. Either way, you speak to the same person every time and get the same level of attention to detail.
We handle self assessment for a wide range of individuals across Surrey and West London, from straightforward sole trader returns to complex multi-income tax returns for high earners and investors.
Whether you are a self-employed tradesperson, a freelance consultant or a contractor working through your own name, we prepare your self assessment return, claim every allowable business expense and make sure your National Insurance position is correct.
Most Surrey company directors receive a mix of salary and dividends. We prepare the personal return, ensure it is consistent with the company accounts and review whether the current remuneration structure is still the most tax-efficient approach for your income level.
Surrey's high property values make rental income a significant part of many residents' financial picture. We prepare the property income pages, apply all allowable deductions correctly and advise on any planning opportunities specific to your portfolio, including the interaction with capital gains tax on any future disposal.
Many of Surrey's professional workforce earn in the higher and additional rate bands. We ensure the personal allowance tapering issue is managed correctly, advise on pension contributions and other legitimate income-reduction strategies and make sure bonuses, share options and benefits in kind are reported and taxed correctly.
If you have sold shares, investment funds, a second property or other assets during the tax year, the gain needs to be calculated accurately and reported correctly. We apply all available reliefs and ensure your capital gains position is integrated with the rest of your personal tax picture.
If you have one or more years of outstanding tax returns, the priority is to get back into compliance as quickly as possible to stop penalties from accumulating. We deal with late returns regularly and help clients across Surrey resolve their position with HMRC without unnecessary confrontation.
You need to complete a self assessment return if you are self-employed as a sole trader with gross income above £1,000, a company director receiving income not fully taxed through PAYE, a landlord with rental income, someone with savings or investment income above your personal savings allowance, someone with capital gains above £3,000, a higher rate taxpayer with income above £100,000 (at which point your personal allowance starts to taper), someone who receives Child Benefit and whose income or their partner's income exceeds £60,000, or someone with foreign income that needs to be declared in the UK. If you are unsure whether you need to file, we are happy to check your position for you.
For the 2024/25 tax year (6 April 2024 to 5 April 2025), you needed to register by 5 October 2025 if filing for the first time. Paper returns were due by 31 October 2025. Your online tax return and any tax owed were both due by 31 January 2026. If you make payments on account, the second payment for 2024/25 is due by 31 July 2026. Missing the 31 January deadline brings an automatic £100 penalty, with further daily and percentage penalties added after three months and six months. We track all deadlines for our clients and submit well before the January rush.
For 2025/26, the personal allowance remains frozen at £12,570. Income between £12,571 and £50,270 is taxed at 20% (basic rate). Income between £50,271 and £125,140 is taxed at 40% (higher rate). Income above £125,140 is taxed at 45% (additional rate). The personal allowance tapers by £1 for every £2 of income above £100,000, creating an effective 60% rate on income between £100,000 and £125,140. These rates apply in England and Wales. Scottish taxpayers face different rates set by the Scottish Parliament. Threshold freezes mean that as wages rise, more taxpayers are being pulled into higher bands each year without any change in the headline rates.
Payments on account are advance payments toward your next year's tax bill, required when your self assessment liability exceeds £1,000 and less than 80% of your tax was collected through PAYE. You make two equal payments, each equal to 50% of your previous year's bill: the first by 31 January and the second by 31 July. If your actual bill turns out higher, you pay a balancing payment the following January. If it is lower, you receive a refund. Many people are caught out in their first year of self assessment, when the January payment includes both the prior year's tax and the first payment on account for the current year. We explain your payments on account clearly and flag when a reduction application may be appropriate.
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax replaces the annual self assessment return with quarterly digital updates for certain taxpayers. From April 2026, sole traders and landlords with qualifying gross income above £50,000 must keep digital records and submit quarterly income and expense updates to HMRC. The threshold drops to £30,000 from April 2027 and £20,000 from April 2028. If you are a sole trader or landlord in Surrey with income above these thresholds, MTD for Income Tax will affect you. We are already preparing our clients for this change and can assess your position, recommend suitable software and get you set up ahead of the deadline.
If you receive a letter from HMRC about your self assessment return, whether it is a penalty notice, an enquiry, a request for information or a coding notice you do not understand, contact us as soon as possible. HMRC enquiries have strict deadlines for responding, and ignoring or delaying a response almost always makes things worse. We handle HMRC correspondence on behalf of all our clients, prepare the required responses and, where penalties have been issued, assess whether an appeal is appropriate and manage that process on your behalf. Do not respond to HMRC directly before speaking to us first.
Yes. If your return is overdue, the priority is to file as quickly as possible to stop penalties accumulating. An automatic £100 penalty applies immediately after the 31 January deadline. After three months, daily penalties of £10 per day up to a maximum of £900 are added. After six months, a further 5% of the tax owed or £300 (whichever is higher) applies. We can take over and file your outstanding return quickly, calculate the total liability and penalties, and where the late filing was due to a reasonable excuse, submit a penalty appeal on your behalf. We regularly help clients across Surrey with multiple years of outstanding returns and get them back into compliance with HMRC efficiently and without unnecessary stress.
Get in touch for a no-obligation conversation. We work with clients across Surrey and West London, in person at our Kingston upon Thames office or fully remotely. Fixed fees, all deadlines managed, every allowance checked.