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Accounts and tax, looked after
Your accounts, tax returns and deadlines handled correctly and on time. A fixed fee agreed up front, reminders before anything is due, and clear answers whenever you have a question.
See feesAccountants for individuals and owner-managed businesses
Your numbers. Clearly.
We look after the accounts and tax of sole traders, limited companies and individuals, and help growing businesses plan what comes next. Led by Sarah Penny, chartered management accountant.
ACMA CGMA
Chartered management accountant
MBA
Master of Business Administration
CIMA
Member in Practice
Fixed fees
Agreed before any work starts
How we help
Help that fits where your business is now.
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Support as you grow
For a small number of businesses ready to build something bigger: cash flow planning, regular reviews of the numbers, and a sounding board for the big decisions.
Talk to us about growth
Our approach
Straight answers, from people who know your business.
Every client has a named contact, fixed fees agreed before any work starts, and plain English throughout. No surprises about what happens next or what it will cost.
Meet Sarah PennyThe story behind the numbers
What we look for in your numbers.
How often we report depends on what you want, from a review once a year to regular updates through it. Whatever the rhythm, these are the things we look at, and why they matter.
Cash flow
What we look at
What is coming in and going out over the weeks ahead, not just what is in the bank today. We map the big outgoings, such as tax, VAT, payroll and seasonal bills, against when money is expected to arrive.
Why it matters
Profitable businesses still run into trouble when cash and bills fall at the wrong time. Seeing it coming gives you time to act, rather than react.
Sales and trends
What we look at
How this period compares with last month and last year, and which customers, products or services are driving the change.
Why it matters
Growth from the wrong place can hide a problem, and a quiet month is not always a bad sign. The trend matters more than the single number.
Margin
What we look at
Whether rising costs are being passed on in your prices, and which work earns its keep and which does not.
Why it matters
Busy is not the same as profitable. Small changes in margin often matter more than extra sales.
Money set aside for tax
What we look at
Whether enough is being put aside, as you go, for the tax that will fall due.
Why it matters
A tax bill is far easier to pay when it has been building up all year, rather than arriving as one large sum.
What you are owed
What we look at
Unpaid invoices, how long customers take to pay, and whether one or two customers account for most of what is outstanding.
Why it matters
Money you have earned but not received is still cash you cannot use. Clear terms and timely reminders make a real difference.
Director's loan account
What we look at
Money moving between you and your company that is not salary or dividends, and whether the account is overdrawn.
Why it matters
An overdrawn director’s loan can have tax consequences if it is not dealt with in time, so we keep an eye on it through the year, not just at the end.
Two minutes, seven questions
Where does your business stand?
Each question explains why it matters, so you learn something whether or not you ever speak to us. At the end you get the three things most worth looking at.
Nothing you choose is sent to us or stored. It is general information to help you prepare, not personal advice.
Your result
Worth looking at first
General information based on your answers, not personal advice. Your answers stay in your browser and are not sent to us.
Who leads the practice
Sarah Penny, ACMA CGMA, MBA
Before setting up Battle Financial, I spent my career in senior finance and leadership roles, working with owners, directors and investors. My drive was always to make the numbers clear enough to make sense of and act on, for the small decisions as well as the big ones.
Larger businesses can take that for granted. Running your own business is different. There’s nobody down the corridor to ask, and the consequences of a decision, tax included, can arrive months after you’ve made it and land hard. I set up Battle Financial to be the person you can ask, and to take the surprises out of running a business.
We can meet face to face, monthly or quarterly, whatever suits you. You’ll always know where you stand with tax, and if you tell me what you’re planning before you do it, I’ll help you find the right way and the right time. You care about your business, and so do I. I’ll tell you what I think, and I’ll celebrate with you when it goes well.
I’m based in Battle, East Sussex, and work in person across the area and online with clients further afield. I’m a chartered management accountant and CIMA Member in Practice, with an MBA in strategy. I’m straightforward, I don’t use jargon, and I’m happy to talk about the business, or about life, when that’s what’s needed.
If you’d like to talk, book a call, send me a WhatsApp message or drop me an email.
How it works
What happens after you get in touch.
Four steps, in this order, every time.
* Typical times. During January and other peak periods they can be longer, and we will tell you if so.
01
Introductory call
30 minutes · free
We talk through your situation and what you need. You will know by the end whether we are a good fit.
02
Proposal and engagement letter
Within 2 working days*
A fixed fee, exactly what is included and what is not, set out in writing before any work starts.
03
Identity checks and set-up
Depends on your situation
Anti-money laundering rules require us to verify identity before we act for you. Every client's records and history are different, so if you are moving from another accountant we contact them for what we need, then agree a realistic timescale with you.
04
Ongoing support
We aim to reply within one working day*
Deadlines tracked for you, reminders sent in good time, and a named contact who knows your business.
Fees and support
A partner through the year.
We take the time to understand you and what you want from your money or your business, then work alongside you all year. Your fee is fixed and reflects the support you choose.
Individuals
Personal tax and Self Assessment
Self Assessment from £595
How we can help
- Self Assessment tax returns
- Capital gains tax
- Property and rental income
- Pension contributions, tax relief and income in retirement
- Accountant’s references for a mortgage or tenancy
- Other personal tax questions
- Dealing with HMRC on your behalf
Sole traders
Accounts, tax and Making Tax Digital
From £125 a month
How we can help
- Year-end accounts and Self Assessment
- Making Tax Digital quarterly updates
- Getting set up: HMRC registration and digital records
- Bookkeeping
- VAT returns
- CIS
- Tax planning through the year
- Accountant’s references for a mortgage or tenancy
- Advice on when a limited company makes sense
Limited companies
Accounts, tax and support for your company
From £295 a month
How we can help
- Year-end accounts and corporation tax
- Director salary, dividends and tax planning
- Payroll for directors and staff
- Bookkeeping
- VAT returns
- CIS
- Invoicing, credit control and paying suppliers
- Management accounts and regular reviews
- Cash flow forecasting and planning
- Directors’ Self Assessment and P11Ds
Fixed fees, agreed before we start. The figures above are starting points; your fee depends on the scope we agree.
Beyond the fixed fees
Finance director services
For owner-managed businesses that need more than year-end accounts, but not a full-time finance director. We work with you on the numbers behind your decisions, and the decisions stay yours.
By proposal
Start with a callOngoing support
Monthly or quarterly
- Management accounts and key measures, with commentary on what has changed
- Rolling forecasts and cash flow planning
- Regular review meetings with you
- A second view on major decisions, such as pricing, hiring and investment
- A finance view at your management or board meetings
- Guiding and developing your finance team
Projects
A defined piece of work with a clear end point
- Building a budget and forecast
- Preparing a funding application
- Reviewing pricing and margins
- Improving finance processes and systems
- Training your team to understand and use the numbers
Short-term cover
For a set period, for an agreed number of days a week
- When your finance lead is absent
- When you are between appointments
Working together
Are we the right fit?
A good fit if you
- want your accounts and tax done properly, with clear answers when you have a question
- want a named contact who knows your business, rather than a different person each year
- are catching up, changing structure or growing, and want a clear plan
Probably not the right fit if you
- need a statutory audit
- are looking for the lowest-cost, filing-only service
- need regulated financial advice on investments or pensions
Guides
Plain-English guides.
Complete answers, each one written and reviewed by Sarah, with its sources linked.
Paying yourself as a company directorSole trader or limited company?All guidesTax and finance updates
What has changed, and who needs to act.
Changes to tax and the rules that affect owner-managed businesses, newest first.
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: who needs to act nextAll updatesNext step
Your free introductory call.
How long: 30 minutes, by video or phone.
Cost: free, with no obligation.
Useful to have ready: your last set of accounts or tax return, if you have them, and a rough idea of what you want help with.
Afterwards: if we are a good fit, a written proposal follows within 2 working days. If we are not, we will say so and, where we can, suggest where to look instead.
No account or sign-in is needed.
Or get in touch directly
Questions people ask
I'm behind with HMRC. Can you still help?
Yes. The first step is to find out exactly what is outstanding and in what order to deal with it. We will set that out plainly before anything else.
Is there a catch with the free call?
No. It is how we both find out whether we are a good fit.
How quickly will you reply?
We aim to reply within one working day. During January and other peak periods it can take a little longer, and we will tell you if so.
Do I need an accountant at all?
Not always. If your affairs are simple, you may be able to manage them yourself. [Link to guide once written]
Will I always deal with the same person?
Yes. You have a named contact who knows your business and stays with you, rather than whoever happens to be free.