• Posted March 11, 2020

What is the Difference Between Bookkeeping and Accounting? Can a Bookkeeper Prepare Accounts?

Quite regularly we’re asked what is the difference between bookkeeping and accounting? In this blog post, Sarah Greenwood, Whitesides Accountant and Chartered Tax Advisor explains the key differences. Accounting and bookkeeping are terms that are often used interchangeably, but what really is the difference?   Bookkeeping is the process of collating and recording all the […]


  • Posted March 6, 2020

Do I Need Payroll for my Business?

Whitesides Accountant & Tax Advisor Sarah Greenwood answers “Do I need payroll for my business?” It depends on what you’re doing. Self Employed If you’re a self-employed individual then you probably don’t need to set up a payroll to pay yourself, unless you are employing any staff. Limited Company If you’re a limited company then […]


  • Posted March 4, 2020

Bookkeeping Software – What is the best for your business?

There are so many online bookkeeping software packages available at the moment it can be difficult to decide which one is best for your business. I have outlined below the 4 main software’s available and the businesses we feel they are most suited to. Xero Xero was developed in New Zealand before being launched in […]


  • Posted February 24, 2020

Small Business Grants – What is available for my business?

There are hundreds of small business grants and start-up grants available, whether you are eligible for grants will depend on several factors: Your industry Your location The size of your business The age of your business Whether you supply businesses or consumers Whether you have benefited from other grants   Granting organisations include universities, local […]


  • Posted February 21, 2020

Paying back your student loan whilst being self employed

 Sean Rushton, Whitesides Accountant looks into how to pay back your student loan whilst being self-employed You pay your student loan via your self-assessment tax return. If you have an accountant doing this for you then they will do all the calculations and they’ll tell you how much you need to pay over. Alternatively, […]


  • Posted February 19, 2020

Accounting apps for the construction industry – Whitesides top five

Accounting Apps aren’t just for accountants, they can simplify your life, take the stress out of paperwork and make everything just run more smoothly.  In this blog Leo (our bookkeeping manager) considers his top 5 accounting apps for the Construction Industry. Tradify Top of the list comes Tradify.  Tradify provides a complete job management solution […]


  • Posted February 14, 2020

The benefits of being VAT registered

 Joanne Whiteside, explores the benefits of being VAT registered The VAT registration threshold is currently 85,000 pounds, so if your turn over goes over that in the previous 12 months, looking at the 12 months up to the end of the previous month, not what your accounts might say for the previous year, you […]


  • Posted February 12, 2020

Preparing for retirement as a business owner

Preparing for retirement should be something you look forward to, but it can also be tinged with sadness, your role as a business owner will change as you start to take a step back from the business you have owned and run for many years. As a business owner retirement is something you need to […]


  • Posted February 12, 2020

DIY self-assessment tax return – Top tips from Whitesides

As the 31 January has just passed I thought I would set out some of my top tips for completing a DIY self-assessment tax return, to help you get fully prepared for the next year. Don’t Be Late Leaving it to the last minute is never a good idea, last year over 700,000 tax returns […]


  • Posted February 7, 2020

Claiming expenses on a garden office

Sean Rushton, Whitesides Accountant sheds (no pun intended) some light on claiming expenses on a garden office. If you’ve constructed a garden office for work you can claim the costs of the construction as capital allowances. However, if you’ve claimed capital allowances on it you may not be able to claim full principal private residence […]