Chartered Accountants in Hackney
Chartered Certified Accountants for Hackney’s independent businesses, agencies and hospitality operators.
Hackney has one of the highest concentrations of small independent business anywhere in London, and one of the highest failure rates to go with it. The businesses that last are rarely the ones with the best idea — they are the ones that knew their numbers, priced properly and did not get ambushed by a VAT bill in year two.
MSCO is a firm of Chartered Certified Accountants covering Hackney from our office on Mile End Road. We handle accounts, corporation tax, self assessment, VAT, payroll and bookkeeping for E5, E8 and E9 businesses, on fixed fees with a free first meeting.
- Chartered Certified Accountants
- Providing a first-class service since 2007
- Fixed fees agreed in advance
- Free initial consultation
What we do
Accountancy services for Hackney businesses and individuals
Whatever stage you are at, we cover the full range of compliance and advisory work from our office a short journey from Hackney:
Year-end accounts
Statutory accounts prepared and filed at Companies House, with the numbers explained in plain English.
Bookkeeping
Cloud bookkeeping on Xero, QuickBooks or Sage so your figures are current, not six months old.
Payroll
RTI payroll, pensions auto-enrolment, payslips and P60s handled every pay run.
VAT returns
Registration, scheme selection and Making Tax Digital compliant quarterly filing.
Tax returns & self assessment
Personal and business tax returns prepared, checked for reliefs and filed before the deadline.
Business start-ups
Company formation, HMRC registrations and the structure decisions that are hard to unwind later.
Sole traders
Straightforward accounts and tax for self-employed people, including CIS subcontractors.
Compliance
Confirmation statements, Companies House filings and HMRC correspondence kept on schedule.
Who we help
Hackney businesses we work with
Hospitality and independent retail run through everything here, from Broadway Market and London Fields to Mare Street and Chatsworth Road. Those are high-turnover, thin-margin businesses where payroll and VAT are the two things that decide whether the year worked. Alongside them sit the creative studios and agencies around Hackney Downs and Hackney Wick, and an unusually large population of sole traders — therapists, tutors, photographers, trainers — who need straightforward tax returns done properly and nothing more elaborate.
- Cafes, bars, restaurants and food traders across E5, E8 and E9
- Independent retailers on Broadway Market, Chatsworth Road and Mare Street
- Creative studios, agencies and production companies
- Therapists, tutors, trainers and other self-employed professionals
- Landlords and property investors letting across Hackney
- Community interest companies and small charities
Why MSCO
Why Hackney clients choose MSCO
What most Hackney clients want is an accountant who tells them the number they will owe with enough notice to do something about it. We do quarterly check-ins rather than one annual surprise, on a fixed fee, with a named person who knows your business rather than whoever picks up.
- Chartered Certified Accountants, providing a first-class service since 2007
- Free initial consultation with no obligation and no sales pressure
- Fixed fees agreed in advance, so there is never a surprise invoice
- A named accountant who answers the phone, not a ticket queue
- We handle the switch from your current accountant, including the professional clearance letter
- Xero, QuickBooks and Sage certified, with in-person or video meetings as you prefer
Local expertise
Local knowledge, not a call centre
For hospitality in particular, the two levers worth pulling are VAT scheme and staff costs. Flat rate can look attractive and is often wrong for a food business buying zero-rated stock. Tips and service charge have their own National Insurance treatment depending on how they are distributed. And with employer National Insurance and wage floors both rising, the difference between a rota that works and one that quietly loses money is smaller than it used to be. Those are worth modelling before the year, not after it.
Local proof
The work we do in Hackney
Two situations that come up repeatedly here, and how they are usually dealt with:
Cafes, bars and restaurants
For hospitality in E8 and E9 two levers decide the year: VAT scheme and staff cost. The flat rate scheme looks attractive and is usually wrong for a food business buying zero-rated stock. Tips and service charge have their own National Insurance treatment depending on how they are distributed, and the rules on fair distribution to staff have changed — so an arrangement set up a few years ago may no longer be compliant.
Sole traders who only need a return
Hackney has an unusually large population of therapists, tutors, photographers and trainers who need one thing done properly once a year. We will do exactly that on a fixed fee, without pushing a monthly package nobody needs, and add to it when the business gives a reason to.
Our credentials
Who prepares your accounts
MSCO Accountants has provided a first-class accountancy service since 2007. The practice is led by Moshin Miah, LLB(Hons), FCA, FCCA, a Chartered Accountant listed with the ICAEW and a Fellow of both the ICAEW and ACCA, admitted in 2011 and holding a current practising certificate. Work is carried out in accordance with applicable UK tax, Companies House and professional accountancy requirements.
- London clients500+
- Small businesses150+
- Sole traders100+
- Start-ups75+
- Payroll clients50+
- Trading since2007
What clients say
Client feedback
Very professional and friendly team. They have helped me in a lot of ways and now I feel like my business is in safe hands now. I wouldn’t go anywhere else.
Sam
Before meeting MSCO, taxes were a headache for me. This company has helped me a lot in all kind of taxes without any kind stress — really appreciate them.
Kamran
Find us
Our East London office
We work with Hackney clients from our office at Suda House, 100 Mile End Road, London E1 4UN — a few minutes from Stepney Green and Mile End Underground stations, on the A11. Street and paid parking is available nearby. Appointments are recommended, and full directions, parking and transport detail are on our directions page.
Common questions
Accountants in Hackney – frequently asked questions
We run a cafe. Which VAT scheme should we be on?
It depends on the split between hot and cold food, eat-in and takeaway, and how much of your purchasing is zero rated. The flat rate scheme suits businesses with few costs, which most food businesses are not. We compare the schemes on your actual figures before recommending one.
How should tips and service charges be handled?
It depends how they are collected and distributed. Amounts paid through the payroll are subject to tax and National Insurance in the normal way, while a properly independent troncmaster arrangement can change the National Insurance position. The rules also now require fair distribution to staff, so it is worth reviewing your arrangement rather than assuming it is still compliant.
I am a sole trader and only need a tax return. Will you take me on?
Yes, and without pushing you into a monthly package. A fixed fee, a return prepared and checked for reliefs, and filed on time. If the business grows into something that needs more, we can add to it then.
How much do your accountancy services cost?
Fees depend on the size of the business and how much work is involved, so we quote after a short conversation rather than publishing a one-size-fits-all price. What we can promise is that the fee is fixed and agreed in writing before we start. Most sole traders and small limited companies find our pricing sits comfortably against comparable London firms.
How do I switch from my current accountant?
It is easier than most people expect and takes about ten minutes of your time. You tell your existing accountant you are moving, we write to them for professional clearance and your records, and we handle the handover of your HMRC and Companies House authorisations. You can switch at any point in the year, not just at your year end.
Do I have to come into your office?
No. Plenty of our clients we meet in person, and plenty we have never met at a desk at all — documents come in by email or cloud folder and we talk by phone or video. Both work equally well. If you would rather sit down together, our office on Mile End Road is easy to reach and parking nearby is manageable outside peak hours.
Get in touch
Talk to an accountant near Hackney
Hackney is fifteen to twenty minutes from Mile End Road by bus or Overground via Whitechapel. Most Hackney clients work with us by email and video, with occasional meetings in person.
Visit usMSCO Chartered Accountants
Suda House, 100 Mile End Road, London E1 4UN
Call us020 7790 0793
07958 943459
Email usinfo@mscoaccountants.co.uk
Nearby areas