Chartered Accountants in Shoreditch
Chartered Certified Accountants for Shoreditch’s agencies, studios, start-ups and hospitality businesses.
Shoreditch businesses tend to be very good at the thing they do and comprehensively uninterested in the admin around it. That is a reasonable position to take, right up to the point where a growing agency has an unpaid corporation tax bill, three freelancers who should probably have been on payroll, and a bookkeeping file nobody has opened since March.
MSCO is a firm of Chartered Certified Accountants covering Shoreditch, Hoxton and the Old Street area from our office on Mile End Road. We work with creative agencies, technology start-ups, independent hospitality and freelancers on accounts, corporation tax, VAT, payroll and bookkeeping, on fixed fees agreed in advance.
- Chartered Certified Accountants
- Providing a first-class service since 2007
- Fixed fees agreed in advance
- Free initial consultation
What we do
Accountancy services for Shoreditch 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 Shoreditch:
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
Shoreditch businesses we work with
The mix here is distinctive. Design, branding, film and digital agencies with lumpy project income and a mix of employed and freelance staff. Early-stage technology companies, some funded, some bootstrapped, several with genuine research and development spend they have never thought to claim for. Bars, restaurants and coffee shops around Brick Lane, Redchurch Street and Shoreditch High Street, where staff costs and VAT are the whole game. And a large population of individual creatives — photographers, developers, consultants — running sole trades or one-person companies.
- Creative, design and digital agencies across EC2 and E1
- Technology start-ups, including those with R&D expenditure worth reviewing
- Bars, restaurants and coffee shops around Brick Lane and Shoreditch High Street
- Photographers, developers, writers and other freelance creatives
- Independent retailers and studio businesses
- Founders navigating investment, share issues and EMI options
Why MSCO
Why Shoreditch clients choose MSCO
We are not going to pretend to be a Shoreditch firm with a neon sign. We are a long-established chartered practice fifteen minutes away that is very good at the unglamorous part — keeping your filings clean, your VAT right, your payroll compliant and your tax bill no larger than it needs to be — for a fee you agree before we start.
- 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
Two things come up again and again with Shoreditch clients. The first is freelancer status: agencies that use the same three contractors every week are taking on more employment risk than they realise, and it is much cheaper to structure that properly now. The second is research and development relief. Plenty of small technology companies here are doing qualifying work and never claim, and plenty of others have been talked into claims that would not survive an enquiry. We will tell you honestly which side of that line you are on.
Local proof
The work we do in Shoreditch
Two situations that come up repeatedly here, and how they are usually dealt with:
Agencies using the same freelancers every week
The exposure we flag most in EC2 is engagement status. Where the same contractor works largely for you, to your direction, over a long period, HMRC may argue the relationship is really employment — and the PAYE and National Insurance bill lands on the agency, not the freelancer. Tightening contracts and working practices now costs a fraction of settling it later.
Technology companies and R&D relief
The other regular conversation is research and development relief. Plenty of small technology companies here are doing qualifying work and never claim; plenty of others have been talked into claims that would not survive an enquiry. HMRC has tightened its approach considerably, so we would rather tell you a claim is weak than hand you a problem with interest attached.
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 Shoreditch 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 Shoreditch – frequently asked questions
Can you help with R&D tax relief?
We will review whether your work genuinely qualifies and support a claim where it does. We are deliberately conservative about this. HMRC has tightened enquiries considerably and an aggressive claim can cost far more than it ever returned, so we would rather tell you no than hand you a problem.
Our agency uses a lot of freelancers. Is that a risk?
It can be. Where the same person works largely for you, to your direction, over a long period, HMRC may argue the relationship is really employment — and the PAYE and NIC bill lands on you, not them. We review how you actually engage people and help you tighten contracts and working practices before it becomes an assessment.
We are pre-revenue but have investors. Do we still need accounts?
Yes. Companies House and HMRC do not care whether you have made a sale. You will still need annual accounts, a confirmation statement and a corporation tax return, and investors will expect clean records. We keep it proportionate and inexpensive at that stage.
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 Shoreditch
Shoreditch to our office is a straight run down through Bethnal Green — about fifteen minutes. Most agency and start-up clients work with us over video and shared folders, which suits everyone.
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