Chartered Accountants in Stratford
Chartered Certified Accountants for Stratford’s small businesses, start-ups and contractors, minutes away on the Central line.
Stratford has changed faster than almost anywhere in London, and the business base changed with it. Alongside the long-established traders on Stratford High Street and around the Broadway there is now an entire economy built around Westfield, the Olympic Park, Here East and the offices at International Quarter London. That means a lot of new companies, a lot of first-time directors, and a lot of people finding out about corporation tax deadlines slightly too late.
MSCO is a firm of Chartered Certified Accountants working across E15 and E20. We do year-end accounts, corporation tax, self assessment, VAT, payroll and bookkeeping, on fixed fees agreed before we start, with a free first consultation.
- Chartered Certified Accountants
- Providing a first-class service since 2007
- Fixed fees agreed in advance
- Free initial consultation
What we do
Accountancy services for Stratford 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 Stratford:
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.
Local services
Stratford services in more detail
Already know what you need? These pages go into more depth on individual services for Stratford:
Who we help
Stratford businesses we work with
Retail and hospitality dominate the visible economy here, and both are hard businesses to run profitably without decent numbers — wage costs, till reconciliation and VAT eat margin quietly. Behind that there is a steady stream of small service companies supplying the bigger employers: cleaning, security, logistics, events, recruitment and maintenance. And around Here East there is a genuine cluster of technology and creative companies, several of which came to us as two founders and an idea and now run a real payroll.
- Retail and food businesses in and around Westfield Stratford City and the Broadway
- Start-ups and early-stage tech companies around Here East and the Olympic Park
- Cleaning, security, logistics and facilities firms supplying larger sites
- Recruitment and events companies operating across east London
- Contractors and freelancers working out of E15 and E20
- Landlords letting in Stratford, Maryland and Leyton
Why MSCO
Why Stratford clients choose MSCO
A lot of Stratford businesses are young, which means the accountant’s job is as much about warning as about filing — VAT registration thresholds, PAYE from the first employee, the difference between a director’s loan and taking money out. We tell you that before it becomes an assessment, for a fixed fee, and we are close enough to actually meet.
- 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
The other thing we see constantly in E15 is growth outrunning the bookkeeping. A business does well for eighteen months, crosses the VAT threshold without noticing, takes on staff without setting up PAYE properly, and then has to unpick it all with penalties attached. That is entirely avoidable with a quarterly check-in and a bookkeeping system that is actually used. We would rather set that up at the start than clean it up later, and it costs you less either way.
Local proof
The work we do in Stratford
Two situations that come up repeatedly here, and how they are usually dealt with:
Businesses growing past the VAT threshold
The pattern we see repeatedly in E15 is growth outrunning the bookkeeping. A business does well for eighteen months, crosses the VAT registration threshold on the rolling twelve month test without noticing, takes on staff without setting up PAYE properly, and then unpicks it all with penalties attached. A quarterly check-in and a bookkeeping system that is actually used prevents the whole sequence.
Service companies supplying the larger sites
The second common job is a cleaning, security, events or logistics company built around rotas rather than salaries. Variable hours, high turnover and mid-period starters and leavers make the payroll harder than the headcount suggests, and National Minimum Wage has to be checked against hours actually worked rather than the rate written on the contract.
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 Stratford 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 Stratford – frequently asked questions
I have just started a company in Stratford. What do I actually have to file?
A confirmation statement and annual accounts at Companies House, a corporation tax return with HMRC, your own self assessment as a director if you take dividends, plus VAT and PAYE if you are registered. We map all of it against your specific dates at the first meeting so you know what is coming and when.
When do I have to register for VAT?
Once your taxable turnover over any rolling twelve months passes the registration threshold, or if you expect to pass it within the next thirty days. The rolling part catches people out — it is not your accounting year. For a busy Stratford retail or food business that can arrive much sooner than expected, so we monitor it for you.
Can you take on the payroll for a small Stratford team?
Yes. We run RTI payroll for teams from one person upwards, including pensions auto-enrolment, payslips, starters and leavers, and year-end P60s. It is a fixed monthly fee based on headcount so you can budget for it.
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 Stratford
Stratford to our office on Mile End Road is a few minutes on the Central line to Mile End. Easy enough to come in on a lunch break, though plenty of Stratford clients never need to.
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