Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors.

RP Smith & Co - Accountants in Lancashire

Welcome to RP Smith & Co, Chartered Accountants. From our base in Lancashire, we provide a personalised service to business owners and individuals throughout the North West. For help with any of your accountancy and tax needs, please give us a call. We do not normally charge for initial consultations.

Would you like...

Fixed competitive fees;Unlimited phone support;Work on time, every time;All work 100% guaranteed;To make more profit;To pay less tax;Someone to sort all your paperwork;An accountant who speaks plain English.

We work closely with our clients and act for a broad range of business and personal clients.

Apart from the more general accountancy services we can also assist you with business development and specialist tax services.

Our philosophy is always to do our utmost to...

Provide friendly, courteous and efficient service;
Always exceed your expectations;
Listen to what YOU are saying;
Communicate with you quickly and fully;
Never surprise you with bills you're not expecting;
Be honest, truthful and upfront with you at all times;
Aim for you to pay the least amount of tax payable within the law;
Provide pro-active business advice wherever possible.
You can receive a very broad range of services and we are familiar with business clients from startups to larger companies covering many sectors including...

Manufacturing;
Professional services;
Retail;
Agriculture;
Doctors and medical practices;
Construction;
Property rental and development;
Transport;
Information Technology;
Solicitors;
Service businesses.

Charities

Charities and not-for-profit organisations form a significant part of our practice. We act for professional Institutions and associations, religious bodies, grant making trusts and foundations, welfare charities, educational organisations, healthcare charities, youth associations and arts organisations.

Members of our team are dedicated specialists with many years experience together with a strong understanding of the legal and accounting framework within which charities operate. R P Smith & Co can help trustees of charities to comply with the requirements of Statement of Recommended Practice "Accounting and Reporting by Charities" (SORP 2005) in a way which is most suitable to their individual circumstances.

We appreciate that only in time can we gain your trust, so that you know when we say we can and will do something, we do it.

We hope to get that opportunity.

Annual Accounts Preparation

We can...

Prepare accounts to help in completion of self-assessment tax returns;
Produce financial statements to file at Companies House and abbreviated accounts to ensure the minimum amount of your financial information is made public.
Accounts are prepared to agreed timescales and deadlines.

But we can do more than just report the history of what's already happened...

Identify areas where we can assist in minimising your tax liability;
Identify areas of the business that give you the most opportunity to make improvements;
Use the accounts to help you measure where you are in meeting your goals and what actions you need to take.
We take the time to explain your accounts to you so that you understand what is going on financially within your business, helping you to plan for the future.

Audit

The main reasons why you will be required by law to have a statutory audit are...

Your turnover exceeds £6.5 million or your gross assets exceed £3.26 million or the company is part of a group that exceeds those limits;
You are a PLC or a banking, insurance or finance company (or a subsidiary of one of these);
You are required by your professional or trade organisation to have your accounts audited;
Your shareholders do not agree to opting out of the audit.
We can advise you if you need an audit and if not, you can save on accountancy fees!

However, we aim to deliver hassle free audits and there are good reasons for having an audit even if you are not required by law to have one...

An audit involves a detailed review of the company's accounting systems and systems of control and also requires a detailed understanding of the company's business. Such a review and knowledge can provide increased opportunities to provide proactive business advice on many matters;
An unqualified audit report can improve the status of the accounts in the eyes of banks and commercial lenders, the Taxman and suppliers who may be seeking credit references, etc;
A history of accounts with clean audit reports can also be a factor if you ever wish to sell the company or, perhaps, take it to the market;
The possibility of fraud can be reduced and an audit can act as a deterrent to any potential fraudster.

Book-keeping

Let us take the stress of paperwork off your hands...

Drop off your invoices, bank statements, etc;
We do all the processing;
We can then easily prepare for you...
Management Accounts;
VAT Returns;
Key Performance Indicators;
End of Year Accounts;
Estimated Tax Liabilities as you go along so there's no end of year surprises;
You pick up the records (neatly filed and organised!) and all the information we've agreed to provide you with.
It also makes it easy for us to handle any VAT inspections.

Company Secretarial

We can help you fulfill this role and offer the following services...

Registered office facilities;
Maintenance of statutory registers;
Submission of statutory documents;
Giving notice of General Meetings;
Drafting agendas for company meetings;
Preparing Minutes of Meetings;
Completion of share transfer forms;
Preparation of share certificates;
Carrying out company searches;
Filing of Annual Return;
Acting as Company Secretary;
General Company Law advice;
Advice on protection of minority interests.

Management Accounts and Information

Up to date, relevant and quickly produced management information allows you to make the right decisions.

Our management accounts and information services include...

Monthly or quarterly management accounts;
Reporting of key performance indicators that are the underlying drivers that run your business;
Help with in house systems for you to produce your own information;
Training on how to get the most out of your information;
Supplying management information to lenders;
Branch/Divisional results;
Actual performance compared to budget and/or comparative periods;
Costing information, including break-even turnover levels.