How can we help?

We give owner-managed UK businesses a full outsourced finance function, at the level you need. That runs from Finance Foundations (bookkeeping, payroll, VAT, year-end and Corporation Tax), through Finance Operations (monthly management accounts, cash flow and KPI reporting, cleaner processes), to Fractional CFO support (forecasting, cash and the bigger decisions), plus specialist tax and equity work such as R&D, SEIS/EIS and EMI.

Established, owner-managed UK businesses, roughly £1m to £15m turnover, that run on their numbers. Some want the finance basics handled properly. Others want stronger reporting and a clear view of cash and margins, or senior finance input without a full-time hire.

A traditional accountant mostly looks backwards: year-end accounts and tax returns, filed after the fact. We run the finance function forwards as well: accurate records, monthly reporting you can act on, a clear view of cash, and senior input on the decisions that move the business. You get a team, not a single point of contact once a year.

Often, yes. We provide an outsourced finance function scoped to your needs: finance admin, bookkeeping, payroll, VAT, payment runs, credit control, management accounts and CFO-level input. You get a whole team for less than the loaded cost of one hire, with no recruitment or employment risk. Many owners use us instead of a first finance hire, or alongside a bookkeeper who has been outgrown.

Yes. Clean, accurate bookkeeping is the starting point for everything else. From there you can add reporting, cash visibility and planning whenever you need it. There is no obligation to take a larger package.

It can be, if all you want is compliance. But year-end only tells you what already happened. Most owner-managed businesses reach a point where they want to see cash and margins through the year, not just in the rear-view mirror. When that happens, Finance Operations is the usual next step.

We are not just a year-end compliance service. We build the right level of finance support around where your business is now, from the day-to-day basics through to senior finance input, and we scope it to you rather than sell a fixed box.

Your work is delivered by a team of qualified accountants. The technical and tax work (year-end and Corporation Tax, Self Assessment, R&D, SEIS/EIS) is done by these qualified accountants. AI Accounts was founded and is led by Anna Stafford, who brings around 20 years of finance experience and oversees the team. We are supervised by HMRC for anti-money-laundering purposes and registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for data protection.

You get named people who know your business. Anna is your main point of contact, with a dedicated finance team on the day-to-day. When something looks off, or you just have a question, it goes to someone who already understands your accounts, not an anonymous queue.

Yes. We are registered with the ICO for data protection and handle your information in line with UK GDPR. Your data sits in secure, reputable cloud systems such as Xero and Microsoft 365, access is limited to the people who need it, and we keep records only as long as required. Our Privacy Policy sets out exactly how we handle your information.

You own everything. Your finances sit in your own Xero subscription, in your name, not inside software only we can access. If you ever leave, your data and software stay with you, with nothing to untangle.

No. We work with owner-managed limited companies only, where a proper finance function makes the biggest difference. If you are a sole trader thinking about incorporating, we can advise on whether it makes sense for you. If we are not the right fit, we will say so.

Finance Foundations is the basics done properly: bookkeeping, payroll, VAT, year-end and Corporation Tax. Finance Operations adds a real finance function: monthly management accounts, cash flow and KPI reporting, cleaner processes and regular reviews. Fractional CFO adds senior input on growth, cash, hiring, drawings, tax and building value. Most businesses start where they are and move up as they grow.

It depends on your size, your team, your reporting needs and what finance support you already have. If you are not sure, take the two-minute quiz on the pricing page, or book an intro call and we will point you to the right level.

Yes. Every tier is a fixed monthly fee, scoped to your business. Foundations from £450, Operations from £1,500 and Fractional CFO from £3,000, all + VAT. See the pricing page for detail.

Yes. The pricing page shows the full ladder and what each tier includes, so you can get a view before speaking to us.

It is a short call to understand your business, your current setup and where finance is starting to feel harder than it should. From there we point you to the right level of support and follow up with a clear proposal.

Yes. We work with owner-managed businesses across the UK, delivered through cloud systems such as Xero and Microsoft 365, so you get the same support wherever you are based.

We are based at 124 City Road, London EC1V 2NX, and work with owner-managed businesses across the UK. Most support is delivered remotely, so you get the same finance foundations, finance operations and fractional CFO support wherever you are.

There is no minimum term. We do not tie you into a long contract, and ask only for 30 days’ notice if you ever move on. We would rather earn your business each month than rely on a lock-in.

We handle most of it. Once you have told your current accountant you are leaving, we write for professional clearance and request the records we need, put the right HMRC authorisations in place, and set you up on Xero so everything sits in one place. We agree a clear handover point so nothing slips, and keep disruption to a minimum. Moving from Xero is free; from other software it starts at £100 + VAT.

No. Compliance is part of it, but we also help you improve reporting, tighten processes, see your cash and margins, and make better decisions as you grow.

We use AI and automation to speed up routine work and improve accuracy, but qualified accountants own and review everything that matters. AI supports the team, it does not replace the judgement behind your numbers. See how we use AI.

Usually as soon as you incorporate, to keep records clean and stay compliant. As you grow, the need shifts from compliance to reporting, cash flow and the decisions that come with a bigger business.

Book an intro call, or take the two-minute quiz on the pricing page first if you want a clearer idea of which level of support suits you.

Yes. Established, profitable software businesses are a core sector. We track recurring revenue such as MRR and ARR alongside the standard management pack, and handle R&D tax and SEIS/EIS where it is relevant.

Yes. We support ecommerce brands with the bookkeeping, VAT, inventory and margin visibility that online retail needs, plus cash flow forecasting as you grow.

Yes. We work with digital and creative agencies on project profitability, payroll, cash flow and the reporting needed to run a people-heavy business.

Yes. Recruitment is one of our specialist sectors, where contractor payroll, cash flow timing and strong management reporting matter most.

Yes. We work with owner-managed professional services firms and consultancies on utilisation, cash flow, drawings and tax, and the reporting that keeps a partner-led business on plan.

Finance Foundations covers the day-to-day essentials: bookkeeping, payroll, management accounts, VAT, year-end accounts and Corporation Tax, Self Assessment, and Xero setup and support. If you are just getting started, we can also handle your company formation.

We run on Xero. It is the platform we know best and build our processes around. If you are not on Xero yet, we set it up as part of onboarding. If you use something else, mention it on your intro call and we will talk you through how we can work with your setup.

Xero keeps your records in one place, but it does not make the judgement calls. You still need someone to reconcile, file accurately, plan tax and turn the data into decisions. We run on Xero and do exactly that.

A bookkeeper records day-to-day transactions; an accountant interprets them, files your statutory accounts and tax, and advises on decisions. We provide both, plus finance operations and CFO support as you grow.

Once your taxable turnover passes the £90,000 threshold in any rolling 12-month period, and you can register voluntarily before that. We handle VAT registration from £150 + VAT and ongoing returns.

Finance Foundations starts from £450 + VAT a month and covers bookkeeping, payroll, VAT, year-end and Corporation Tax. Pricing is fixed monthly and scoped to your size and transaction volume. See the pricing page for more.

We offer company formation from £150 + VAT, and can set up your finance basics at the same time so you start on the right footing.

Most owner-directors use a mix of a modest salary and dividends to be tax-efficient, but the right split depends on your profits and circumstances. Try the salary versus dividends calculator, then we can tailor it to you.

Finance Operations is the layer between basic bookkeeping and a CFO. You get monthly management accounts with commentary, cash flow and KPI reporting, stronger processes and regular review meetings. It matters because you cannot make good decisions on top of messy operational finance. It is our core service, and where most owners get the biggest gain in visibility.

Stronger reporting, controls and systems: clearer monthly management reporting, cash flow and KPI reporting, better finance processes and systems, and regular finance reviews, alongside specialist support such as R&D and SEIS/EIS where you need it.

Profit and cash are not the same thing. Profit is sales minus costs on paper; cash is what is actually in the bank after timing, tax, stock, debtors and drawings. A profitable business can still be short of cash if customers pay slowly, stock ties money up, or VAT and Corporation Tax fall due together. Finance Operations gives you the cash flow reporting to see it coming.

Profit is a measure of performance over a period. Cash flow is the actual movement of money in and out. You can be profitable and still run out of cash, and loss-making but cash-rich for a while. Owners who only watch profit get caught out by cash; we report both so you can see what you can actually afford.

That is a cash and margin question as much as a profit one. We model the all-in cost of a hire (salary, employer NI, pension, and the ramp before they add value) against your forecast cash, so you can see the impact on runway and margins before you commit. This is exactly what Finance Operations and Fractional CFO support are built for.

Runway is how many months your cash lasts at your current net burn. Take your cash balance and divide by your average monthly net outflow. For a real answer, model expected money in and out forward rather than assuming burn stays flat, and update it monthly.

Monthly, ideally within two weeks of month-end. Less often and you are flying blind on cash and performance. Monthly accounts also make every other decision easier, because the numbers are already there.

When your monthly accounts feed straight into cash flow planning, your actual numbers drive the forecast rather than sitting in a separate spreadsheet. Finance Operations includes cash flow reporting; Fractional CFO support adds dedicated cash flow and scenario planning.

The ones that connect performance to cash: gross margin, cash and net burn, and the drivers specific to your model (for subscription businesses, MRR and ARR). We tailor the dashboard to your business rather than use a generic template.

Management accounts are internal, produced monthly to help you run the business, timely over perfect. Statutory accounts are the formal year-end filing for Companies House and HMRC. You make decisions on management accounts; you comply with statutory ones.

It compares your actual results to budget or forecast and explains the gaps, turning “we missed plan” into “here is why, and what we will do.” We build this into monthly reporting, so every month comes with commentary, not just numbers.

Yes. That is often the first sign a business needs stronger finance support. We help you improve reporting quality, visibility and consistency, and get it back on a reliable monthly cadence.

Yes. Many owners reach a point where too much finance admin or decision-making still sits with them. We build the right level of support so that pressure does not stay on you longer than it should.

Yes. If you already have internal finance support we work alongside them, adding reporting, cash planning and senior input on top of what your team already does.

Senior finance input on the decisions that build value, without a full-time hire: forecasting and scenario planning, cash flow, hiring and spending calls backed by the numbers, profit extraction and tax planning (salary versus dividends), and building toward a more valuable, sellable business. Board and investor reporting is available where needed, but it is not the headline.

If your questions are about compliance and bookkeeping, Finance Foundations or Operations is probably enough. If you are making bigger calls on hiring, spending, drawings and growth, and want senior finance input to pressure-test them, that is CFO territory, part-time, without the six-figure salary.

An accountant keeps your books accurate and files your returns, looking backwards. A fractional CFO works forwards: forecasting, cash, and the decisions that shape what happens next, part-time. Many growing businesses use both.

Usually when the decisions get bigger than the reporting can answer: a significant hire, a new location or product, taking on funding or debt, or planning how much you can draw and still invest. If cash and growth decisions are becoming a bottleneck on your desk, it is time.

Until your finance function justifies a permanent six-figure hire, fractional gives you the same seniority for a few days a month. Most owner-managed businesses need CFO-level thinking well before they need, or can afford, a full-time CFO.

A Finance Director runs day-to-day finance and the team. A fractional CFO is more strategic and senior, part-time, covering forecasting, cash and the big calls. Early on a fractional CFO often covers both; as you grow you may add a controller or FD beneath them.

Most work on a monthly retainer, broadly £2,000 to £8,000 depending on days per month, or a day rate of roughly £800 to £1,500. Either way it costs a fraction of a full-time CFO at £120k or more plus benefits. Our Fractional CFO support starts from £3,000 + VAT a month.

Yes, significantly. A full-time CFO in the UK runs £120k to £200k or more once loaded. A fractional CFO gives you the same seniority for a few days a month, until the finance function justifies a permanent hire.

Tell-tale signs: they go quiet on forward-looking questions, you cannot get timely management accounts, they have never built a forecast, and they are no help on the bigger decisions. If you are a growing, profitable business and they still treat you like a simple year-end filing, you have outgrown them.

Yes. Forecasting and financial modelling is a core part of Fractional CFO support, alongside cash flow and scenario planning, so you can test hiring, spending and growth decisions before you commit.

A budget is a fixed plan for the year. A forecast is a regularly updated view of where you are heading, based on actual results. A model is the engine that links assumptions to outputs and lets you test scenarios. Growing businesses usually need all three.

Yes. Where your business carries out qualifying development, we identify eligible activity, prepare a robust claim and deal with HMRC, so you capture the relief you are entitled to. Charged at 20% of your claim, with fixed-fee options.

Yes, as a specialist project. We handle advance assurance (from £500 + VAT), the SEIS1/EIS1 process and certificate compliance, so any investment you take is structured correctly.

Both give your investors UK tax relief. SEIS is for the earliest, smaller, higher-risk stage with more generous relief; EIS suits slightly later, larger raises. We support advance assurance and compliance for both.

Yes. We handle HMRC share valuation, scheme documentation and notifications so you can reward your team tax-efficiently, with the scheme scoped to you.

Yes, if you do take on investment. We get your numbers, model and data room investor-ready, and can sit alongside you in conversations. It is a specialist project rather than our main focus, since most of the businesses we work with are profitable and not raising.