Year-end accounts cost for a care agency, 2026/27

What the annual work covers

Statutory accounts are the annual company accounts required by law. The Company Tax Return, commonly called the CT600, reports the Corporation Tax position with the relevant accounts and calculations. Agree who prepares, reviews, approves and files each item, including any separate accounting periods in a first year.

A confirmation statement checks the company's registered information. It is a separate Companies House obligation, not automatically part of the accounts or tax-return fee. Check its own review date, filing requirements and charge in the engagement.

Check the company's actual deadlines

First accounts usually have a different deadline, and larger companies can have instalment-payment rules. Changes of period and other circumstances also need checking. Do not assume a weekend or holiday provides extra time. Use the actual dates shown for your company and the official accounts and tax guidance.

Finalising the calculation before payment is due helps avoid paying an uninformed estimate. Using an accountant does not remove the directors' responsibilities for records, approvals and filing.

What makes the care records matter

• Delivered and unbilled care. Reconcile delivered hours, invoices, remittances, deductions and receipts. Assess revenue and any accruals, amounts earned or incurred but not yet billed or paid, under the applicable accounting policy and contract. Missing income does not automatically mean a lower correct tax bill.
• Staff costs. Check pay, travel records, holiday, pensions and liabilities outstanding at the year end. A payroll total needs to agree to the accounting records.
• Funding contracts. Separate council, NHS and private balances, explain disputes and assess recovery. An unpaid invoice is not automatically a tax-deductible write-off.
• Assets and company balances. Keep equipment invoices, finance agreements, bank reconciliations, director balances and intercompany records where relevant.

Qualifying welfare supplied by an eligible provider can be exempt from Value Added Tax (VAT). Registration alone does not make every supply exempt. Staff supply or other activities can have a different treatment. VAT on costs attributable to exempt supplies is generally not recoverable, subject to the relevant recovery rules. See HMRC's welfare notice.

Review director borrowing before the year closes

A director's loan account records money between the company and the director outside salary, dividends or ordinary reimbursed expenses. An overdrawn balance can create company tax, benefit and reporting consequences. Repayment timing, further borrowing and the purpose of the payment matter. See HMRC's director-loan guidance; do not assume a later repayment removes every consequence immediately.

Standalone annual work or ongoing support?

The general fee schedule lists annual accounts and Corporation Tax from £1,200 a year, and a personal Self Assessment return from £495, excluding VAT. A director's personal return, bookkeeping clean-up, group work, a forecast or a regulatory evidence pack must be checked separately. A more complex package is quoted for its actual work rather than assigned a fixed price merely because turnover is higher.

A monthly plan can include specified annual work alongside agreed payroll and finance tasks. It is a different scope, not automatically a cheaper version of the annual invoice. Ask which tasks remain with you or another provider, which systems are included and what happens if records are late.

Current care-agency service fees

• Care Payroll and Compliance: £995 a month.
• Care Finance Department: £1,495 a month.
• Care Finance Department Plus: £2,495 a month.

All fees exclude VAT. These tiers have different scope; invoicing, credit control and the full reporting service are not all included in the payroll tier. Your written quote confirms staff and entity coverage, frequency, client inputs and separately scoped work. See the care-agency service.

Accounts are one part of financial evidence

The Care Quality Commission (CQC), England's care regulator, requires providers to take reasonable steps to maintain financial viability under Regulation 13 of its Registration Regulations 2009. Accounts, forecasts and cash monitoring can support that work, but no accountant's package guarantees approval. Check the current application-specific document requirements; a signed financial viability statement is not automatically required from every care home or domiciliary agency.

A cash forecast needs current assumptions for care delivery, staffing, collection and payments. A lender or commissioner may ask for information beyond the statutory accounts. Agree the intended recipient and exact deliverable; do not assume annual filing includes a separate forecast or signed statement.

Bring the records and agree responsibilities

Provide the year-end date, last accounts and tax return, current ledger, bank records, care-fee reconciliation, payroll balances, director account and relevant contracts. List unresolved queries and who will resolve them. Agree the review date, payment estimate, approval and filing responsibilities in writing. Historic catch-up and specialist projects are separately scoped. The existing £1,200 one-off Tax Planning Workshop remains an optional, separately agreed service, excluding VAT.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides and services

• Annual accounts and Corporation Tax
• Care agency accountants
• Current service fees