Our expertise

Accountants for Architects in York

There’s a lot going on in the finances of an architectural practice that won’t necessarily show up in the annual accounts. Take project income for example, it comes in waves rather than weekly, so a practice can look flush one quarter and short of cash the next, even when nothing’s gone wrong. Then there’s work in progress at year-end, which needs real judgement, get it wrong and you’re either paying tax before the cash has landed or presenting a year that looks worse than it was. And the choice of practice structure, left unconsidered, shapes your personal liability for years.

We work with all sorts of architectural practices across York, Yorkshire and the UK: sole practitioners, small studios, and larger practices running several commissions with a team behind them. We understand how the money really moves through a design-led practice, and what it takes to keep it working in your favour.

In a nutshell: we’ll handle your annual accounts and tax, and the bits of accounting that catch architects out: work in progress at year-end, capital allowances on equipment and software, and the choice of practice structure when it’s time to think about it. Fixed fee, agreed upfront. Plain English at every step.

Why architects need a specialist accountant

There’s more to keep on top of in architecture than a generalist accountant tends to see. Miss one piece, and you could be paying tax before the money’s in the bank; miss several, and the accounts stop reflecting what’s actually happening in the practice.

Project-based income means cashflow runs in waves, not week to week. A practice can look highly profitable in one quarter and short on cash the next, purely because of how commissions get billed, not because anything’s gone wrong. Left alone, that shape can make planning for tax, salaries or a new hire harder than it needs to be. We’ll look at your billing pattern alongside your cashflow, so the trough is expected rather than a surprise.

Work in progress at year-end decides whether you’re taxed on the right figure. Fees recognised too early mean tax paid too early; recognised too late, and the year looks worse than it was. Each project needs a proper look at year-end, variation orders, percentage completion, the gap between what’s been billed and what’s been done, so the income lands in the period it was actually earned. We’ll go through the pipeline with you at year-end and apply the right treatment project by project, rather than whatever’s quickest to record.

Equipment and software need the capital allowances handled properly. Drawing tablets, BIM software, plotters, large monitors, the occasional studio kit refresh, most practices have a fair bit of this on the books. The Annual Investment Allowance lets you write qualifying purchases down against tax in the year you buy them, though hire purchase and finance leases work differently again. We’ll look after all of it, from the point you buy through to disposal, and flag any purchase where the timing could shift the relief into a better year.

Choice of practice structure shapes everything else. Sole trader is simple but may expose you personally. Partnership or LLP suits two or three practitioners sharing the load. Limited company gives you protection and tax flexibility but adds compliance. Which is right depends on your income, your partners, and where you want the practice to be in five years. We’ll walk through it with you before you commit to anything.

Here’s how we help

The services architectural practices call on most, each with the full detail on its own page:

Company Accounts for limited-company practices
Sole Trader Accounts for sole practitioners
Bookkeeping, to keep your digital records current
VAT returns and registration
Payroll for studios with staff
Tax Planning, including remuneration policies and structure conversations
Personal Tax Return for sole practitioners and directors
Management Accounts for studios that want a monthly or quarterly view

This page talks about why having a specialist is important. The individual service pages show how each bit of the work gets done.

How we work with architectural practices

No two architectural practices need exactly the same mix of services. A sole practitioner with a handful of commissions is very different from a studio of fifteen running a dozen briefs at once. We’ll tailor our services to suit where you are now, and change things in line with your needs.

Staying in regular contact through the year will keep things moving. Whatever we’re looking after, you’ll have a specialist team on hand whenever something specific crops up: a new piece of studio kit you want to structure well, a fee query on a commission that’s just landed, a question about whether a new project structure makes sense. If HMRC writes to you about anything, forward it on and we’ll either explain it or tell you to ignore it.

Records come through ShareFile, and we work with Xero, FreeAgent and Dext for clients on cloud bookkeeping. Keeping your books current through the year makes the WIP conversation at year-end a great deal easier.

The year-end meeting is where we’re most useful. We’ll walk through the year just gone, plan the next one, and shape your accounts and tax around what’s actually best for the practice: work in progress, equipment purchases, and the choice of structure if it’s time to revisit it.

If you’re already working with another accountant, moving over is more straightforward than most people expect, and our guide on how to change accountants walks you through it.

Fixed fees, no surprises

You’ll know what you’re paying before we start, and the fee won’t change unless the work does. Every architectural practice is a bit different. A sole practitioner with a handful of commissions isn’t the same job as a studio of fifteen running a dozen briefs at once, so a short conversation will help us set the right fee for the work you need.

Ask for a fixed fee for your practice

A couple of minutes on our online form, and we’ll come back to you as soon as we can.

Frequently asked questions

What makes accounting for an architectural practice different?

Project-based income, work in progress at year-end, equipment-heavy capital spending, and the choice of practice structure are the things a generalist accountant most often gets wrong for architects. None of them are difficult once you’ve seen them before, and all four affect how much tax you pay, and when.

Can I claim my drawing tablets, software, and equipment as a business expense?

Yes, and most of it can be written down against tax in the year you buy it, through the Annual Investment Allowance. The rules are straightforward, but the timing matters, getting the claim into the right tax year can make a meaningful difference. We track equipment spending alongside your other accounts and apply the allowance correctly.

Should I run my practice as a sole trader, partnership, LLP, or limited company?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Sole trader is simple but exposes you to personal liability. Partnership or LLP suits two or three practitioners working together. Limited company gives you protection and tax flexibility, with more compliance to manage. We’ll walk through your income, your partners, and where you want to be in five years before you decide either way.

Can you handle WIP and year-end accounts for a project-based practice?

Yes. WIP is the part of architectural accounting most generalist firms get wrong. We look at each project at year-end, variation orders, percentage completion, the gap between billed and earned, and recognise income at the right point. The result is a year-end picture that reflects what actually happened, not what was convenient to record.

Why clients stay with us

We’ve been working with architectural practices across Yorkshire since Stacey McVeighty FCCA started the practice in 2014. Today we look after around 800 clients from our York office.

We’re ACCA-accredited, and we hold 38 five-star reviews on Google, rated 5.0, most from clients who’ve been with us for years.

Fixed fees. Plain English. The same team next year, and the year after that.

Ready to find an accountant who understands architects?

Three ways to start. Whichever’s easiest.

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