Run your business. We handle the rest.
Tax, books and HMRC, with an accountant who answers.
JLD Accounting is a St Albans practice for owner-managed UK businesses: limited companies, sole traders, and contractors trading through their own company.
We keep your books current, file everything HMRC and Companies House need, and plan your tax before the year closes. You get a named accountant on direct message, and everything about your business in one place: your own client portal.
Onboarded in 48 hours. No phone tag, no inbox queue, no chasing.
- from your first reply to fully onboarded
- 48hours
- to a reply, whoever you are
- 1business day
- new clients, so nobody is a file number
- 4a month
- introduction calls end with us recommending someone else
- 1 in 3
Sound familiar?
- Year end becomes January, because the books were never reconciled in the first place.
- Tax-planning meetings happen after the year closes, when most levers are already locked.
- HMRC letters arrive and you've no idea whether to panic or ignore them.
- The accountant who promised to be available whenever stops returning emails in their busy month.
The cost of an accountant you only hear from once a year isn’t the fee. It’s everything that doesn’t happen: the deduction you missed, the structure you didn’t consider, the day you spent untangling a year-old bank reconciliation.
What we do
three services, one practice
Limited companies
Owner-managed UK limited companies with revenue, employees, or ongoing operations.
The full stack: accounts, Corporation Tax, VAT, bookkeeping and director planning.
Sole traders
Self-employed traders without a limited company.
Self Assessment done early, bookkeeping kept current, advice available between filings.
Contractors and freelancers
Contractors trading through their own limited company (a personal service company).
Your company handled end to end, with an IR35 review on every new engagement.
See your year
pick a year end
Every company’s filing dates follow from its year end. Choose yours and the next twelve months are worked out below. Keeping these met, without you thinking about them, is the job.
My company’s year ends in
Annual accounts
in 51 daysCorporation Tax payment
in 52 daysCompany Tax Return (CT600)
in 141 daysConfirmation statement
in 227 days
Our promises
Tax saved, or refunded
Save more in tax than we cost in year one, or we refund the difference. We track every penny of tax saved against what you'd have paid before. If you're not better off, we make you whole. Year one only: after that the savings compound.
First month refundable
Try us for a month. Not for you? Full refund, no questions, no exit interview. We onboard you in 48 hours, you see how we work, you decide.
Same-day replies
Direct-message your accountant. No phone tag, no inbox queue, no being passed between three people. You'll hear back the same business day, every time.
How you start
four new clients a month
Step 1: Introduction call
Fifteen minutes. You tell us about the business and what's not working with the current setup. We tell you whether we're a fit, honestly. About one in three calls ends with us recommending someone else.
Step 2: Engagement and handover
You sign one engagement letter through the portal. We run the anti-money-laundering check (5 minutes), set up Direct Debit, and pick up your books from your current accountant. 48 hours, end to end.
Step 3: Books current, then forward
The first month is a catch-up: we reconcile, classify, and bring the books current. From the second month it's the regular rhythm, with an open direct-message channel throughout.
We take on four new clients a month. It’s the number we can onboard without our existing clients noticing, so we cap it there. Engagement letters signed by the last business day of the month start onboarding the following Monday.
Fees
Fees are quoted for your business
Who is behind it
I’m Jonathan. Before I founded JLD Accounting I spent years on the other side of the desk, in-house, running finance for businesses I cared about. I learned what it feels like to have an accountant who’s a stranger, a quarterly call and an invoice.
I started JLD because I was tired of watching good business owners get treated like file numbers. The practice I’d wanted in my own corner didn’t exist, so I built it: directly supervised by HMRC for anti-money-laundering, with a deliberately small client list so every name is one we know.
Questions
What will it cost?
It depends on your turnover and a few other things about how the business runs, so we quote each business individually. Send a message with a short description and you will have a figure in writing before any work starts.
I'm mid-year with my current accountant. How does the switch work?
We handle the whole transfer. You sign one engagement letter; we pick up your books from your current accountant under standard professional courtesy, complete the anti-money-laundering check, set up Direct Debit through GoCardless, and connect your bank feeds. End to end: 48 hours from your first reply.
What if you're not the right fit?
The first month is on a full refund. You cancel, we return the fee, and you walk away with your data and a clean handover. Most clients know within two weeks whether they want to stay.
Is unlimited tax advice really unlimited?
Yes, for advice reasonably scoped to the running of your business. That includes director remuneration, dividend timing, expense rules, R&D claim feasibility, IR35 and structure reviews. It doesn't include personal-finance advice unrelated to the business, or complex multi-entity restructuring, which we'd quote separately if it came up.
I have two limited companies. How does that work?
We engage with each company formally: its own engagement letter, its own books, its own filings, so there's no muddling between them. Tell us about both when you get in touch and the quote will cover them together.
Do you work with businesses outside St Albans?
Yes. We're based in St Albans but onboard entirely remotely, and the portal works the same wherever you are. We file UK accounts and UK tax, so you'll need to be a UK business.
What if I'm just starting out and don't have books yet?
Welcome. Most of our newer clients arrive at the same point. We'll set up the chart of accounts, the bank feeds and your opening balances, then catch up any historical transactions in the first month.
How does the anti-money-laundering check work?
We're directly supervised by HMRC for anti-money-laundering. You complete an identity check (passport or driving licence, plus proof of address) through our secure portal, and we run the standard screening behind the scenes. It takes about 5 minutes.
How do I pay?
Monthly, by Direct Debit through GoCardless, starting when your engagement letter is signed. The amount is the figure we gave you in writing.
Ready to stop thinking about accountancy?
A short message about what you’re working on is the easiest way to start. We’ll reply within one business day, and if a call makes more sense, we’ll suggest one.