Accountants for construction and trades businesses
NDCA supports construction companies, builders, contractors, subcontractors and tradespeople with accounting, CIS, VAT and tax support, all under one fixed monthly fee.
In short: NDCA is an ACCA-regulated accountancy practice for UK construction firms and tradespeople. We handle CIS returns and deductions, the VAT domestic reverse charge, payroll and your Self Assessment or limited company accounts. Your agreed services are covered by one fixed monthly fee, with a named accountant who knows your numbers.
Construction and trades businesses have accounting needs that differ from most other sectors. CIS deductions, subcontractor payments, labour and materials, VAT and the Domestic Reverse Charge, site-based work, cash flow and retentions all affect how your figures come together. NDCA works with construction and trade businesses across the UK on accounting, CIS and tax.
What NDCA clients say
Verified Google reviews from NDCA clients.
In short: NDCA is an ACCA-regulated accountancy practice for UK construction firms and tradespeople. We handle CIS returns and deductions, the VAT domestic reverse charge, payroll and your Self Assessment or limited company accounts. Your agreed services are covered by one fixed monthly fee, with a named accountant who knows your numbers.
Construction and trades businesses have accounting needs that differ from most other sectors. CIS deductions, subcontractor payments, labour and materials, VAT and the Domestic Reverse Charge, site-based work, cash flow and retentions all affect how your figures come together. NDCA works with construction and trade businesses across the UK on accounting, CIS and tax.
What is on this page?
- Accounting for construction businesses and trades
- Accounting services for construction & trades
- Accounting that understands construction
- CIS accounting without the admin headache
- VAT for construction businesses
- Business expenses
- Sole trader or limited company
- Why construction businesses choose NDCA
- Xero and your records
- Thinking about changing accountants?
- Construction industry FAQs
Accounting for construction businesses and trades
Builders & construction companies
Accounting, bookkeeping, VAT, CIS and tax support for construction businesses managing projects, materials and subcontractors.
Electricians
Accounting support for electrical contractors dealing with jobs, materials, CIS and VAT.
Plumbers & heating engineers
Bookkeeping, tax and VAT support for plumbing and heating businesses.
General trades
Support for carpenters, decorators, roofers, landscapers and other trade businesses.
Contractors & subcontractors
Accounting and tax support for contractors and subcontractors working under CIS.
Self-employed tradespeople
Support with Self Assessment, bookkeeping, expenses, CIS and deciding when a limited company may be appropriate.
Accounting services for construction & trades
CIS returns
Monthly CIS compliance, subcontractor verification and deduction statements.
Bookkeeping
Keeping bank transactions, invoices, expenses and subcontractor costs organised.
VAT
VAT registration, VAT returns and construction VAT support, including the Domestic Reverse Charge where relevant.
Self Assessment
Tax return preparation for self-employed tradespeople, contractors and subcontractors.
Corporation Tax and annual accounts
Year-end accounts and Corporation Tax support for limited companies.
Management accounts
Useful financial information for businesses that want more visibility over margins, cash flow and performance.
Accounting that understands construction
CIS
Verifying each new subcontractor with HMRC before the first payment, applying the right 0%, 20% or 30% rate and filing your return by the 19th.
VAT and domestic reverse charge
Checking each job, because the reverse charge only applies when both sides are VAT and CIS registered and your customer is not the end user.
Labour & materials
Splitting every invoice into labour and materials, because CIS is only deducted from the labour.
Project cash flow
Showing what is owed on each job, when stage payments fall due and how CIS changes the cash that actually arrives.
Retentions & payments
Tracking every retention held back, when it is due for release and the CIS due on it when it is paid.
CIS accounting without the admin headache
NDCA can help with subcontractor verification, CIS deductions, monthly CIS returns, deduction statements and general CIS compliance. Read more about our CIS accounting service.
In a month when you pay no subcontractors, you still need to file a nil return or tell HMRC you have temporarily stopped using subcontractors. A late return costs £100, even when nothing was paid.
Where a subcontractor qualifies for gross payment status, CIS does not need to be deducted from payments at source. NDCA can help assess the position and support the application.
VAT for construction businesses
We help with registration, returns and construction VAT, including the reverse charge where the relevant conditions apply. Not every construction transaction falls under the reverse charge, so we look at the specifics of each arrangement.
Business expenses
Costs you can usually claim include tools, protective clothing, materials, van costs, public liability insurance, trade subscriptions and travel between sites. Travel to one site stops qualifying once you expect to work there for more than 24 months. Everyday clothing does not count, even if you only wear it on site. Vans and equipment normally qualify for the Annual Investment Allowance, which gives a 100% deduction up to £1,000,000 a year, and we work out the business share of any vehicle you also use privately.
Sole trader or limited company
There is no fixed income level at which becoming a limited company automatically makes sense. The right structure depends on your profits, personal income needs, other income, how much you plan to leave in the business and your longer-term plans. NDCA can compare the options using your actual figures.
Why construction businesses choose NDCA
Fixed monthly fee
Know what your accounting costs each month.
A named accountant
Deal with a real accountant who understands your business.
Construction-focused support
Accounting, bookkeeping, CIS, VAT and tax support under one roof.
Fast replies
Your named accountant normally replies the same day.
NDCA is ACCA regulated, works primarily on Xero and supports construction businesses UK-wide, remotely.
Xero and your records
We keep your books in Xero, with bank feeds and receipt capture set up so CIS deduction statements, supplier invoices and retention releases are recorded as they arrive. Your CIS returns, VAT returns and year-end accounts then all come from the same figures.
Need help with CIS, VAT or your accounts?
Tell us about your construction or trade business and the support you need. We will review what you need and provide a fixed monthly quote.
Reviews
Discover why businesses trust us for dependable accounting services and practical financial advice.
What NDCA clients say
We work with businesses across the UK and beyond, delivering results that speak for themselves. Browse our reviews to see the impact we have made, and if you have worked with us, we would love for you to leave a review on Google
Thinking about changing accountants?
Switching accountants is simpler than most construction businesses expect. We request professional clearance, obtain your records and handle the handover so you are not waiting for year-end. How long it takes depends mainly on how quickly your previous accountant sends the records across, and we keep you updated throughout.
Construction industry FAQs
A construction accountant handles the accounting and tax that are specific to building work: CIS deductions and monthly returns, the VAT domestic reverse charge, retentions and job costs split between labour and materials. NDCA also prepares your year-end accounts and tax return, and our CIS accountant service covers the monthly CIS work in detail.
There is no legal requirement to use an accountant, but most builders find one saves time and money once CIS, VAT or employees are involved. An accountant makes sure CIS deductions are reclaimed, the reverse charge is applied correctly and returns are filed on time, which avoids penalties that start at £100 for a late CIS return.
The Domestic Reverse Charge is a VAT rule affecting certain construction services between VAT and CIS-registered businesses. Where it applies, the customer accounts for the VAT rather than the supplier. It does not apply to every transaction, so we check the specifics of each arrangement.
Yes. NDCA can verify subcontractors with HMRC, apply the correct deduction rate, prepare deduction statements and file monthly CIS returns on your behalf and help subcontractors understand what has been deducted and how it feeds into their own tax return.
Yes. We check whether you are likely to meet the conditions and support the application from start to finish.
Yes. NDCA works with self-employed tradespeople and limited companies across construction and trades. Whether you are starting out, working under CIS as a subcontractor or running a growing company, we can support your bookkeeping, CIS, VAT and tax under one fee.
Our fees start from £95 plus VAT a month for limited companies, with no setup fee. Self Assessment starts from £245 plus VAT as a one-off fee. You receive a fixed quote at the end of your free 30-minute call, based on your turnover, transactions, VAT, payroll and number of directors. Any records alignment or bookkeeping catch-up is quoted separately in writing before work starts.
Not necessarily. We work remotely. Paperwork comes in through Xero and Apron, meetings run on video and you get a named accountant who normally replies the same day, wherever your sites are.
Related guides
Bookkeeping for Builders and Construction Trades UK
Practical bookkeeping advice for UK builders and construction trades. CIS, VAT, subcontractors and…
VAT Reverse Charge for Construction Trades
The VAT reverse charge for construction confuses many trades. Here is a plain-English guide to who…
CIS Deductions Explained: What Gets Taken From Your Payments
Understand CIS deductions: what gets deducted, who pays what and how to reclaim overpaid tax. Clear…
Ready to take CIS and tax off your plate?
Whether you are a self-employed tradesperson, CIS subcontractor, contractor or growing construction company, NDCA provides fixed-fee accounting and tax support across the UK.
