<![CDATA[Kirsty's Counting Services Ltd - Blog]]>Tue, 17 Mar 2026 09:56:05 +0000Weebly<![CDATA[MTD IT - What you need to know]]>Tue, 29 Jul 2025 16:42:35 GMThttps://www.kirstyscounting.com/blog/mtd-it-what-you-need-to-knowMaking Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD ITSA): What You Need to Know
​From April 2026, HMRC is changing how self-employed individuals and landlords report their income — and it’s a big deal. If you earn over £50,000 from self-employment or property, you'll be required to follow the new Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD IT) rules.
But don’t panic — I’m here to help you get ready, and you can even get started early with the pilot scheme.

Who Needs to Comply and When?
MTD ITSA is being phased in gradually:
  • 📆 April 2026 – for individuals earning over £50,000
  • 📆 April 2027 – for those earning between £30,000 and £50,000
If you fall into either of those categories, now is the time to start preparing.

What Does MTD ITSA Involve?
Here’s what HMRC will expect:
  • ✅ Keep digital records of your income and expenses
  • ✅ Submit quarterly updates to HMRC using approved software
  • ✅ File a Final Declaration after the tax year ends
This replaces the single annual tax return with more frequent and digital submissions.

What Software Will You Need?To comply, you’ll need to use HMRC-approved software.
Popular options include:
  • FreeAgent
  • QuickBooks
  • Xero
We’ll help you choose the best option for your needs and get you set up with confidence.

Can You Join Early?
Yes! HMRC is running a pilot programme, and you can join now. This gives you a chance to get used to the new system with our support before the deadline hits.

What If You Don’t Comply?
HMRC will apply penalties for missing deadlines or failing to keep digital records. But don’t worry — my job is to make sure you avoid that completely.

Let’s Make This Easy
I’m here to make MTD ITSA simple. I’ll guide you through the setup, make sure you stay compliant, and even handle your quarterly submissions.
📅 Book a free 30-minute call to chat about getting started:
👉 https://tidycal.com/kirstys/30-minute-meeting
📧 hello@kirstyscounting.com | 📞 07925 177943]]><![CDATA[Month End Checklist]]>Tue, 06 May 2025 10:06:01 GMThttps://www.kirstyscounting.com/blog/month-end-checklist🎯 Month-End Today – What Does That Involve?It’s that time again – month-end! A key moment in the bookkeeping calendar when we make sure everything is in order so your numbers are accurate and reliable.
Here’s a quick look at what it involves – both the behind-the-scenes checks I do for clients, and a few helpful reminders for business owners too.

✅ End-of-Day Stats CheckFirst up for me (right at the end of the day) is checking my social media and KPI stats – I track these alongside my business besties Suzannah Whelan MICB PM.Dip and Penelope Allard FICB PM.Dip. It helps us all stay accountable and focused.

💰 Invoicing – Fixed vs HourlyI used to love doing my invoices when I charged hourly – it was when I found out how much I'd earned! These days, most of my work is on fixed rates, and many invoices go out automatically. Still, a few need finishing off manually at month-end.

🧾 Month-End Checklist: What You Should Be DoingHere are the main things to keep an eye on to avoid messy accounts and VAT issues:

🔁 Double-Check Your SalesMake sure each sale is only entered once – either as a sales invoice or as income from the bank.
Why? If both are entered, it looks like you’ve sold twice as much… and that could lead to double VAT 😬

📥 Watch for Duplicate BillsThis happens a lot: entering a bill and then recording the same expense again when it’s paid from the bank.
Result? Overstated costs and potentially overclaimed VAT 🙄

📦 Consider a Stock CheckIf you sell products, a regular stock take (maybe quarterly) is a smart move. Duplicated transactions can mess up your stock levels just as much as your accounts.

💼 Post Payroll ProperlyIf you only post the net pay, your accounts are missing the full cost of payroll.
Make sure those payroll journals are posted correctly to reflect the real cost to your business.

📉 Why It MattersInaccurate sales or costs = a profit & loss report you can’t trust.
And if you don’t trust your P&L, you’re flying blind.

💷 Put VAT Money AsideAt month-end, review your bank balances and set aside VAT and savings.
Top tip: The VAT isn’t your money – moving it out of sight helps avoid accidental overspending.

🧾 How We Help at Month-EndIf this all feels like a lot, don’t worry – this is exactly what we’re here for. Here’s how we help keep things in check:
  • Bank reconciliations (bank, Stripe, PayPal, credit cards – the lot) to catch duplicates or missing entries
  • Control accounts checked against HMRC (PAYE, VAT, tax)
  • Customer accounts checked so you’re not chasing ghosts
  • Supplier statements matched to payments
  • External checks using tools like Xenon Connect to spot duplicates
  • Date error spotting, especially during the Dec/Jan crossover
  • A tidy month-end = a smoother year-end – no surprises, just reliable numbers

🤝 Need Help with Month-End?If this all sounds like a bit much to tackle on your own, that’s what bookkeepers are for! I’m an award-winning bookkeeper and fully licensed with ICB UK, and I’d be happy to help.
Looking for someone with experience in your industry? I know lots of other brilliant bookkeepers too, so I can point you in the right direction.
Let’s work together to make sure you can trust your numbers.

Get in touch today – your future self will thank you.

]]><![CDATA[What's involved in being a bookkeeper?]]>Mon, 23 Sep 2024 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.kirstyscounting.com/blog/whats-involved-in-being-a-bookkeeper
Picture
Sep2024 - I am on another ICB UK (Institute of Certified Bookkeepers) to encourage you to join the most fantastic community and start your bookkeeping business.

This is me in my home office - look at those certificates and I am still studying for more
​- if you do everything that is available then you can do everything apart from audit - so start ups, sole traders, limited companies, charities*
(*some restriction may apply)

Personally, I like to work with limited companies and act as the full accounts department, or a part of one when they get large enough to warrant it.

What do you need to be a bookkeeper?
* determination - to see the job through, and not let things slide

* ethics - see above

* tenacity - some people will try all sorts so be on your guard

* timeliness - HMRC waits for no one

* patience - asking for the same thing multiple times can get annoying

* empathy - some people have a different view of numbers and don't like them, so they avoid them - be kind, help and you both win

* strength - to stick to your boundaries. If that is school hours 9-3 well good for you. If you want to work late nights / early mornings then you do it. Just because someone drops something off late doesn't mean it's your fault.

* flexibility - because sometimes stuff gets in the way and you have to rejig your calendar

* professionalism - do not bring our lovely industry into disrepute

* friendly & approachable - on a recent branch survey this was the outstanding response to everyone in the Cambridgeshire branch

* willing to help others - there is plenty of work. If it's not your ideal then pass it on to someone who loves that industry/niche. #Karma - it comes back. Also includes working with software vendors to improve issues (instead of just moaning)

* software choice - that's just it A CHOICE. I'm an Intuit QuickBooks lover and have gained clients (direct and subcontract) through that. But it's not about your choice - it's a combination of your skills and WHAT THE CLIENT NEEDS!!


What have I missed from my list?
#bemorebookkeeper #ICBeTheBest #flexible
]]><![CDATA[What a Bookkeeper can do for you!]]>Wed, 07 Aug 2024 08:08:48 GMThttps://www.kirstyscounting.com/blog/what-a-bookkeeper-can-do-for-youI see a lot of posts about a Bookkeeper being a cost but let's reframe it in a more positive way:

Here's a few things I have spotted when I have taken over a set of books
❌ Sales on twice - as Sales invoices and bank deposits - this makes it look like you have sold twice as much - and maybe pay twice as much vat 😫
✖ Costs on twice - as Bills and also expenses paid from the bank - duplicating your expenses and perhaps overclaiming VAT 🙄
❓ If you sell 'stock' ie products then duplicating those sales and purchases will screw up your stock levels
📛 VAT claimed on a car purchase
❌ Wrong vat codes coming through on automatic links like Stripe/Exports
🚷 Payroll - if you only post the net pay then you are understating your true costs
〽 Messing up either Sales, or Costs, or BOTH will really mess up your profit & loss and you cannot be secure in your numbers.

How do we help? Well we have a series of checks and controls that make sure things balance - including
✅ a good old bank reconciliation (bank / stripe / Paypal / savings / credit cards) which highlights duplicated items and missing things.
✅ checking control accounts that then match your HMRC accounts (Paye/VAT/Tax)
✅ checking your customers - always a worry when there is a huge amount outstanding and you think no one owes you
✅ checking your suppliers to make sure you have marked the right bills paid - matching up to statements
✅ running things through an external check like Xenon Connect to spot duplicates
✅ by doing those Bank Rec it 'locks' things so items posted with wrong dates stand out to us (easily done in the Dec/Jan change over time if typing dates in manually)
✅ All of this means a smoother year-end process for you which can be done quickly, to the numbers you have been expecting all year with no nasty surprises.


If your bookkeeper keeps asking you for things there is always a good reason - and it is to help you.
☎ If that sounds like too much hassle, get in touch, and we can do it for you so that you can get back to doing what you love more
-> YOUR BUSINESS 😍 ]]><![CDATA[Becoming Advisory Council Chair]]>Sat, 22 Apr 2023 15:42:08 GMThttps://www.kirstyscounting.com/blog/becoming-advisory-council-chairI was pleased to get the job of Advisory Council Chair in Nov 2022 having been on Council for 4 or so years. Following the footsteps of Paula Veysey-Smith and Steve Worrall (as Vice-Chair) is no mean feat but I hope that we can bring a new perspective and continue to represent life as a busy Bookkeeper alongside Sylvia Bourhill as Vice-Chair and with 5 new members coming onto Council.
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