I cannot tell you your tax bill a month early if your books are six months behind.
Nasir Rasheed, Director
Bookkeeping and Xero run to a routine, so your numbers are current every month
Bookkeeping and Xero for established limited companies in Milton Keynes and across the UK, kept to a monthly routine so the figures are ready when a decision comes up.
Most books get touched once a year, a fortnight before the deadline. That is why the corporation tax bill arrives as news. Set the routine first and the forecast becomes possible, which is where the rest of the advice starts.
Nexus Tax and Accounting Solutions is a Milton Keynes accountancy practice run by Nasir Rasheed MAAT AATQB. It keeps bookkeeping for established limited companies on a monthly routine, in Xero or the software the client already uses. One monthly fee covers accounts, corporation tax, VAT, payroll and the director’s self assessment, with advice included.
Accredited and certified
- Nasir Rasheed MAAT AATQB
- Established 2024
- Three new clients a month
- Milton Keynes · UK-wide remote
What you get when the books are current
Your corporation tax position, a month early
Current books make a forecast possible before the year end, so the money is there and the decision on dividends is yours.
VAT returns filed from figures that reconcile
Purchases and sales are entered to a routine, so the return is the real position rather than an estimate corrected later.
A margin figure when you are deciding on a hire
You can see what the work actually earns in March, instead of waiting for year-end accounts to tell you in October.
The decisions that go wrong when the books are behind
Three things owners say to me in the first call, and what each one cost them.
- VAT
“I found out at the quarter end that half my purchase invoices had never been entered, so the return went in on a guess.”
The return was wrong and the correction came months later. Guessed returns are how a small error turns into a real problem with HMRC.
- Tax bill
“My accountant did the whole year in one go in month eleven, and the corporation tax bill was the first I heard of it.”
There was no time left to plan the dividend or set the money aside. The bill was correct. The timing made it painful.
- Hire
“I wanted a second engineer in March and had no idea what the margin on the contract actually was.”
The decision waited four months for the year-end accounts. By then the work had gone to someone else.
- Day 90
What changes once the books are current every month
The VAT return stops being a scramble and starts being a report. Profit and dividend headroom are known figures instead of guesses. And a question about a hire or a price gets answered the same week, from numbers that reconcile.
Quick check · no email
If your accountant cannot tell you whether your books are current, what your tax bill will be before it lands, and get back to you this week, you have the wrong accountant
Three questions about the accountant you have now. Answer them honestly.
Question 1 of 3
Could they tell you this week what your profit is for the year so far?
Could they show you a corporation tax and dividend forecast before your year end, from books that reconcile?
Could they answer a bookkeeping question within a few days, from the person who actually does the work?
That is a real gap, and it is the reason the tax bill keeps arriving as news. The set-up review looks at your books, software, VAT scheme and pay, and tells you what to change.
That is a reasonable position with one area worth checking. Every new client gets a full review of structure, VAT scheme, salary and dividends and software, which usually finds it.
You are well served and there is no reason to move. Read the guides if you want to sense-check the routine yourself.
Books done once at year end, and books kept to a monthly routine
A year-end accountant is not doing anything wrong. The timing is what limits what they can tell you.
Books written up at year end
The filing is accurate and on time.
The tax bill is known once the year has closed.
VAT returns are prepared from whatever has been entered so far.
Decisions in month three wait for figures in month fourteen.
Books kept to a routine
The filing is accurate and on time, from figures already reconciled.
Corporation tax and dividend headroom are forecast before the year end.
VAT goes out from a complete ledger, on the scheme that suits your costs.
A hire, a price or an equipment purchase is decided on current numbers.
Eight questions about how your books are kept now
Answer yes or no. The noes are the work.
- 01
Is your bank feed reconciled to the end of last month?
If not, every figure you have quoted this quarter is an estimate.
- 02
Are purchase invoices entered before the VAT return, not during it?
Entering them at the deadline is how input VAT gets missed.
- 03
Do you know your profit for the year to date?
Without it, dividends are taken on hope.
- 04
Has anyone checked whether your VAT scheme suits your cost profile?
Low input VAT and the standard scheme is a common mismatch for consultants.
- 05
Is your payroll posting into the books automatically each month?
Manual journals at year end hide the real staff cost.
- 06
Do you have a corporation tax figure before your year end?
If it arrives afterwards, there is nothing left to plan.
- 07
Is your software doing the job, or working around a gap?
Workarounds cost more time than the licence they were meant to save.
- 08
Can you get a bookkeeping question answered within the week?
If not, you are keeping your own books in your head.
What sits around the bookkeeping
The routine exists so the rest of the work can be done properly.
VAT returns and scheme review
Standard, flat rate or cash accounting, chosen for your actual costs and filed from books that reconcile.
Payroll and pensions on schedule
Run each month and posted into the books, with salary and dividend planning built in.
Corporation tax a month ahead
Your tax and dividend position forecast before the year end, so the money is there and the decision is yours.
Entry 01
What the review finds before the routine starts
One entry from the file, described by type.
Clients described by type. Names withheld.
What clients say
How the bookkeeping routine is set up in the first ninety days
Four steps, in order, from the review to the first forecast.
You know what state the books are in
Nasir reviews your structure, VAT scheme, salary and dividends and software, and tells you what is working and what is not.
The backlog is cleared and the routine starts
Bank feeds, receipts and invoices are set up in Xero or the software you already use, and the handover from your previous accountant is dealt with.
VAT goes out from a ledger that reconciles
The return is prepared from complete records, on the scheme chosen for your actual costs rather than the one you were put on at registration.
Your tax forecast becomes possible
With current books, corporation tax and dividend headroom can be forecast ahead of the year end, and check-ins every few months keep it accurate.
When Nexus is the wrong fit for your bookkeeping
Start-ups in their first or second year, where there is not enough trading history to advise on.
Sole traders under £150,000 turnover, where incorporation is not yet the obvious move.
Cash businesses and property-only landlords, which are outside what this practice does well.
Owners buying on price alone, or who will not engage with their own numbers.
Everyone else gets a set-up review first, and a straight answer on whether moving is worth it.
Questions owners ask before they move their books
What does the monthly fee include for bookkeeping and Xero?
One monthly fee covers the bookkeeping routine, year-end accounts, corporation tax, the confirmation statement, VAT, payroll and the director’s self assessment. Advice is included on a fair-use basis: VAT scheme review, salary and dividend planning and a corporation tax forecast a month before the bill lands. The fee is scoped after Nasir has reviewed your set-up.
We already have an accountant. Is it worth moving the bookkeeping?
Only if something is missing. The test is whether they can tell you your profit this week, show you a tax forecast before the year end, and reply quickly. If they can, stay. If they cannot, the set-up review will show you what the current routine is costing you.
Do we have to move to Xero?
No. Xero suits the routine and most clients use it, but Nexus works with the software you already have when it is doing the job. The set-up review covers software alongside structure, VAT scheme and pay, and Nasir tells you whether a change is worth the disruption or not.
What happens with our current accountant when we switch?
Nexus handles it. Professional clearance is requested, records are collected and the handover is chased, so you are not the one going back and forth. There is no separate charge for it. The set-up review and a first-year timetable follow once the records are in.
How often are the books updated, and when are the numbers current?
The routine is monthly, so reconciliation happens before the month closes rather than at the deadline. VAT quarters are prepared from a complete ledger. By around day ninety you should be able to ask about profit, dividend headroom or a hire and get an answer that week.
Does bookkeeping and Xero cover VAT returns and Making Tax Digital?
Yes. VAT returns are prepared and filed from the same records, using digital links, and the scheme is reviewed rather than left as it was at registration. Making Tax Digital requirements are handled as part of the routine, so there is nothing separate for you to set up or monitor.
Three ways to take the next step
Take the two-minute quiz
It tells you whether Nexus is the right fit, and if it is, the set-up review comes next with Nasir.
See if Nexus is the right fit 02 · A question firstWant to ask about your software first?
Call or email and Nasir will tell you whether your current set-up needs changing before you commit to anything.
Ask Nasir a question 03 · Still decidingStill deciding
The guides explain what a monthly bookkeeping routine has to cover before a tax forecast is worth anything.
Read the guides →