Accountants for Construction & Trades in Oxfordshire and Essex

CIS, payroll, and tax for sole trader and limited company contractors. We work with the trades every day, so the questions you ask don't surprise us.

✅ ACCA qualified

✅ Xero certified

✅ Based across Oxfordshire & Essex

✅ Transparent pricing

If you're a contractor, your accountant should know CIS like the back of their hand.

Trade accounting isn't generic accounting

Tax for a builder is not tax for a solicitor. CIS deductions, equipment capital allowances, mileage, sub-contractor payments, mixed contractor and employer roles, mobile working from sites and from home. A generic accountant treats this as a problem to figure out.


We treat it as Tuesday. The trades are one of the sectors we work with most often, and the patterns repeat. Knowing the patterns means we get to the answer faster and we know which questions actually matter.


Want to talk it through? Fifteen minutes on the phone, no fee.

Services We Provide for Trades and Construction

The services trades and construction businesses use most often.

CIS, Construction Industry Scheme

Contractor and subcontractor returns, verifications, and monthly statements. The most common service for the sector.

Payroll

PAYE for employees alongside CIS for subcontractors, run from one place.

Self Assessment

For sole trader subcontractors reclaiming CIS deductions.

Limited Companies

For trades operating through limited companies for tax efficiency or IR35 reasons.

Bookkeeping and VAT Returns

Books and VAT, including the Domestic Reverse Charge for construction services.

Business Accounting

Year-end accounts and corporation tax for limited company trades.

Tax Planning and Advisory

Capital allowances on vans, tools, and equipment, plus dividend planning for limited company contractors.

Want to know which services your trades and construction business actually needs? Ask on the call.

Why a trades specialist matters

The Domestic Reverse Charge for construction services. CIS gross payment status. Sole trader van mileage versus actual costs. The £1,000 trading allowance. Capital allowances on tools. Subbies who never send their tax certificates.


These come up every week in our work and they catch out accountants who don't see them often. Working with a firm that handles a lot of trades clients means the answers are already in the room.


Looking for an accountant who knows trades and construction? You've found one.

How It Works

Meet us

A video call to start, or we come to you if you're in Oxfordshire or Essex. We look at what you're doing now, what's working, and what's missing.

Agree the plan

We set up your books, confirm the services you need, and provide a clear proposal in writing.

Work together through the year

Regular check-ins, clear advice, and no surprise bills at year end.

Step one starts here. Fifteen minutes, no fee.

Why SD Accountancy

Based across Oxfordshire and Essex. A small team. One standard of work. You meet the accountant doing your books. You always speak to them directly. You never get bounced to a help desk or a rotating cast of juniors.


That's how Samuel set up the firm in 2024 and that's how we still work as we grow.


Sound like your kind of accountant? Let's have a chat.

Common Questions

  • How does CIS work for me?

    If you pay subcontractors for construction work, you're a contractor and you deduct tax from their payments. If you're paid for construction work by another contractor, you're a subcontractor and tax is deducted from your payments. Many trades are both.

  • Should I be a sole trader or a limited company?

    Below roughly £30,000 net profit, sole trader is usually simpler and similar in tax. Above that, limited company tends to win on tax. IR35 and contracting routes can also push you toward a limited company. We'll work it out on your figures.

  • Can I claim my van and tools?

    Yes. Vans and tools are usually capital allowances and can often be fully expensed in the year you buy them. Mileage in your own vehicle is claimed at HMRC's approved rates. We'll set the right method up for your trade.

  • What about working from home?

    If you have a home office or use part of your home for the business (storing tools, doing paperwork, taking calls), you can claim a proportion of household running costs. We'll calculate the right amount.

  • Do you handle the Domestic Reverse Charge?

    Yes. The DRC is the VAT rule that applies to most construction services between VAT-registered contractors. Getting it wrong means VAT errors that compound. We handle it as standard.

Got a question not on the list? Ask us on the call.

Book Your Free Discovery Call

Fifteen minutes on the phone. We'll ask about your business, your current setup, and what's on your mind. You'll come away with a clear answer on whether we're the right accountant for you. No fee and no obligation either way.