HISTORY

Established in 1983 in South East London the accountancy practice has some 250 clients, range from small traders to large Corporates. In the early 1990s the practice relocated to Sussex and in 2002 moved from Eastbourne to Bath. Due to the development of IT and access to the  Internet we are able to assist clients anywhere in the UK and have a number of clients based in Southern Ireland as well in Scotland. We are also able to offer tax advice and tax planning opportunities for Contractors who are entering into the UK from other parts of the Commonwealth, namely Australia and New Zealand.

The practice has invested in Software for taxation, for both Corporate and personal taxation, as well as maintaining up to date accountancy software products.

 

STOP PRES 

 

 Managing Coughs Colds and Flu

 

Heading into the colder months of the year, we always expect an upsurge in sickness absence due to coughs colds and flu.

Paul Charles, Beechlands, advises you to have a sickness absence policy that considers how you deal with suspected cases of Swine Flu, including the possibility of alternate working patterns and how you handle a refusal to work.

If you actively manage sickness absence then employees will know what your standards and expectations are and this should lead to reductions in levels of absenteeism.

Effective measures in managing sickness include:

     Monitoring and recording absences to identify trends

n   Conducting return to work interviews

n     Using disciplinary procedures for unacceptable levels of absence- you can discipline  someone for being unable to attend work due to sickness, where a fair procedure has been  followed, the employee understands your expectations of them, and they have been given  the opportunity to improve and you have established whether there is an underlying  medical condition

n    Restricting company sick pay, but if you plan to do this it should be stated in your  contracts of employment that the organisation has the right

n    Contacting the employees doctor for information, for which you will require their consent

 There is a strong business argument for managing sickness absence including:

nr   Retaining valued staff

n    Keeping your business productive and reducing unnecessary overheads

n    Ensuring you meet your legal obligations and avoiding discrimination against disabled  workers

n    Maintaining good employee relations- employees who need to cover someone who takes  time off sick could feel aggrieved and think 'if they can get away with it- why not me?'.

 Managers need to deal with situations as they happen, follow your policy and procedures,  communicate with and encourage employees to discuss issues at an early stage so traht  they can be dealt with before it becomes a problem.

 Active management of sickness absence can assist in maintaining employee motivation,  commitment and creating an environment where employees don't take "Duvet days" and  want to come in to work rather that opting for a day in bed.

 For further information on this subject contact Paul Charles at paul@beechlands.co.uk.

 DIVIDENDS 

 HMRC are going to take time in reviewing Company dividends where they consider that  dividends are being paid in lieu of services,it is there important that the Company  Statutory records are updated on a regular basis to ensure that dividends are recorded  correctly within the accounting records and that dividend vouchers are correctly prepared  and signed off.

 Please would you ensure that we are informed whenever a dividend is declared in order  that the company records may be updated.

 Tax Doctor

 Recently we acquired a dynamic software pro gramme  which allows us to forecast t t  taxation and compare dividends V salary,for "Tax Doctor" help please email us for  further assistance in this field  if you  believe you may need assistance .We can also  review Company car schemes.

 Employer of the Year

 

Beechlands was also voted "Bath University Employer of the Year" in 2005,as reported in the Bath Chronicle .

SERVICES OFFERRED

Accountants preparation for the Self Employed,Partnerships,Limited Companies .

Self Assessment Taxation returns for the Self Employed,Partnerships,Trusts and High Worth individuals.

Vat return preparation for all businesses.

Forecasts and cash flow planning.

Payroll services and Benefit in kind preparation.

Company Secretarial administration.