About the Client

Surrey Event Agency Limited is a UK-based events business specialising in the organisation and delivery of exhibitions, fairs, and corporate experiences.

Challenges

As the director set up the business, finance and compliance were mission-critical but unfamiliar. When AccountUp came in, the picture carried material risk and a heavy admin load for a new founder:

• The company needed to be stood up correctly from day one—incorporation, HMRC registrations, bank account, and operating basics—so trading could start without compliance exposure.

• There was uncertainty around payroll: what salary level made sense, how to plan personal/company taxes, and how to run and administer payroll reliably each month.

• VAT was a key unknown—whether to register, when/how to register, and how to keep books VAT-ready and submit returns correctly.

• Pension duties required clarity and setup to avoid last-minute scrambles.

• The founder needed an easy, low-touch way to submit invoices and receipts, plus a system that kept books current, closed each month, and produced decision-grade numbers—without the founder being pulled into back-and-forth.

Our Approach

AccountUp built the finance function end-to-end so the founder could focus on winning work while we owned the numbers.

1) Company Setup & Registrations

• Managed company incorporation, HMRC UTR, and assisted with opening the business bank account.

• Registered for PAYE, VAT (as appropriate), and pensions, with all reference numbers and portals configured.

  
  

2) Payroll, VAT & Compliance Operations

• Set salary strategy and tax-efficient pay mix, then ran monthly payroll with accurate processing and submissions.

• Kept VAT books submission-ready, prepared and filed quarterly VAT returns, and planned upcoming liabilities so cash wasn’t surprised.

• Owned the compliance calendar: payroll, pensions, VAT, P11D, year-end accounts & company tax return, director self-assessment, and confirmation statement—all tracked and filed on time.

  
  

3) Accounting Systems & Month-End Rhythm

• Set up QuickBooks and a simple receipt-drop workflow so the team could hand off documents with minimal effort.

• Ran month-end bookkeeping and close, maintaining reconciled ledgers and audit trail.

• Produced management accounts on demand, plus packs for stakeholders when needed.

  
  

4) Planning, Budgeting & Founder Support

• Built a 12-month forecast for the company and director, aligning salary/dividend planning with cash and tax efficiency.

• Provided ongoing “ask-anytime” support on contracts, supplier terms, and finance questions to keep decisions moving.

Results & Impact

Summary

Since July 2024, AccountUp has taken Surrey Event Agency from a standing start to a fully operating, compliant, and insight-ready finance function. We handled the setup, registrations, payroll, VAT, pensions, monthly close, and tax planning—so the founder can focus on delivering standout events while trusting the numbers.