Accountants & Tax Advisers · Brighton · UK-wide

The ace up your sleeve.

Fixed-fee accountancy and a real tax partner for small businesses, contractors and landlords — handled properly, explained plainly, in English and Arabic.

MTD-ready — quarterly digital filing handled
E-commerce & cross-border VAT specialists
نتحدث العربية — we speak Arabic
Spades Consultancy Limited · Companies House No. 15122715
Working with Xero · QuickBooks · Sage · FreeAgent
Brighton & Hove based · clients across the UK
What we do

Everything your business needs, under one roof.

From your first invoice to your year-end accounts — one partner who knows your numbers and answers the phone.

Accounts & Corporation Tax

Statutory year-end accounts and CT600 corporation tax returns, filed on time with Companies House and HMRC.

Self Assessment

Personal tax returns for directors, sole traders, landlords and higher earners — prepared, checked, filed.

VAT & Making Tax Digital

VAT registration, digital record-keeping and quarterly MTD submissions on compatible software.

Bookkeeping

Clean, current books on Xero or QuickBooks — so decisions rest on real numbers, not guesswork.

Payroll & CIS

Payslips, RTI submissions, pensions auto-enrolment and CIS returns for contractors and subcontractors.

Tax Planning

Salary-and-dividend structuring, allowances and reliefs — a Tax Partner's eye on every return before it goes out.

Company Formation & Secretarial

Company set-up, confirmation statements, and support with Companies House identity verification.

Management Accounts

Monthly or quarterly reporting and cash-flow forecasting for owners who want to see ahead, not just behind.

ع

Arabic-speaking service

Full accountancy in Arabic — from the first consultation to your final reports.

Our specialism

Specialists in e-commerce & cross-border VAT.

Selling online across borders turns VAT into a maze — different rules in every country, marketplace deductions, import thresholds. It's exactly what we do best. If you sell on Amazon, Shopify, eBay or Etsy, or ship into the EU and beyond, you want a specialist, not a generalist.

01

Multi-country VAT

VAT registrations and returns across the UK, EU and other jurisdictions — kept compliant, kept in sync.

02

OSS & IOSS

One-Stop-Shop and Import One-Stop-Shop schemes set up and filed, so distance selling stays simple.

03

Marketplace VAT

Amazon, eBay, Etsy and Shopify facilitator rules handled — we reconcile what the platform collects vs. what you owe.

04

Import VAT & duty

Postponed VAT accounting, EORI, duty and landed-cost clarity so cross-border margins stay predictable.

Fees

Fixed fees. Agreed in writing. No surprises.

You'll never get an unexpected bill for a phone call or a question. Every engagement starts with a written fixed quote — these are our starting points.

Sole Trader

Self-employed, freelancers & landlords
Starting from
£50 /month
  • Cloud bookkeeping setup & support
  • Self Assessment tax return
  • MTD quarterly updates to HMRC
  • Tax & allowances review
  • Unlimited questions by phone & email
Start a conversation
MOST POPULAR

Limited Company

Established companies & contractors
Starting from
£200 /month
  • Statutory accounts & CT600
  • Director payroll & Self Assessment
  • VAT returns (MTD-compliant)
  • Confirmation statement
  • Dedicated Tax Partner review
  • Unlimited questions by phone & email
Start a conversation

Growth

Owners who want a partner, not a filer
Starting from
£300 /month
  • Everything in Limited Company
  • Monthly management accounts
  • Cash-flow forecasting
  • Quarterly tax-planning reviews
  • Priority same-day response
Start a conversation
One-off servicesFee
Self Assessment tax returnfrom £200
Company formation (incl. Companies House fee)from £150
VAT registration (registration only)from £75
CIS return (monthly)from £75
Companies House identity verification (as your ACSP)from £100
Tax consultation (per half-hour, depending on advice)from £75

All fees are monthly unless stated, and exclude VAT. Accounting software (Xero, QuickBooks or FreeAgent) is billed separately — and we can arrange a discounted FreeAgent subscription for you. Complex cases are quoted individually, always in writing before any work begins.

Instant estimate

Build your fee in 30 seconds.

Answer a few questions for an indicative monthly figure. It's a guide, not a quote — your real fixed fee is confirmed in writing after a free consultation.

Sole trader
Limited company
Partnership
Under £90k
£90k–£250k
£250k–£1m
Over £1m
Not registered
UK VAT registered
Cross-border / e-commerce VAT
Low (under 50 transactions)
Medium (50–200)
High (200+)
None
1–3 people
4+ people
Personal Self Assessment
E-commerce / marketplace support
Your indicative estimate
£—
per month, indicative
Indicative only, excludes VAT. Based on typical pricing and not a formal quote. Your fixed fee is agreed in writing after a free consultation.
Get my written quote
Insights

What's changing — and what it means for you.

Plain-English notes on the tax deadlines and rule changes that actually affect small businesses. Updated as the rules move.

July 2026 · Deadline

MTD is live — your first quarterly update is due 7 August 2026

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax became mandatory this April for sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000. The first quarterly update — covering 6 April to 5 July — must reach HMRC by 7 August 2026.
Read more →

If you're affected, you must keep digital records and file updates through HMRC-compatible software. The threshold drops to £30,000 in April 2027 and is set to reach £20,000 in April 2028. Exemptions exist for the digitally excluded — and filing on your behalf is exactly what we do.

2026 · Compliance

Company directors must verify their identity with Companies House

Since 18 November 2025, identity verification is a legal requirement for directors and people with significant control (PSCs), with a 12-month transition window for existing directors.
Read more →

Existing directors verify during the transition year — most before November 2026 — through GOV.UK One Login or an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) such as an accountant. Missing it is an offence and can block your filings. We can handle verification for you as part of our company secretarial service.

Guide · 2026/27

Sole trader or limited company — which is right for you now?

The right structure depends on your profit level, how you pay yourself, and your appetite for admin. With corporation tax at 19% on small profits and 25% above £250,000, the maths has shifted in recent years.
Read more →

A limited company can save tax through salary-and-dividend planning and offers limited liability — but brings statutory accounts, corporation tax returns and director identity verification. Sole traders stay simpler but now face MTD quarterly filing as income grows. There's no universal winner: it's a calculation on your numbers. Bring them to a free consultation and we'll do it with you.

General guidance — get advice on your specific circumstances before acting.

These notes are general information, not personal tax advice. Rules change; always confirm how they apply to your circumstances before acting.

Islam Aly
Managing Partner · Tax Partner
Spades Consultancy
About Spades

An accountant who actually picks up the phone.

Spades Consultancy is a Brighton-based practice built on a simple idea: small businesses deserve a partner, not a portal. Your accounts and returns are handled by the person whose name is on the door — and every fee is fixed and agreed before work starts.

We serve clients across the UK in English and Arabic — from first-year freelancers to established limited companies — with particular depth in e-commerce, cross-border VAT and tax planning, led personally by our Tax Partner.

The team

The people behind your numbers.

Islam Aly, Managing Partner
Islam Aly
Founder · Managing Partner · Tax Partner

Islam founded Spades Consultancy to give small businesses the accountant he always wanted for his own: one who answers the phone, explains the numbers in plain language, and treats your money like it matters. Egyptian by background and Brighton by home, he works with clients across the UK in both English and Arabic. His specialism is the tricky end of tax — e-commerce and cross-border VAT — where he helps online sellers and international traders stay compliant and keep more of what they earn.

Bilingual — English & Arabic E-commerce & cross-border VAT
Spades is growing — we'll introduce the rest of the team here as we expand.
Contact

Start with a free, no-obligation consultation.

Tell us where you are and where you want to be — we'll tell you exactly what it costs and handle the rest.

Office
1-2 Clarendon Place, Brighton, BN2 1JD
للعملاء الناطقين بالعربية
تواصل معنا مباشرة — نتحدث العربية