Accountants in Altrincham, Hale and Timperley
We act as accountants in Altrincham, Hale and Timperley for agencies, professional firms, higher earners and property investors. Altrincham has become one of the strongest business locations in Greater Manchester outside the city centre. The regeneration around the market and Goose Green brought footfall and independent businesses, and the Metrolink and rail links into Manchester have made it a practical base for consultants, agencies and professional firms who work in the city without wanting city-centre overheads.
A high proportion of Altrincham residents are higher earners or property investors, and that brings different tax questions from most of the region.
We work with small businesses and individuals across Altrincham, Hale, Hale Barns, Bowdon, Timperley, Sale and the wider Trafford area (WA14 and WA15), by video call for the ongoing relationship and in person when it matters. Working this way means the person doing your tax planning is a Chartered Tax Adviser rather than whoever is nearest, and you are not spending an hour travelling to discuss something that takes twenty minutes.
Chartered Certified Accountants and Chartered Tax Advisers in Altrincham
Merit is a firm of Chartered Certified Accountants and Chartered Tax Advisers. Many Altrincham clients have both a business and a personal tax position worth planning, and having both skills in one firm means you get one joined-up plan rather than two separate ones.
Our team includes professionals who have worked inside HMRC. Our partners, who you can meet on our team page, have built their own businesses from nothing to over £1m in turnover. The advice comes from people who have run businesses themselves, not only advised them.
What Altrincham clients come to us for
Agencies and professional services firms
We advise on profit extraction across several shareholders, on timing dividends when revenue is uneven, and on the right shareholding where a spouse or other family member is involved. These arrangements are usually set up when the company is formed and then left alone for years, and by year three they often no longer suit the business. From 6 April 2026 the dividend ordinary and upper rates rose by two points, to 10.75% and 35.75%, so a salary and dividend split that was right in earlier years is worth checking again.
Higher-earning individuals
The personal allowance taper above £100,000 of adjusted net income produces an effective 60% marginal rate up to £125,140. Altrincham, Hale and Bowdon have a high concentration of people in exactly that band. Going over £100,000 also ends entitlement to Tax-Free Childcare and the funded childcare hours for working parents, which can be worth more than the tax itself to a family with young children.
Worked example
Someone with adjusted net income of £125,000, mostly from salary, pays £20,000 into a personal pension by 5 April. The provider adds £5,000 of basic rate relief, making a gross contribution of £25,000. That brings adjusted net income down to £100,000 and restores the full personal allowance. Once the higher rate relief is claimed on the Self Assessment return, total relief is £15,000, or 60%, so £25,000 in the pension costs £10,000 net. Left until 6 April, the opportunity for that tax year is gone entirely. It is valuable, simple and often missed.
See how we work with high net worth individuals.
Property investors
Whether to hold personally or through a company, the section 24 finance cost restriction, the 60-day capital gains reporting deadline on residential disposals, and ATED where a company holds UK residential property worth over £500,000, including the annual Relief Declaration Return that let property still needs even when no tax is due. Landlords whose property and self-employment income was over £50,000 in 2024/25 have had to keep digital records and send quarterly updates under Making Tax Digital for Income Tax since 6 April 2026; from 6 April 2027 the threshold falls to £30,000.
Client example
An Altrincham couple were selling a buy-to-let flat held in the husband’s sole name, with a gain of £120,000 and capital gains tax of £28,080 at his 24% rate. The flat was mortgage-free, so before contracts were exchanged he gave half of it outright to his wife. That was a no gain, no loss transfer between spouses living together under section 58 TCGA 1992, and she received half of the sale proceeds. She had no other taxable income that year, so her annual exempt amount and her full basic rate band applied to her half of the gain. The tax fell to £25,098, a saving of about £3,000, and we filed both 60-day UK property returns on time. Most of the tax planning we do for Altrincham clients looks like this: a small step, taken before the sale or the year end.
Consultants and contractors
We advise on IR35 status, on whether to work through your own limited company or an umbrella company, and on taking money out efficiently once you have chosen.
These are the conversations we have most often in Altrincham, but we act for businesses of every kind.
Bookkeeping, management accounts and year-end accounts in Altrincham
We keep the books for Altrincham businesses on Xero, QuickBooks or Sage and produce monthly management accounts showing margin, cash and performance against budget, so decisions are made on current numbers. See our outsourced bookkeeping and management accounts services.
At the year end we prepare your statutory accounts and file the corporation tax return (CT600) with HMRC, and we prepare Self Assessment tax returns for directors, landlords and higher earners, so the company and personal figures are planned together.
Services for Altrincham businesses and individuals
- Year-end accounts
- Corporation tax returns including CT600 filing
- Bookkeeping
- Monthly management accounts
- VAT registration, returns and MTD compliance
- Payroll, P11Ds and auto-enrolment
- Self Assessment for directors, landlords and higher earners
- Making Tax Digital for Income Tax for landlords and sole traders
- Personal tax planning including the personal allowance taper
- Capital gains tax and 60-day property returns
- ATED returns for company-held residential property
- IR35 status reviews
- Proactive tax planning reviewed by a Chartered Tax Adviser
- HMRC enquiry and investigation support
Tax planning and tax advisers in Altrincham
We plan tax for Altrincham business owners, landlords and higher earners ahead of the year end, while there is still time to act. Your first meeting is free and there is no obligation. Call 0161 303 0610 or book online.
Frequently asked questions about accountants in Altrincham
Do you have an office in Altrincham?
No, and we would rather say so plainly than imply otherwise. We work with Altrincham clients by video call and by visiting them at their own premises. Our Manchester office is at Phoenix House, 2 Huddersfield Road, Stalybridge SK15 2QA. In practice, whether your accountant is qualified in tax matters far more than how close their office is.
I earn just over £100,000. Is there anything worth doing?
Usually yes. Between £100,000 and £125,140 of adjusted net income the personal allowance is withdrawn, creating an effective 60% rate. Pension contributions and Gift Aid both reduce adjusted net income and can restore it. Pension contributions must be paid by 5 April. A Gift Aid donation made after 5 April can be treated as made in the previous tax year if you make it and claim it on that year’s return before you file, no later than 31 January, and you paid enough tax that year to cover it.
Should I hold my rental properties in a company?
It depends on your marginal rate, whether you need the income to live on, how many properties you hold and how long you plan to keep them. From 6 April 2027, rental profits you hold personally are taxed at separate property rates of 22%, 42% and 47% in England and Northern Ireland, and in Wales unless the Welsh Government sets different rates (section 7 Finance Act 2026). That is two points above the main rates and shifts the comparison for many landlords. Scotland will set its own property rates. Incorporating an existing portfolio also has capital gains and stamp duty consequences. We model it properly rather than giving a general answer.
Can you advise on IR35?
Yes. We review your contract and how you actually work, and give you a written view on whether IR35 applies and what to do next. If your client is a medium or large business, it decides your status and must give you a status determination statement with its reasons; we can review that statement with you and help you challenge it if it is wrong.
Do you handle both my company and my personal tax?
Yes, and for most director clients we would recommend it. The two positions affect each other and splitting them between firms usually costs money.
How much do you charge?
We charge a fixed monthly fee, agreed in advance. It is based on the services you need and, for a business, on its size.
Can you take over from my current accountant?
Yes, at any point in the year. We write for professional clearance and manage the handover. See how to change accountants.
What if HMRC opens an enquiry into my return?
We handle it as part of our HMRC enquiry and investigation support. Our team includes professionals who have worked inside HMRC, so we know how enquiries are run from the other side and where HMRC’s position is weak.
What clients say about Merit on Google
“They flag things before we’ve even thought to ask, which is something we’ve never experienced with an accountant before.”
Farz B., Google review
“They quickly understand complex matters, explain them in straightforward terms and provide practical, commercially sound solutions tailored to our needs.”
Zyba K., Google review
“Every year they are prompt and responsive, even reminding us when our filings and VAT reports are due.”
DanRaw Stores, Google review
“They are a highly professional, knowledgeable team and a true pleasure to work with.”
Liana T., Google review
“The team go above and beyond to deliver the best service and are always striving to find ways to improve the business position.”
Vardan F., Google review