Rated as 'better than other accountants' by 98% of our clients - we're working hard to convince the other 2%. 20 years of outstanding customer services.

Contractor accountants London

SJD Accountancy is the UK's largest firm of contractor accountants providing tax advice to over 11,000 contractors, all of whom work through their own Limited company.

We have offices across London and in all major UK cities and have won more awards for customer service and accounting excellence than any other firm in the contractor accountant sector, including three Accountancy Age Awards, five Contractor UK 'Best Contractor Accountant' reader Awards and two National Customer Service Awards.

What's more, all clients receive their own dedicated accountant which they can meet face to face, call and email, tax is complicated, so it's comforting to know you can actually meet your accountant if you need to (unlike call centre based companies) and despite being the UK's largest accountants for contractors, we remain one of the lowest priced at just £110 plus VAT per month.

Specialist accountant, local high street accountant or telephone/internet only accountant?

The first thing contractors usually think of when looking for an accountant is to find a local ‘high street’ company, but they are rarely specialist contractor accountants, so may not have knowledge of specific schemes which can benefit you as a contractor.

There are also telephone only and internet based contractor accountants, however we have always felt it's far better for clients to have their own accountant that they can meet up with even if it's just once a year to discuss their business and personal financial goals. Tax is complicated and sometimes there is simply no substitute to meeting with your accountant face to face. Your accountant needs to understand your goals and to be able to provide the highest level of tax advice, something we just don't feel can be archived purely via a telephone/internet only relationship. Sure we could cut costs and reduce fees by closing offices and going telephone/internet only but this would ultimately reduce the level of service we provide. It's also interesting that most telephone and internet only companies aren't really that much cheaper anyway.

If you have any questions about contracting or would like any further advice please either contact your SJD Accountant, call our new client services helpdesk on 0500 152500 / 01442 275789 or email jaime.thorpe@sjdaccountancy.com.

If you're just starting out contracting in London, find below a few details which you might find helpful.

Contracting in London

As one of the world’s most vibrant and visited capital cities, London needs little introduction. At the last count, more than 3.7m people were working in the capital – and if you like city living, it’s clear to see the appeal. With its mix of shopping, leisure activities, culture, open spaces and of course job opportunities, some would say there’s nowhere else like it on earth. And they would be right!

London remains the UK's largest contractor hub with more contractors and contractor vacancies than any other UK city – and major industries that include IT and Telecoms, Hospitality and Tourism and Retail. However Finance and Banking is probably one of the largest, with many of the leading UK, European and US banks having large offices in the City. Barclays, Goldman Sachs, Societe Generale, Coutts, Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas, Standard Chartered, Citibank, Comerzbank and JP Morgan to name but a few.

Typical rates of pay for contractors in London do vary depending on individual skill-sets, but as an example, an IT Contractor could expect to earn between £450 and £500 per day on average, whilst a non-IT or less specialist contractor is probably looking at around the £350 to £400 mark, however rates can be as high as £1,000 per day!

Most UK-wide recruitment agencies carry numerous London-based contractor jobs, so they should be pretty easy to track down. Try all the usual options and then search for the area of London and the industry sector that you are interested in. There are also some London-specific job sites such as IT Jobs in London. It’s also worth keeping an eye out in the local papers, and there are quite a few to choose from, but the best read ones are probably the Evening Standard, City AM and the Metro. Many of these also have useful and informative websites.

There are a few pros and cons to working in London. On the downside, some people think it’s ‘impersonal and unfriendly’, rents are the highest in the country, there’s the traffic congestion and the congestion charge of course. But on the upside, London offers higher rates of pay than elsewhere in the country, with a wider range of opportunities available, as well as an excellent social life and a great tube, rail and road network.

In general, London is seen as being a city which is beating the recession. In fact, in response to a survey where 90% of firms were questioned, they said they are ‘satisfied with London as a location to do business’. Mayor of London Boris Johnson, commented, "We are working extremely hard to maintain and improve the capital’s reputation as an open, diverse, cosmopolitan city and international companies continuing to locate here play a crucial role. I applaud them for their continued confidence and, in turn, will ensure that we continue to set the benchmark as the most successful, sustainable and prosperous world city."

For information on other regional contracting guides, see the links below (we will be adding more guides over time):

Contractor Accountants Reading
Contractor Accountants Manchester
Contractor Accountants Birmingham
Contractor Accountants Newcastle
Contractor Accountants Milton Keynes
Contractor Accountants Leeds
Contractor Accountants Aberdeen
Contractor Accountants Glasgow
Contractor Accountants Edinburgh
Contractor Accountants Bristol

Our main Contactor Accountant office in London

SJD Accountancy
12th Floor,
30 Crown Place,
London,
EC2A 2AL

Our meeting points across London

	SJD Accountancy Floor 1, 338 Euston Road, Regents Place North West London NW1 3BT
	SJD Accountancy Floor 1 3 More London Riverside South East London, SE1 2RE
	SJD Accountancy, Floor 29, One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5DY
	SJD Accountancy 1 Liverpool Street, London, EC2M 7QD

SJD Accountancy

SJD Accountancy are the UK's largest specialist provider of fixed fee, limited company accountancy services to contractors; we've been acting for contractors across the UK since 1992 and have more than 11,000 clients.

We are the only National specialist firm of accountants with offices in all major UK cities so you’ll never be far from your accountant. SJD also have more qualified staff than any other firm in our market with qualifications from the following major tax and accountancy bodies - ATII, ATT, ACCA, CA, ACA, FCCA, ACMA. You’ll also be pleased to know that we are one of the lowest priced as well.

Free face-to-face meetings. This is another unique service, only SJD offers free face to face meetings - tax is complicated and sometimes only a meeting will do.
Unlimited access to your own dedicated accountant. No call centres, no outsourcing, no automated call handling. Simply telephone, e-mail or meet your own dedicated accountant face to face.
Money back service guarantee. All your telephone calls and e-mails will be answered the same day or we will refund your monthly fee's.
Outstanding reputation. We have won more awards for customer service and accountancy excellence than any other firm in our market.
All inclusive low cost monthly package which includes completion of accounts, payroll bureau, dividends and corporation tax computations, personal taxation, free bookkeeping software, unlimited access to your accountant and all company returns. All this for a fixed monthly fee of £110 plus VAT, which is one of the lowest prices in the market.

If you have any questions about contracting or would like any further advice please either contact your SJD Accountant or call our new client services helpdesk on 0500 152500 / 01442 275789 or email: nikki.hanlon@sjdaccountancy.com.

Appoint SJD Accountancy and never worry about your tax or accountancy affairs again!

You may also find the following pages, guides and case studies useful:

Take home pay calculator - How much could you be taking home
Contractor FAQ - All your frequently asked questions and their answers
First time Contracting or Freelancing? - A summary of the alternatives along with pros and cons
Choosing an accountant - For a full review
Step-by-step Guide to Contracting - Download a FREE copy of our guide
Limited or Umbrella? Can't decide? - We help you decide which is best for you
Guide to Contracting - All the best guides to contracting in one place
Expenses Guide - Know exactly what you can claim
Umbrella company guide - Everything you ever wanted to know about umbrella company services
IR35 Guide - A great plain English guide to IR35