Northern Ireland · Northern Ireland
Accountants in Carrickfergus
If you run a business or have a tax return to file in Carrickfergus, this page lists what we do, what it costs and when it is due. The fees are fixed and identical to those for every other place in Northern Ireland. We serve Carrickfergus remotely, which means no travel, no appointments and no premises to pay for, and we track the HMRC and Companies House deadlines so that you do not have to.
Next deadlines
- VAT return and payment for the quarter that ended last month
- VAT return and payment for the quarter that ended last month
- VAT return and payment for the quarter that ended last month
- Confirmation statement due within 14 days of your review date, at least once every 12 months
Services
What we do for Carrickfergus and what it costs
All 26 services below are available to Carrickfergus clients at the published fee. Every fee is fixed and confirmed in writing before work starts.
Why IGI
Working with Carrickfergus businesses
Clients in Carrickfergus are not a branch or a territory to us; they are files handled by the same team that serves the rest of the UK, at the same price. The fee you see is confirmed in writing before work starts. The dates you see are diarised and chased. And the person who prepares your first return is the person who prepares the next one.
A named person handles your self assessment tax returns from Carrickfergus and knows the file, so you are not re-explaining your business to a different helpdesk each time.
We serve Carrickfergus remotely by design: records by WhatsApp or email, drafts back for approval, filing electronic. The saving on premises is passed to you in the fee for self assessment tax returns.
Nothing for Carrickfergus is left to the last week. Each deadline relevant to self assessment tax returns is tracked from the day you join, with the next four shown on every page we send you.
Local facts
About Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus sits in Northern Ireland, postcode district BT38. Tax for Northern Ireland businesses and individuals matches the rest of the UK in almost every respect: UK income tax bands, UK National Insurance, UK Corporation Tax, Stamp Duty Land Tax. The exception is VAT on goods, where the Windsor Framework arrangements for trade with the Republic of Ireland and the EU create specific rules that online sellers and distributors need handled correctly.
| Place | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Greenisland | 3 mi | W |
| Whitehead | 5 mi | NE |
| Holywood, Northern Ireland | 5 mi | S |
| Newtownabbey | 6 mi | SW |
| Bangor, Northern Ireland | 7 mi | SE |
| Glengormley | 7 mi | SW |
| Ballyclare | 8 mi | W |
| Groomsport | 8 mi | E |
All places in Northern Ireland · Northern Ireland places beginning with C
Worth knowing
Rules that affect most businesses here
The Self Assessment calendar
Self Assessment runs on a fixed annual cycle. Registration by 5 October following the tax year, online filing and payment by 31 January, and a second instalment on 31 July for those making payments on account. The penalties for lateness are automatic and escalate monthly, which is why we file early and chase approvals well before the window closes.
Director's loan accounts
A director's loan account records money moving between a director and the company that is not salary or dividend. If the director owes the company money nine months and one day after the year end, the company pays section 455 tax at 35.75% of the balance, refundable only when the loan is repaid. Loans over £10,000 are also a benefit in kind unless interest is charged at HMRC's official rate.
Salary versus dividends
Paying yourself from a company involves two routes with different tax treatment. Salary through payroll is a company expense and builds a National Insurance record; dividends come from post-tax profit at lower personal rates. Undocumented drawings that are neither become director's loans, with a 35.75% section 455 charge if not repaid within nine months of the year end.
Corporation Tax rates and marginal relief
Corporation Tax is not a flat rate. Profits to £50,000 pay 19%, profits above £250,000 pay 25%, and the band between is taxed at an effective marginal rate of 26.5% through the marginal relief mechanism. Associated companies share the thresholds, which catches directors who own more than one company and is the most common cause of underpaid tax in owner-managed groups.
The VAT registration threshold
The £90,000 VAT threshold is measured over any twelve consecutive months, which is why a strong quarter can tip a business over unexpectedly. Registration must follow within thirty days of the end of the month the threshold was crossed. Below the threshold, voluntary registration is worth considering when customers are VAT-registered businesses and costs carry VAT.
Questions
Questions from Carrickfergus
Why are the fees the same in Carrickfergus as in London?
Because the cost of an accountant is mostly premises and that is a cost we do not have. The work is done online by UK-based staff, so a client in Carrickfergus pays exactly the published fee, as does a client in central London or a Highland village. The fee is confirmed in writing before anything starts.
Which services are available in Carrickfergus?
Every service on this page is available to businesses and individuals in Carrickfergus, at the fee shown. Core compliance work, accounts, tax returns, bookkeeping, VAT, payroll and company formation, is listed with its own local page. Specialist services such as R&D, crypto tax and HMRC enquiry support are national services delivered the same way from anywhere in the UK.
I already have an accountant in Carrickfergus. How hard is it to switch?
It takes about two weeks and costs nothing extra. You authorise us, we write to your current accountant for professional clearance and your records, and we transfer the agent authorisations. We pick up the next filing without a gap. You do not need to wait for a year end, and we tell you honestly if switching mid-job would be awkward.
Can you deal with HMRC and Companies House for me?
Yes. Once you authorise us as your agent, HMRC and Companies House correspond with us about the filings we make for your Carrickfergus business, and we can see your accounts and respond on your behalf. Authorisation is free and takes a few days to activate. Routine correspondence about work we have filed is handled at no extra charge.
Is self assessment tax returns in Carrickfergus really the same price as elsewhere?
Yes. The fee published on this page is what a client in Carrickfergus pays and what a client in any other part of Northern Ireland pays. It is confirmed in writing before work starts and the invoice matches the quote. Where a higher package applies because your situation is more complex, we say so at the quote stage, never afterwards.
Do you have an office in Carrickfergus?
No. IGI Accounting is an online-only firm. We serve Carrickfergus and every other UK postcode remotely, with records sent by WhatsApp or email and everything filed electronically. The absence of local premises is why the fee for self assessment tax returns is the same in Carrickfergus as anywhere else in the country, and why there is nothing to visit and nothing to print.
Fixed fees, filed on time, for Carrickfergus
Tell us what you need. You get one fixed fee in writing, and nothing is filed until you approve it.