Sole traders
Clear records, Self Assessment support, and practical help staying compliant without the deadline scramble.
Hull & East Yorkshire bookkeeping
Numbers brought back into order, without making your business feel small.
If the books have gotten away from you, you're not alone. Books In Order keeps your records current, your returns filed on time, and gives your accountant something useful to work with at year-end.
AAT Licensed Accountant with over 17 years across practice and industry.
Who we support
Finance support that fits the way you actually work.
Limited companies
Well-structured bookkeeping that gives your accountant a smoother year-end handover.
Start ups
Software, systems, and habits set up properly from the start of the business journey.
Good bookkeeping should tell you something useful — not just keep HMRC happy.
Most business owners aren't short of effort. They're short of time to properly sort the books. Books In Order keeps things organised so you know what's going on, not just what's owed.
Records that make sense
Up-to-date books that work for VAT, year-end, and day-to-day decisions — not just a pile of data handed to the accountant once a year.
Numbers you can use
Reports that tell you something specific: not just that you made a profit, but where from, what costs are creeping up, and what to watch.
Someone who knows the business
A contact who knows your accounts before a deadline looms — not one you have to brief from scratch every January.
Our services
Six services. One consistent contact. No bill surprises.
Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping that's actually current — not a catch-up at year-end. Regular work that keeps you on top of what's owed, what you've spent, and how the business is really doing.
How it works
VAT Returns
VAT returns prepared using MTD-compliant software and submitted on time. If the underlying records need tidying first, that's included — not billed separately.
VAT support
Management Accounts
Monthly or quarterly reports that tell you what's actually happening — income, costs, profit, and what to pay attention to. No jargon, no raw spreadsheets to decode.
See reporting
Self Assessment
Tax returns for sole traders — prepared from your records, checked properly, and submitted. Includes Final Declaration support for MTD where it applies to you.
SA support
MTD ITSA
Getting you ready for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: digital records, quarterly updates to HMRC, compatible software set up, and end-of-year finalisation done properly.
MTD support
Software Set Up & Training
Xero set up around the way you actually work, with training until you feel confident using it. Can also work with other platforms if you're already mid-way through something.
Software setupFind the right support
Not sure what you actually need? Most clients aren't, at first.
Some start with bookkeeping and add reporting once the records are clean. Some just need help getting MTD-ready before April. It usually becomes clear in a first call — no prep required.
By need
Get records organised
Bookkeeping, bank reconciliations, coding, receipt capture, and clean-up work.
BookkeepingSee performance clearly
Management accounts, cashflow forecasts, budgets, and plain-English commentary.
ReportingStay digitally compliant
VAT returns, MTD ITSA preparation, quarterly updates, and cloud software setup.
MTD supportBy business
Sole traders
Self Assessment, digital records, practical bookkeeping, and support around deadlines.
Start a chatLimited companies
Structured records, useful reporting, and smooth handover for year-end accounts.
See servicesStart ups
Cloud software, clean processes, and training so the setup works from day one.
Software setupHow it works — from first call to sorted books.
It usually starts with a 20-minute phone call. From there, things move quickly. Most clients are up and running within a week of that first conversation.
First call
Talk through your business, what's in place already, what's not, and what's feeling heavy. No prep needed.
Records review
We check what's already there — whether records need a clean-up, which software will help, and what the monthly work actually involves.
Fixed monthly fee
Services are quoted based on what's actually needed. Where possible it's a fixed monthly figure — no invoice surprises.
Year-round support
Regular bookkeeping, reporting where needed, and a direct contact who knows your accounts before a deadline arrives.
The work in practice.
Bookkeeping
Clean books. A calm, no-surprises year-end.
Whether you want weekly, monthly, or quarterly help, Books In Order keeps your books up to date so you stay compliant and on track.
Sales, purchases, payments
Sales and purchase invoices, supplier payment schedules, customer and supplier ledgers, overdue balances, credit control follow-ups, and payment platforms including PayPal, Stripe, Square, and GoCardless.
Bank reconciliations
Bank, credit card, loan, petty cash, and payment account reconciliations, plus discrepancy checks between bookkeeping records and statements.
Records, coding, month end
Correct chart-of-accounts coding, VAT categories, receipt capture, accruals, prepayments, month-end close, accountant review packs, clean-up work, and everyday finance queries.
Management Accounts
Understand performance before year end.
Management accounts are regular financial reports — usually monthly or quarterly — that show income, costs, profit and loss, and what's really happening beyond your bank balance. Not a year-end summary. A running picture.
If your records aren't up to date, Books In Order can review, clean up, and organise them first so the reporting actually means something.
Cashflow Forecasts & Budgeting
Plan ahead with confidence.
Cashflow forecasting shows you future money in, money out, and bank balance — so you're not guessing when a quiet month or a big payment is coming. Budgeting gives you a plan for spending, hiring, pricing, and investment.
Actual performance can then be compared against the budget as the year goes on, so differences show up early enough to do something about them.
VAT Returns & MTD ITSA
Digital tax support without the acronym fog.
VAT Returns
VAT returns prepared using MTD-compliant software and submitted on time — with your underlying records kept accurate throughout, not just tidied up before each deadline.
MTD ITSA
MTD for Income Tax Self Assessment means keeping digital records and sending quarterly updates to HMRC, followed by an end-of-year finalisation. It's coming for most sole traders — and it's easier to prepare now than to scramble later.
Current thresholds
- April 2026 income over £50,000
- April 2027 income over £30,000
- April 2028 income over £20,000
Thresholds are based on turnover, not profit. Guidance was accurate on the source site at publication in May 2026.
Software Set Up & Training
Cloud accounting that fits how you actually run your business.
Software Set Up and Training for small businesses.
Cloud accounting means your bank transactions feed in automatically, receipts can be snapped on your phone, and your bookkeeper can work on the same data in real time — no emailing spreadsheets back and forth.
Books In Order works primarily with Xero but can support other platforms if you're already using something and don't want to switch.
- Receipt capture by phone
- Live bank feeds
- Real-time dashboard
Meet Abi
17 years in accounts — practice, industry, and a lot in between.
I started in an accountancy practice in Hull, worked through my AAT and ACCA, and then spent years in food manufacturing in management and financial accounting roles — the kind of in-house job where you're expected to know the numbers properly, not just file them.
Books In Order came from wanting to give small business owners the same clear picture of their finances that I was building inside larger companies. Without the corporate overhead, and without making it feel more complicated than it needs to be.
"I want to be the person you call in March, not just in January."
17 years of the real thing
Not just bookkeeping theory. Experience from an accountancy practice in Hull, food manufacturing finance roles, and everything in between — so the work is built around what accountants actually need, not just what's technically compliant.
Books built to actually use
Records coded correctly from the start, so VAT, year-end, and management accounts all come from the same clean data. Your accountant gets something useful. You get something you can understand.
No January-only service
You'll have a direct contact for questions year-round — not a ticketing system, not a different person each time. If something looks off in October, you'll hear about it in October.
Resources
Short reads on the things clients ask about most.
Your questions, answered
Clear answers before you get started.
What makes you different from a regular bookkeeper?
Abi's worked on both sides — accountancy practice and in-house finance. That means the books aren't just kept tidy for HMRC. They're structured so your accountant has something useful to work with, and you can actually understand what's going on in your own business.
What's it actually like to work with you?
Straightforward and consistent. You'll have a direct email and number — it's not a support queue. If something looks wrong with a VAT figure or a transaction doesn't add up, you'll hear about it before it becomes a problem, not after.
What's the difference between a bookkeeper and an accountant?
A bookkeeper keeps the day-to-day records current and spots issues early. An accountant takes that information and uses it for year-end accounts, tax returns, and formal advice. The two work best together — and it helps enormously if the bookkeeper already knows what the accountant needs.
Do you do payroll or company accounts?
Books In Order focuses on bookkeeping, management accounts, VAT, Self Assessment for sole traders, and software setup. For payroll, corporation tax, limited company accounts, and complex tax matters, we'll point you towards someone who specialises in exactly that — and make the handover easy.
Can you work with me if I'm not in Hull?
Yes — most of the work is done in the cloud anyway. We're based in Hull but work with clients further afield by Zoom, phone, WhatsApp, or email. It's rarely an issue once you're set up on cloud accounting software.
How does pricing work?
It depends on transaction volume, what needs doing, and how often. After a first conversation you'll get a straight quote — and where possible, it's a fixed monthly figure so there are no surprises when the invoice arrives.
Get in touch
It starts with a conversation. No prep needed, no commitment.
Drop a message below or reach out directly. A first call usually takes about 20 minutes and tells you everything you need to know about whether it's a good fit.