Practice Overview
As you would expect from a substantial, top 30 firm of Chartered Accountants, a significant part of our business is delivering cost-effective and added value audit services for our clients.
Our audit clients range from listed companies to small but growing private companies and we also have a specialist team providing audit services to over 500 not for profit organisations. Our specialist sector knowledge such as real estate and financial services is of particular value.
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Large companies
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Small companies and owner managed businesses
- Not for profit organisations
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Pension funds
Business tax
Flexible service
We recognise that clients are different and that the way they wish to work with us may vary so we do not impose inflexible working practices on them. Some clients adopt a ‘pick and mix’ approach and use haysmacintyre alongside other advisers. We remain sensitive of the particular needs of organisations and their senior executives and do all we can to remain flexible and responsive and to forge strong and close working relationships - whether clients prefer a ‘single point of contact’ or a ‘speak direct to the specialist’ approach.
Our business tax services provide the transactional advice and innovative planning essential to commercial organisations together with the compliance support necessary to relieve the regulatory burden.
We provide a comprehensive planning and advisory service which covers all areas of business tax; this ensures your tax charge is managed and tax in other areas of your business affecting shareholders' wealth and employee benefits is minimised.
The provision of an efficient and cost effective compliance service assures you that all the fiscal obligations of your business are met so that your time is released to the benefit of your business.
Corporate finance
Whether your business is a relatively new and small venture or a long established, larger company the haysmacintyre corporate finance team is keen to provide the appropriate corporate finance advice and services. Our small caps team works closely with the corporate finance team to provide the ongoing accountancy, financial and management support to newly listed companies.
Our services
Our partners take time to learn about your personal and business objectives, to explain the various options and possibilities and their relative advantages and disadvantages and to guide you through the relevant process. We then provide both advisory and transaction support services as required. The haysmacintyre corporate finance team can provide support through an entire corporate finance project or we can undertake projects for specific elements as required.
We provide a full range of corporate finance services, so please contact us if we can be of assistance. Included below is a list of the various services we can offer:
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Acquisitions
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AIM
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Debt finance
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Directors investment advice
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Disposals
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Due diligence
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Financial reporting and management systems
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Flotations
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International transactions
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IPOs (Initial Public Offerings)
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Management buy-outs (MBOs) and buy-ins (MBIs)
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Mergers
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Plus market
- Private equity
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Raising finance
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Taxation
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Valuations
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For other corporate finance professionals
Financial planning
To enhance our service offering to our clients there are situations where we need to be able to provide financial services advice in addition to our core services. We therefore provide personal and corporate financial planning and employee benefits services as a trading name of Helm Godfrey Partners Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
haysmacintyre financial planning is committed to its clients. Because we are independent, we are able to select and tailor our advice to precise individual or corporate objectives making every solution bespoke.
Our philosophy is to provide a financial strategy that will achieve your ultimate objectives. This begins with an in-depth review of your current financial position, assessing current assets, liabilities, income and expenditure.
All our advisers have obtained industry qualifications, guaranteeing that the advice you receive adheres to the highest standards of professional integrity and client service.
Personal advice
Individuals across the full spectrum of financial planning products and services are offered advice including:
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Investment and Portfolio Management
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Tax, Trust and Estate Planning
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Pensions and Retirement Planning
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Protection - Life Assurance/Critical Illness/Private Health
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Savings
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Long Term Care
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Mortgages
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School Fees
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Business advice and Employee Benefits Consultancy
Businesses and the owners of businesses could benefit from our corporate pensions and business consultancy services:
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Protecting your key employees
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Shareholder and partnership protection
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Succession planning and exit strategies
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MBO/MBI advice
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Pension planning for executives and business owners
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Employee benefits consultancy including flexible benefits and pre/post retirement advice
- Establishing and reviewing employee benefits programmes as a function of reward and remuneration strategies, including:
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Group pensions and Stakeholder schemes
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Group risk including death in service life assurance and disability/income replacement schemes
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Group private medical and dental schemes
haysmacintyre financial planning team
Our team has complete awareness of the full range of products and services in the marketplace, and the latest taxation and legislative changes which may affect your circumstances.
As a haysmacintyre financial planning client, you will benefit from:
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A regular review of your financial position
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Valuations upon request and automatically at any review point
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Regular updates on relevant financial planning opportunities
Personal tax and trusts
Our personal tax advisory services embrace a broad range of financial planning and wealth management services to meet the needs of all private clients including those with business interests as well as fiscal and high net worth individuals and families. These include advice on estate planning, asset protection, retirement planning and the mitigation of taxable gains.
Our personal tax assurance services range from simple tax compliance through to complex trusts and estates. The efficient management of the compliance burden and mitigation of tax liabilities are fundamental concerns when carrying out our assurance services.
We also have experience in advising on a range of income and capital gains tax mitigation schemes.
VAT
Our VAT team includes experienced professionals who have built a strong reputation based on negotiating with the authorities and advising on complex transactions. We ensure that our advice is comprehensible and practical, as well as technically accurate; and we work with you to ensure the result suits your needs and resources, and is properly implemented.
How we can help
Implementation is what we at haysmacintyre pride ourselves on. We help and we do. We work with you to ensure you realise the benefits you want for your organisation. We don’t just give the route map, we travel there with you. We understand VAT law, but we also understand feasibility, commerciality, our client’s organisation, and what the client wants to achieve from the exercise. We are not here to carry out a research project. We are here to help.
Cost and value
Making sure advice is implemented is the only way to eliminate wasted cost and obtain value for money. Advice which produces no results means a wasted fee. But many clients believe the fees entailed in obtaining help will be very high.
You need not suffer escalating fees in order to receive a helping hand. In a sector where fees can be fairly daunting, haysmacintyre maintains highly competitive rates of charge. We are also prepared to tell you why that is the case.
Our policy is to employ VAT specialists with considerable experience. Although we develop people through good training, we do not charge you for on the job training, and overcoming a steep learning curve.
Our quality assurance system does not involve adding further to your fees. Our use of experienced people allows us to ensure you only pay for the time of that person.
haysmacintyre is highly successful at controlling costs and overheads, allowing the benefit to be passed on to you in the form of competitive charge out rates.
Experience
We can advise on all areas of VAT, but we have particular expertise in the following:
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Property and construction
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The not-for-profit sector
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Arts and sport
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International services
Internal audits
Internal audits are an important tool in bringing an objective, systematic and disciplined approach to assess and improve the effectiveness of control, risk management and governance within an organisation.
An internal audit can address a wide range of operational procedures that are critical to your organisation’s success.
By using internal auditors with experience of organisations like your own, you will benefit from their accumulated knowledge of the common areas requiring review and from their investment in systems and procedures to do this efficiently.
haysmacintyre has assisted a number of organisations with their internal audits and has advised on numerous specific topics:
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Risk
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Financial systems and controls
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Regulatory compliance
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Management reporting
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Governance
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Taxation
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Employment
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Property
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Fundraising
- Information technology
As a result of being one of the leading advisers to the not for profit sector, haysmacintyre has an enormous wealth of external and internal audit expertise which it has used to develop a series of specialist reports.
These reports can be quickly and easily tailored to the particular needs of each client – whether they are large or small, experienced or new to the internal auditing process.
The reports are structured in such a way as to highlight significant findings and recommendations with easy access to the more detailed information.
This saves valuable time and provides clear guidance for Trustees and management on what needs to happen to improve the area under review.
Company Secretarial
Through our dedicated company secretarial department we are able to provide a complete compliance service together with registered office, nominee director and company secretary facilities. Our advisory service covers all aspects of Company Law including specific advice on more complex matters as required.
The company secretarial department provides a full range of company secretarial services that are designed to ensure compliance with statutory obligations and avoid the risk of penalties and prosecution. The services can be delivered either as specialist 'one-off' advice or assignments or, more typically, as ongoing annual compliance support. We aim to deliver a tailor-made solution best suited to particular needs.
Qualified and experienced professionals, who specialise in company procedures and relevant statutory compliance, staff the department. It serves clients of all sizes ranging from entrepreneurs and fledgling companies to publicly listed companies and their subsidiaries, limited liability partnerships, companies limited by guarantee and off-shore entities. Our knowledge of company legislation releases clients from this administrative burden allowing directors and proprietors of businesses to devote more time to what they are good at - developing their businesses.
We can undertake the full range of company secretarial duties, either on behalf of a client or as a reliable support service for a client's in-house secretarial function. In addition, haysmacintyre Company Secretaries Limited can act as the appointed company secretary for UK registered companies.
Our services include:
Registration of new companies (UK and overseas (through our network of affiliated offices)) and re-registration and change of name.
We will attend to all the formalities associated with incorporating a new company, re-registering a company from private to public (and vice versa) or effecting a company's change of name. Some restrictions are imposed on the acceptability of a proposed company name. We will advise on any likely 'sensitive' words and restrictions and check at Companies House on whether there are any existing similar names.
The Memorandum and Articles of Association of a company regulate how that company can operate. We can advise on the most appropriate share capital structure and tailor the constitution accordingly, including preparing all requisite documentation.
Registered office facility at a prestigious London address
A registered office is the address of a company to which all official and statutory letters and reminders will always be sent. A registered office need not be the same address as the company's principal place of business but must be located in the same jurisdiction as that of the company's incorporation.
Maintenance of statutory registers and records:
We will maintain and update client company registers on a secure database. The registers will be provided in hard copy, as and when requested.
Preparation and filing of all returns:
We will prepare and file the client company annual return each year on a client's behalf ensuring that the filing deadline is met. We will also notify the client each year in advance of the annual accounts filing deadline, sending all necessary documentation to ensure the accounts are filed timely and efficiently.
Nominee director and secretary facility:
Every incorporated company must have formally appointed company officers at all times. These officers are director and secretary. A private limited company must maintain at least one director and one secretary. A sole director cannot also serve as secretary. We can provide corporate officers to fill these positions for those clients who do not have a second person available or who wish to maintain anonymity.
Assistance with board and shareholder meetings:
We will, upon request, prepare all paperwork relating to structural changes in a company including, amongst other things, changes in officers, share transfers and allotments and accounting reference date. We will advise a client, if applicable, when the annual general meeting is due and provide all necessary documentation for signing, including circulating to shareholders. Alternatively, we can prepare documentation for the adoption of Elective Resolutions dispensing with various formalities, including the holding of an annual general meeting. If required we can attend any meetings in an advisory capacity.
Share capital reorganisation, purchase of own shares and other specialist transactions:
We can provide professional advice and assistance on practical aspects of company law and complex issues such as share restructuring, pre-emption provisions, bonus and rights issues, and purchase of own shares. We can also provide advice on the legal requirements governing company stationery.
Company striking off and restoration:
We will prepare all the necessary documentation for signing and statutory filing, ensuring any filing deadlines are adhered to.
Due diligence:
We can undertake a comprehensive review of a company's statutory registers and filing history to ensure the company is in compliance with legislation.
Company and company officer searches:
We are frequently instructed to perform a transactional role, ensuring that the statutory compliance requirements in relation to any particular transaction are identified, and dealing with all the filings and notifications that can so often be overlooked.
The department uses 'Blueprint' company secretarial software to maintain and operate each client's statutory records on our computer system. This facility enables immediate access to and automated updating of all registers and record.
Recognising that client instructions are frequently time-sensitive we undertake to deal with matters in an efficient and courteous manner.
Consultancy
Special advice on a wide range of commercial, management and financial situations facing companies, not for profit organizations and individuals.
As a relatively large firm of Chartered Accountants and tax advisers with large and small clients in the private and public corporate world, the charity and not for profit market and private individuals you would expect our partners and managers to have encountered most types of business situations and financial questions.
Subsequently, we are able to provide advice and support in these special situations that sometimes arise as a result of an unusual opportunity, challenge or threat facing an organization or an individual.
One of our partners will have a confidential conversation to listen to your needs and offer immediate advice if at all possible. Where the matter is more complex and requires further analysis, investigation or negotiation we will identify the key elements and propose a fixed fee or a monthly retainer for the work.
The range of consultancy projects we tackle is diverse. However, to provide a flavour of just some of the situations where we have helped:
Corporate
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Assessing financial crises
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Establishing internal audit functions
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Finding potential purchasers of assets or businesses
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Negotiating with banks and other providers of funds
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Sensitive human resource matters
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Supporting major projects where financial reporting issues are critical
Not for profit
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Advising on charity mergers and integration
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Assessing the potential to raise funds using surplus assets
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Management cover during crises
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Selection of senior executive
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Private individuals
Identifying appropriate professional advisers (lawyers, financial planners etc)
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Helping younger generations cope with running the family estate
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Rationalising complex personal and business portfolios
Employer support
haysmacintyre has a dedicated team to assist with a variety of compliance and other issues relating to employers. In addition to a core team of employment tax specialists, we have other specialists to call upon for help in this fast moving and increasingly complex area. Employers find we can provide a total service – managing all aspects of the administration and liaison with HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs) – or assisting with periodic system reviews or ad-hoc challenges or problems.
We can assist with the following:
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Strategic advice
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Corporate transaction support
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Expatriate and international employees
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Employment status
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Termination payments
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Day to day payroll services
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Year end and PAYE returns
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PAYE and P11D healthchecks
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HMR&C inspections and investigations
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Construction industry scheme (CIS)
Information technology
Both corporate and not for profit organisations often find themselves in need of pragmatic and affordable advice and help on information technology matters from professional people who understand their strategic and operational needs.
This is more likely to be the case for organisations with between 1 and 150 technology users – where the in-house expertise and support may be limited or stretched and where there is concern about the impartiality of systems and software providers.
These organisations often reach a point where their reactive approach to adding new technology and systems to keep pace with changes in the business may result in a crisis. Systems either become unreliable or reach their maximum capacity. Sometimes, a disaster occurs that reveals that network infrastructure, system security, virus protection, data integrity, user training or back ups are inadequate to support ongoing operations.
At times like these, the senior management of an organisation will want fast, expert and pragmatic advice – from an experienced and impartial but reputable source. They will want to speak to people who understand their strategic and operational concerns and who can source solutions to the most complex technological issues without jargon or a fuss. We believe that this is where haysmacintyre IT Consultants Limited can be of assistance.
Our experienced team – Our team combines many years of active business and accounting experience with leading edge technology skills in the areas of Microsoft systems, networking, security, systems purchasing and project management as well as numerous business applications.
Best practice - We have built up a considerable knowledge of best practice whole systems approaches. As a result of our work on Microsoft based systems, we were selected to be a Windows Vista participant in Microsoft’s recent Technology Adoption Program.
Independent - As we do not sell hardware or software we are truly independent. This is reassuring to organisations faced with significant project costs and a choice between competing suppliers.
Sector expertise - as part of a leading accountancy practice we are familiar with the business practices and likely technology, network and systems needs of a variety of different sizes and types of organisation.
Work undertaken recently includes:
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configuration and installation of a new ICT system for a property company, encompassing remote access, voicemail and infrastructure optimisation
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IT systems security health checks for a number of not for profit organisations
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development of a sector specific electronic membership database
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creation of a best practice ICT infrastructure for haysmacintyre supporting 150 users, a range of Microsoft applications, 30 business specific applications, remote access providing near 24/7 availability and a converged voice and data communications system
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design and project management of major internal software systems.
Outsourcing
Our business support team provides you with day to day accounting support ranging from bookkeeping to overseeing and managing your accounts function, using the services of our other specialist teams to ensure a complete accounting and tax service is provided.
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