Swift Accountants
Listening, Understanding, Advising
Fixed-fee accounting for restaurants, pubs, cafes, takeaways and hotels
Running a hospitality business takes enough of your time without having to chase paperwork, untangle EPOS reports or worry about the next VAT, payroll or tax deadline. Our hospitality accountants support restaurants, pubs, bars, cafes, takeaways, hotels and multi-site operators with bookkeeping, VAT, payroll, tips and service charge support, year-end accounts and practical tax planning.
You receive a dedicated accountant, clear advice in plain English, a secure client portal and a fixed monthly fee agreed around the support your business actually needs. We work remotely with hospitality businesses across the UK, or you can meet us by appointment at our Chester office.
Book a free call — no pressure, no jargon, just clear advice on what your business needs next.
Clear pricing with agreed inclusions before we begin.
Support from someone who gets to know your business.
HMRC and Companies House deadlines kept under control.
No jargon, no judgement, just practical answers.
Upload, approve, message and track progress online.
Hospitality does not stand still. A quiet Tuesday can be followed by a fully booked weekend. Staff hours change, supplier prices move, stock can be wasted and money may reach your bank through several different routes. The accounts have to reflect all of that accurately.
A general year-end service may tell you what happened months ago. Good hospitality accounting gives you a clearer routine throughout the year. Your till reports, bankings, card settlements, delivery-platform payouts, payroll records and supplier costs should work together, so you can understand what the business is earning, what it owes and where profit may be leaking away.
Our role is to bring those moving parts into one organised financial picture and explain it in a way that helps you make decisions.
The total shown by your till will not always be the amount that reaches your bank. Cash takings, card fees, refunds, discounts, vouchers, deposits, tips and delivery-platform commissions can all create differences.
We help reconcile EPOS Z-reports, cash and card splits, bankings, merchant settlements and delivery-app payouts. This makes your VAT figures more dependable and your sales and gross profit reports easier to trust.
VAT treatment may depend on what you supply, whether food is eaten on the premises, whether takeaway food is hot or cold, how delivery is arranged and whether service charges are compulsory or genuinely discretionary.
We keep the underlying sales records clear, review how income is categorised and prepare Making Tax Digital VAT returns that reflect how your business really trades. If you are approaching the VAT threshold, we can help you understand when registration may be required and what it could mean for pricing and cash flow.
Hospitality payroll can involve changing rotas, different rates, overtime, seasonal employees, starters, leavers, statutory payments and workplace pension duties. Tips and service charges add another layer.
We establish a clear process for hours, pay changes and tips records. Where a tronc is used or considered, we can help organise the information needed for accounting and payroll. The aim is accurate pay, timely submissions and no last-minute reconstruction from messages and spreadsheets.
High sales do not automatically mean a healthy profit. Food and drink costs, labour, wastage, utilities, rent, platform commissions and discounting can quickly absorb turnover.
We help turn bookkeeping into clearer visibility over cost of sales, gross profit, labour costs, overheads and cash flow. For multi-site operators, we can also help keep reporting consistent so locations and sales channels can be compared more fairly.
No two venues operate in exactly the same way. An independent cafe with a small team will not need the same service as a hotel, late-night bar or restaurant group.
Our hospitality accountants first understand how you trade, which systems you use, how many people you employ and where the current pressure points are. We then agree a practical service and a fixed monthly fee.
We keep sales, purchases, expenses, bank transactions and supporting records organised throughout the year. This can include reviewing EPOS reports, checking cash and card splits, reconciling merchant payouts, recording delivery-platform income and fees, and collecting supplier invoices and receipts. We can work with an existing bookkeeper or establish a straightforward digital routine using suitable cloud software. You gain figures that make sense and a process your team can maintain during busy periods. For wider all-in-one support, learn more about our small business accountants.
We support VAT registration where required, digital records, return preparation and submission, and questions about how hospitality sales and purchases are recorded. Before preparing the return, we can review information from the till, bank, card providers and delivery platforms. We explain what is due and when so you can plan for payment. If your sales mix changes, you add a takeaway or delivery channel, or you open another venue, we can review how the change affects your accounting routine. Learn more about our VAT Return Services.
Our payroll support can include calculating pay, issuing payslips, processing starters and leavers, submitting Real Time Information to HMRC, statutory payments and workplace pension duties. We agree a clear cut-off and a simple method for sending hours and changes. We can also support records connected with tips, gratuities, service charges and tronc arrangements. Because tax and National Insurance treatment can depend on how the arrangement operates, the process must reflect the facts rather than assumptions. Learn more about our Payroll Services.
For limited companies, we can prepare statutory annual accounts and the Corporation Tax return, explain the result and track the relevant deadlines. We also support Self Assessment for sole traders, partners, directors and other owners where required. When bookkeeping is current, year-end is easier and there is more time to identify missing information, plan for liabilities and resolve questions. We explain what the numbers mean, what is due and what action you need to take next. Find out more about our Limited Company Accountants and Self Assessment Tax Returns services.
Good tax planning means making legitimate decisions early enough for them to be useful. We help owners understand the likely tax position, what money to set aside and how decisions about structure, salary, dividends, drawings, capital expenditure or expansion may affect them. If you are planning a refurbishment, buying equipment or taking another site, discuss the accounting and tax position before committing the money. Advice should support cash flow and commercial goals, not chase a tax saving in isolation. Learn more about our Tax Planning Services.
We keep a timetable for the obligations included in your package. This may cover VAT submissions, payroll reporting, annual accounts, Corporation Tax, Self Assessment and Companies House filings. If HMRC raises a query, we help you understand the request, gather appropriate records and respond within the scope of our engagement. The objective is calm, consistent compliance: accurate records, known deadlines and fewer avoidable surprises. Learn more about our Compliance Services and HMRC audit support.
Swift Accountants supports independent operators, owner-managed businesses, established venues and growing hospitality groups.
Your service is based on the complexity of your business, not simply the label placed above the door.
Restaurants and takeaways may need support with EPOS reconciliation, table-service and delivery sales, platform payouts, supplier invoices, stock, rota payroll, tips, VAT and owner tax planning. We help connect those areas so the financial records reflect what is happening on the floor, in the kitchen and through every ordering channel.
Pubs and bars often combine wet and food sales, events, functions, gaming or entertainment income, deposits and changing staff rotas. We help keep revenue streams, purchases, payroll and VAT records organised while giving owners clearer sight of margins and cash commitments.
Hotels and guest accommodation businesses may have several income streams, including rooms, food and drink, events, deposits and other guest services. We support clear record-keeping, payroll, VAT, year-end accounts and reporting routines that make those activities easier to understand together.
For cafes and coffee shops, transaction volume can be high even when the average sale is small. Eat-in and takeaway sales, card settlements, delivery income, stock, waste and staffing all need a simple, repeatable process. We make the routine manageable and proportionate to the size of the business.
When a business grows beyond one venue, inconsistent coding and processes can make site comparisons unreliable. We help standardise the flow of information and organise reporting across locations, giving owners a clearer view of group performance while keeping each entity or site properly accounted for.
We do not believe a hospitality owner should wait until year-end to discover whether the business has made money.
The exact reporting will depend on your package and the information available, but your accounting records should help answer practical questions such as:
Accounts are not useful simply because they have been filed. They become useful when you understand them early enough to act.
We ask about your venue, legal structure, turnover, employees, VAT position, current software and the support you need. We also listen to what is not working now. You receive a clear explanation of what we recommend and a fixed-fee proposal, without pressure to decide during the call.
If you already have an accountant, we contact them for professional clearance and request the necessary records. We organise the information, confirm responsibilities and set up your secure portal and working routine. Switching and onboarding are free when you appoint Swift for ongoing accounting support.
We agree what you need to provide and when. Depending on your service, this may include EPOS summaries, bank and merchant information, delivery-platform reports, invoices, receipts, payroll changes, tips records and VAT information. Your dedicated accountant tracks the work included in your package, explains upcoming deadlines and answers questions in plain English. You can upload and approve documents through the secure client portal, keeping important records and communication together.
We check what is due, what has already been filed, what records are missing, and what needs attention first.
Once everything is in place, you have a dedicated accountant, clear deadlines, fixed fees and a straightforward way to ask questions whenever you need help.
Many owners first contact us because the relationship with their current accountant has become too distant or reactive.
The accounts may be filed, but questions go unanswered, the business has outgrown its old routine or the owner still does not know where the numbers come from.
At Swift Accountants, you can expect:
If your existing setup works well, we will not tell you to change it for the sake of change.
If there are gaps, we will explain what they are, why they matter and what a better process would look like.
Learn more About Swift Accountants and our local accountants in Chester.
Choosing an accountant is a decision built on trust. Swift Accountants supports businesses across the UK, and our public Google reviews regularly mention responsive communication, practical advice, reliable support and an approachable team.
We do not believe in filling a specialist page with unrelated testimonials or making promises that cannot be measured.
We would rather explain the service clearly, let you speak with us without pressure and give you the opportunity to read independent feedback before deciding.
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The cost depends on your legal structure, turnover, transaction volume, VAT position, employees, payroll frequency, bookkeeping condition, number of sites and required support.
Swift agrees a fixed monthly fee after a free initial conversation, so you know what is included before you proceed.
We support restaurants, pubs, bars, cafes, coffee shops, takeaways, food-delivery businesses, hotels, guest accommodation and multi-site operators.
We work with sole traders, partnerships and limited companies, adjusting the service to the size and complexity of the business.
Yes. UK VAT rules can distinguish between catering, on-premises consumption, hot takeaway food, cold takeaway food and other supplies, so accurate categorisation matters.
We help organise the sales records and review how income streams are treated within the bookkeeping and VAT process.
As of July 2026, a business normally has to register when VAT-taxable turnover exceeds the £90,000 registration threshold, or when it expects to exceed the threshold under HMRC’s forward-looking rules. The test is based on taxable turnover, not profit.
Yes. We support payroll for teams with changing hours, seasonal staff, starters, leavers and different pay rates.
We agree an information process and a clear cut-off so changes can be processed accurately and Real Time Information can be submitted to HMRC on time.
Yes. We can support the accounting records and payroll process for tips, gratuities, service charges and tronc arrangements.
Treatment depends on how money is collected, whether a charge is mandatory or discretionary, who decides the allocation and how employees are paid.
We review the arrangement before advising on the records and payroll approach.
An accountant cannot control your menu prices, supplier negotiations or staffing decisions, but accurate and timely figures can show where attention is needed.
Clear reporting may help you identify changes in gross profit, labour cost, overheads, wastage or platform fees. You can then make decisions using evidence rather than relying only on the bank balance.
Yes. We can help reconcile till reports with cash, card settlements, bank receipts and delivery-platform payouts.
This can identify commissions, refunds, discounts, timing differences or missing information that would otherwise distort sales, VAT or profit reporting.
Yes. For limited companies, support may include statutory accounts, Corporation Tax and director tax planning.
For sole traders and partners, it may include bookkeeping, VAT, payroll and Self Assessment. The service is adapted to the responsibilities of your structure.
It may. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax began on 6 April 2026 for sole traders and landlords whose 2024/25 qualifying income was more than £50,000.
It is due to extend to qualifying income over £30,000 from April 2027 and over £20,000 from April 2028.
We can help you check when the rules apply and establish a suitable digital record-keeping process. Thresholds and eligibility should always be checked against current HMRC guidance.
Yes. Once appointed, we can contact your previous accountant, request professional clearance and arrange the record transfer.
We then set up your portal, confirm deadlines and agree a new routine without disrupting the day-to-day running of your venue.
No. We support businesses remotely across the UK.
Documents and approvals can be managed through the secure client portal, meetings can take place by phone or video, and face-to-face appointments are available from our Chester office.
The exact list depends on the service, but it may include:
We agree the routine during onboarding so you know what to provide and when.
Free initial call • Fixed-fee quote • No pressure
Whether you are opening your first cafe, running an established pub, managing a busy restaurant or growing a group of venues, the right accounting routine can give you more clarity and fewer last-minute surprises.
Book a free conversation with Swift Accountants. We will listen to how your business operates, explain where we can help and provide a clear fixed-fee proposal if we are the right fit.
There is no pressure and no obligation.
