Industry-Specific Bookkeeping

Different industries have different accounting needs. Construction needs CIS compliance, retail needs inventory tracking, hospitality needs VAT margin scheme options, healthcare needs patient billing tracking, and professional services need project profitability tracking. Generic bookkeeping might work for some businesses, but industry-specific bookkeeping ensures you're compliant with sector regulations and tracking the metrics that actually matter for your business.

The problem is most small businesses try to use generic bookkeeping that doesn't account for their industry's specific requirements. Construction businesses miss CIS deductions, retail businesses don't track inventory properly, hospitality businesses use the wrong VAT scheme, and professional services don't track project profitability. That leads to compliance issues, missed deductions, and poor decision-making.

We handle industry-specific bookkeeping for construction, retail, hospitality, healthcare, professional services, and other specialized sectors: industry-specific Chart of Accounts, sector compliance setup, specialized reporting, and industry metrics tracking. Whether you're a construction company in Medway needing CIS compliance, a retail business in Maidstone needing inventory tracking, or a hospitality business in Canterbury needing VAT margin scheme setup, we'll set up bookkeeping that's tailored to your industry. No compliance issues, no missed deductions—just proper industry-specific bookkeeping that works for your sector.

What this helps you do (fast)

• Comply with sector regulations — Construction CIS compliance, retail VAT schemes, hospitality VAT margin schemes, healthcare patient billing compliance. Industry-specific bookkeeping ensures you meet sector requirements.
• Track industry-specific metrics — Project profitability for construction and professional services, inventory turnover for retail, table turnover for hospitality, patient metrics for healthcare. Metrics that actually matter for your business.
• Get proper tax treatment — Industry-specific VAT schemes (retail, hospitality, construction), CIS deductions, sector-specific allowances and reliefs. Proper tax treatment saves money and avoids penalties.
• Avoid compliance issues — Sector-specific regulations are complex. Industry-specific bookkeeping ensures you're compliant and reduces risk of penalties or errors.
• Make better business decisions — Industry-specific metrics and reporting help you understand your business better and make smarter decisions based on sector-relevant data.
• Save time and reduce errors — Bookkeeping tailored to your industry is more efficient and accurate than trying to force generic systems to work for your sector.

How it works

Step-by-step process for industry-specific bookkeeping setup:

1. Discovery call — We chat about your business: what industry you're in (construction, retail, hospitality, healthcare, professional services, etc.), what your business model is, what sector-specific requirements apply to you, what your current bookkeeping setup looks like, and what industry-specific metrics you want to track.
2. Industry requirements assessment — We identify the sector-specific requirements that apply to your business:
   • Construction: CIS scheme compliance, CIS deductions, materials tracking, subcontractor payments
   • Retail: Inventory tracking, retail VAT schemes, point-of-sale integration, stock valuation methods
   • Hospitality: VAT margin schemes, table turnover tracking, food cost analysis, seasonal variations
   • Healthcare: Patient billing tracking, NHS funding, private patient accounting, medical supplies tracking
   • Professional services: Project profitability tracking, time-based billing, client profitability analysis, billable hours tracking
   • Other sectors: We'll identify requirements specific to your industry
3. Industry-specific Chart of Accounts design — We design a Chart of Accounts tailored to your industry:
   • Construction: Job cost accounts, materials accounts, subcontractor accounts, plant and equipment accounts, CIS deduction accounts
   • Retail: Inventory accounts, sales by product category, cost of goods sold, stock valuation accounts
   • Hospitality: Food cost accounts, beverage cost accounts, room revenue accounts, seasonal adjustment accounts
   • Healthcare: Patient revenue accounts, NHS funding accounts, medical supplies accounts, equipment accounts
   • Professional services: Project accounts, client accounts, time-based revenue accounts, professional development accounts
   The Chart of Accounts is structured to track what matters for your industry.
4. Sector compliance setup — We set up compliance features specific to your industry:
   • Construction CIS compliance: CIS deduction tracking, subcontractor verification, CIS return preparation
   • Retail VAT schemes: Retail VAT scheme setup, inventory VAT treatment, point-of-sale VAT handling
   • Hospitality VAT margin schemes: VAT margin scheme eligibility, margin calculation, VAT return adjustments
   • Healthcare patient billing: NHS billing compliance, private patient accounting, medical record integration
   • Professional services time tracking: Time-based billing setup, project time tracking, billable hours reporting
   Compliance is built into your bookkeeping system from the start.
5. Industry-specific reporting setup — We set up reports and dashboards that track metrics relevant to your industry:
   • Construction: Job profitability reports, materials cost analysis, subcontractor cost tracking, plant utilization
   • Retail: Inventory turnover reports, sales by product category, gross margin analysis, stock valuation reports
   • Hospitality: Food cost percentage, table turnover rates, revenue per available room (RevPAR), seasonal performance
   • Healthcare: Patient revenue reports, NHS funding reports, medical supplies cost analysis, equipment utilization
   • Professional services: Project profitability reports, client profitability analysis, billable hours utilization, revenue per employee
   Reports show you what matters for your industry.
6. Training and handover — We train you on how to use your industry-specific bookkeeping system:
   • How to record industry-specific transactions — CIS deductions, inventory movements, VAT margin calculations, patient billing, project time
   • How to run industry-specific reports — Job profitability, inventory turnover, food cost analysis, patient metrics, project profitability
   • How to maintain compliance — CIS compliance checks, VAT scheme compliance, sector regulation updates
   Or if you prefer, we can handle ongoing bookkeeping for you.

We work with whatever accounting software you're using, and we'll configure it for your industry's specific requirements. The key is understanding your sector's accounting needs and setting up bookkeeping that's tailored to those needs.

Costs & timelines

Pricing factors:

• Industry complexity — Some industries (construction, healthcare) have more complex requirements than others, affecting setup time
• Number of industry-specific requirements — More sector regulations (CIS, VAT schemes, etc.) mean more setup work
• Reporting complexity — Industry-specific reports and dashboards add to setup time
• Ongoing support — Industry-specific bookkeeping may need ongoing support for sector compliance

Commonly reported ranges by local providers:

• Industry-specific bookkeeping setup: £400–£800 depending on industry complexity and requirements
• Ongoing monthly bookkeeping (industry-specific): £200–£400/month depending on transaction volume and industry complexity
• Sector compliance support: £100–£200/month for ongoing compliance checks and updates

Why industry-specific bookkeeping costs more than generic:

• Sector-specific knowledge required (CIS, VAT schemes, industry regulations)
• Industry-specific Chart of Accounts design (not just copying a template)
• Specialized reporting and metrics tracking
• Compliance setup and ongoing support for sector regulations

Timeline: Setup usually takes about 1–2 weeks depending on industry complexity. Construction CIS setup might take longer due to complexity. Training is usually a 2–3 hour session covering industry-specific bookkeeping practices.

Ongoing support: If you want ongoing industry-specific bookkeeping, that's separate. Typical monthly bookkeeping for industry-specific businesses is £200–£400/month depending on transaction volume and complexity. Sector compliance support (CIS compliance checks, VAT scheme compliance, industry regulation updates) might be £100–£200/month.

No hidden fees. Setup price includes industry requirements assessment, Chart of Accounts design, sector compliance setup, industry-specific reporting, and training. Ongoing bookkeeping and compliance support are separate if you want monthly service.

Kent (UK) focus

We work with businesses across Kent in various industries: construction companies in Medway needing CIS compliance, retail businesses in Maidstone needing inventory tracking, hospitality businesses in Canterbury needing VAT margin schemes, healthcare practices needing patient billing, and professional services firms needing project profitability tracking.

Kent businesses face the same sector-specific requirements as everyone else—construction CIS compliance, retail VAT schemes, hospitality VAT margin schemes, healthcare patient billing, professional services project tracking. The difference is when your bookkeeping is tailored to your industry, meeting these requirements is straightforward. You're compliant from the start, tracking metrics that matter, and making decisions based on sector-relevant data.

Common Kent industry scenarios:

• Construction businesses — Builders, contractors, tradespeople needing CIS compliance, job costing, materials tracking
• Retail businesses — Shops, online stores needing inventory tracking, retail VAT schemes, stock management
• Hospitality businesses — Restaurants, cafes, hotels needing VAT margin schemes, food cost analysis, seasonal tracking
• Healthcare practices — GP practices, dental practices, clinics needing patient billing, NHS funding, medical supplies tracking
• Professional services — Accountants, solicitors, consultants needing project profitability, time-based billing, client profitability

Kent business market context:

• Kent has diverse industries (construction, retail, hospitality, healthcare, professional services)
• Industry-specific bookkeeping helps Kent businesses compete effectively and stay compliant
• Sector-specific requirements vary, so tailored bookkeeping is essential

Remote-first, Kent-focused. We don't need to meet in person (though we can if you prefer), and we understand what Kent businesses in different industries are dealing with. CIS compliance, VAT schemes, inventory tracking, project profitability—we'll set up bookkeeping that's tailored to your industry and helps you stay compliant.

FAQs