Bookkeeping services in Southampton
Southampton is one of the UK's major container and cruise ports, with marine, logistics and engineering businesses and a large university.
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Bookkeeping in Southampton
Your price
4.5 hours at £15
£67.50
Set-up fee£0
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The short answer
How much does bookkeeping cost in Southampton?
Bookkeeping costs a flat £15 an hour in Southampton, with no contract and no set-up fee. A typical five-vehicle haulier (about 250 transactions a month) needs about 7.5 hours a month, around £112.50. We work online with businesses across South East, backed by Accotax, an ICAEW regulated firm.
7,285
businesses in Southampton, 2026
90%
employ fewer than ten people (UK 89%)
28
businesses per 1,000 residents (UK 40)
£15
an hour, the same price in every area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts 2026 and ONS mid-2025 population estimates, via Nomis. Counts are rounded by the ONS and cover the Southampton area. Micro businesses are over-represented here, which is the core of what we do. Nomis
What the Southampton mix means for your books.
Built from the local figures above, not copied from another town.
Transport and storage
Transport and storage businesses are 11% of enterprises in Southampton, well above the UK average. Fuel cards, vehicle finance, driver pay and profit per vehicle are the figures that decide whether a haulier or courier makes money. That is 2.7 times the UK-wide share.
Bookkeeping for haulage and transportBookkeeping for taxi and private hire drivers
Wholesale and retail trade
Retail and wholesale firms make up 17% of enterprises in Southampton. Till and payout reconciliation, stock and margin by product line, and mixed-rate VAT are the main jobs, whether the sales are in a shop or on a marketplace.
Bookkeeping for retail shopsBookkeeping for e-commerce sellers
Construction
Construction is 16% of businesses in Southampton (about 1,140 enterprises). That means CIS deductions, retentions and the VAT domestic reverse charge are daily realities here, and each needs to be recorded correctly to avoid cash flow and VAT errors.
Bookkeeping for construction and tradesBookkeeping for property developers
Professional, scientific and technical
Professional, scientific and technical firms are 12% of businesses in Southampton (about 850 enterprises). Consultants and practices here need profit by client, clean director's loan accounts and prompt invoicing more than anything else.
Bookkeeping for consultants and agenciesBookkeeping for it contractors and freelancers
A typical month in Southampton.
Take a five-vehicle haulier handling about 250 transactions a month. This is what the hours look like, and what they cost at £15 an hour.
- Core bookkeeping (101 - 250)6h
- Limited company extras0.5h
- VAT-ready books (MTD)0.5h
- Payroll journals0.5h
Each month, 7.5 hours
£112.50
Sectors we see most in Southampton.
Each one has its own records, VAT quirks and deadlines.
- Haulage and transportFuel cards, driver pay, vehicle finance and operator costs for hauliers.
- Taxi and private hire driversMulti-platform income, vehicle costs and mileage for taxi and private hire drivers.
- Retail shopsTill reconciliation, stock and retail VAT schemes for independent shops.
- E-commerce sellersMarketplace payouts, fees, stock and VAT for Amazon, eBay, Etsy and Shopify sellers.
- Market traders and street foodCash, stock, pitch fees and events for market stalls and street food traders.
- Construction and tradesCIS deductions, reverse-charge VAT and job costing for builders and tradespeople.
Rules for businesses in England
The main business taxes in England are administered by HMRC, with company filings at Companies House. Business rates are set and collected by your local council, which is an expense we record against the right property and period.
Services for Southampton firms.
- Monthly bookkeepingEvery transaction coded, every account reconciled, every month.
- VAT-ready bookkeepingMaking Tax Digital compatible books, so every VAT return is calm.
- Management reports and cash flowMonthly profit, cash and KPI reports you can actually use.
- Making Tax Digital for Income TaxDigital records and quarterly update figures for sole traders and landlords.
- Receipt and expense captureReceipts captured digitally, coded and stored for the HMRC retention period.
- Bank reconciliationEvery penny matched to the statement, with exceptions explained.
Southampton questions.
How many businesses are there in Southampton?
Southampton had about 7,285 VAT and/or PAYE-registered businesses in 2026, according to the ONS UK Business Counts. About 90% of them employ fewer than ten people. Southampton is one of the UK's major container and cruise ports, with marine, logistics and engineering businesses and a large university.
Do I need a bookkeeper based in Southampton?
No. Bookkeeping is done online using cloud accounting software, so you get the same service wherever you are in England. Our parent firm Accotax is an ICAEW regulated practice based in Morden, London.
How much does bookkeeping cost in Southampton?
Bookkeeping costs a flat £15 an hour in Southampton, the same as everywhere else. For example, a five-vehicle haulier (about 250 transactions a month) typically needs about 7.5 hours, or £112.50 a month.
Which bookkeeping services do Southampton businesses use most?
Southampton has many transport and storage businesses, so monthly bookkeeping is a common starting point, usually alongside VAT-ready books and bank reconciliation.
Clients say it better than we do.
4.9300+ Google reviews of Accotax
“He took the time to explain every step of the process and made a complex situation much easier to understand.”
Hugo Alvarez
Google review of Accotax
“They take the time to understand how our business works and what our needs are.”
Mael Leboucher
Google review of Accotax
“Very prompt in responding to questions and patient with us even when we seem to be slow.”
Mansur Liman
Google review of Accotax
“The work was completed promptly, my tax return was successfully filed.”
Sergey M
Google review of Accotax
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