Private individual or trust

Peace of mind with a human twist

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Managing your own tax affairs, or those of a trust, can be complex. We believe that simply knowing that you have met your obligations is not enough – personal finances need a personal touch.

By looking beyond the numbers and focussing on you – your unique circumstances, your goals, and your concerns – we give you better advice and the confidence that your finances are not just done, they’re done with care.

Directors

As a company director you can often put your business’ needs before your own, but we are on hand to make sure you can fulfil your requirements, whether that be ensuring you meet your responsibilities as a director or submitting your personal tax return. Let us help to support you whilst you support your business.

Trusts

Our tax department have extensive experience helping to plan, establish and ensure compliance for our trust clients, ensuring all trustees, executors and administrators are kept informed and all queries are answered.

Individuals

It can be hard to know what tax rules and regulations apply to you, so let us take the confusion away by providing you with clear and concise information about what HMRC require and how you can ensure your affairs are organised in the most tax efficient way.

Sectors we work with

We’re experienced at helping and advising individuals and trusts on many issues.

Resources

IHT – settled and excluded property

A trust is an obligation that binds a trustee, an individual or a company,...

Added protection for pension savers

The new Pensions Scheme Act received Royal Assent on 11 February 2021. The Act...

Are you a landlord that owes tax to HMRC?

The Let Property Campaign provides landlords who have undeclared income from residential property lettings...

Building a new home and VAT

The VAT DIY Housebuilders scheme is a special scheme that enables someone building their...

Childcare top-up to cover summer activities

As the school holidays fast approach, many parents face having to organise extra school...

Cryptoassets for individuals – taxes that apply

In most cases, individuals hold cryptoassets (such as Bitcoin) as a personal investment, usually for...

Services

  • Accounts preparation
  • Audit
  • Bookkeeping
  • Payroll
  • Tax
  • Financial planning and wealth management

Preparing statutory accounts can be time-consuming, and keeping up to date with ever-changing requirements an unwanted distraction when you’d rather be focussing on the bigger picture. We can take the strain and bring you clarity; from mapping documentation and reviewing disclosures, to creating account templates or preparing full financial statements. Our specialist team will work closely with you to ensure your accounts comply with HMRC obligations, Companies Act requirements (FRS 102, FRS 102 (Section 1A) and FRS 105) and Charities Act requirements (Charities SORP FRS 102).

Strong financial management isn’t simply a case of the numbers adding up, you also need effective internal systems and controls and the ability to identify weaknesses. With highly qualified experience in audit, assurance and regulatory reporting services, we can help you assess and strengthen your systems. We’ll get under the skin or your organisation and tailor our audit accordingly.

We are registered by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, and our files are subject to regular reviews and regulatory visits from the Quality Assurance Directorate (QAD).

Rock solid financial admin is a foundation of good business management. Our dedicated bookkeeping team are here to look after the numbers for you – whether you need an ad hoc confusion clearing up, or full year-round bookkeeping services. Trained in a range of accounting software, we’ll ensure you’re making the most of technology to maximise the flexibility, efficiency and full compliance of your bookkeeping.

Whatever the size of your workforce, even if it is just you by yourself, payroll requires continual and careful management with deadlines, documentation, and HR and pension procedures to keep an eye on. Our expert team can take the strain for you, solving payroll snags as they arise, planning, preparing and filing payroll with HMRC, advising on taxable benefits-in-kind, ensuring pension compliance, preparing P11Ds and conducting PAYE audits. We also offer a tax investigations service providing protection for income, corporation and IR35 investigations or disputes.

There are many different tax rules, regulations and reliefs that it can be impossible to know what applies to you. Our tax department are all experts in their fields, with a thorough knowledge of the ever changing tax system to help ensure you are being as tax efficient as possible. Whether you need assistance with ad-hoc queries, preparing your tax returns, or claims for tax relief, we can help with all areas of both corporate and personal tax, whether it be affecting the entity or the owners themselves. We also offer a tax investigations service providing protection for income, corporation and IR35 investigations or disputes.

Financial planning and wealth management are key to achieving your financial goals, therefore we maintain close working relationships with our independent financial advisers who are able to offer expert, objective wealth management advice for individuals and corporate entities. With over 10 years working together we truly feel having them working alongside us allows us to look after our clients that much better. No matter your circumstances, whether it be looking to secure or enhance your financial assets for the future, advice on funding pensions to provide for your retirement, or something else entirely, independent financial advice can prove invaluable.

Our private individuals and trusts team

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Lee Palmer FCA CTAPartner
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Matthew Hill FCCA ATT CTATrusts and Estates Tax Manager
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Helen Smith ATT CTATax Manager
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Charles Gurr ATT CTACorporation Tax Manager
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Andrew KilbyDirector of Client Services
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Jane Bull FCADirector of Accounting
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Kathryn Pocock FCADirector of Advisory Services
Lee Palmer FCA CTAPartner

An outstanding accountant, Lee came aboard with Wenn Townsend in 2004 and swiftly made Partner in 2005. His real enthusiasms lie in holistic tax planning for families and private individuals, corporate tax work in connection with business sales and purchases, and share and business valuations. In one such case he advised on a share buy-back within a corporate group to allow the withdrawal of the controlling persons from the group business operations, addressing issues caused by the group holding insufficient distributable reserves. Outside work Lee enjoys travelling Europe, listening to music (and attempting to play guitar), cinema and theatre-going, and is an avid reader.

Matthew Hill FCCA ATT CTATrusts and Estates Tax Manager

Matthew is our trusted, unflappable Trusts and Estates Tax Manager, ably assisting trustees, personal representatives, high-net-worth individuals and self-employed individuals with tax compliance and tax planning in the areas of trusts, deceased estates, capital taxation, personal taxation and business taxation. He also prepares accounts for trusts and deceased estates. He recently advised the personal representatives of a deceased estate on how they could reduce their rate of Inheritance Tax from 40% to 36% by arranging for the beneficiaries to sign a deed of variation - the Inheritance Tax liability was thus reduced by over £80,000. Outside of work Matthew enjoys cinema, sport (as a long-suffering supporter of Hull City AFC), art and music.

Helen Smith ATT CTATax Manager

Helen has been our expert Private Client Tax Manager since 2008, specialising in personal taxation, capital taxation, residence and domicile issues, some foreign tax issues, FATCA and offshore disclosures, and VAT matters inside and outside the UK. She recently advised an Italian client wanting to invest in UK property, advising where his tax liability would be and the ramifications of the Double Tax Convention. She has also helped clients who have been approached by HMRC about unreported foreign income. Outside of work Helen loves all things history, art, detective stories and travel.

Charles Gurr ATT CTACorporation Tax Manager

Charles Gurr has been our resident corporation tax expert since 2017, deeply knowledgeable in areas including corporation tax, capital allowance claims, R&D claims, Creative Industry Tax Reliefs, and company valuations. He recently helped with the valuation of an owner-managed company with a view to employee share ownership, and in another area assisted a charity client in making claims under both Theatre Tax Relief and Museums and Galleries Exhibitions Tax Relief schemes. When he isn’t in the office Charles enjoys reading, Lego, board games and films, and is a passionate OUFC season ticket holder.

Andrew KilbyDirector of Client Services

Andrew has been a highly trusted and dependable part of Wenn Townsend since 1988, managing over 160 client payrolls from 1 to 500 plus employees. He takes great pride in providing clients with everything from full bureau service to ad hoc advice on benefits-in-kind, year-end procedures and HMRC compliance visits. His specialist expertise covers final salary pension schemes and a variety of auto-enrolment schemes. He is vastly experienced in assisting clients with all staff pay issues including tax-efficient remuneration packages and termination payments, and he also enjoys looking after a varied portfolio of private tax clients. Andrew also acts as Trustee, Executor and Power of Attorney to a number of our clients. Outside of work Andrew can be found either in the Frewen Club where he is an active member and Treasurer, or at his cottage in North Norfolk.

Jane Bull FCADirector of Accounting

Jane arrived at Wenn Townsend in 2009 as one of our indispensable managers and has since progressed to the position of Director of Accounting. Jane heads our accounts department, managing her accounting and outsourcing clients, leading the training of our associates, and she particularly enjoys working on Xero, Sage and Quickbooks Online along with other more bespoke software. With a background in audit she utilises her expert attention to detail within her role, she recently reviewed consolidated accounts under IFRS for a parent audit of a multinational group and its significant industrial subsidiary, suggesting detailed systems improvements. Outside work, Jane enjoys cycling and hiking, landscape watercolour painting and crafts, and is treasurer of her children’s school PTA.

Kathryn Pocock FCADirector of Advisory Services

Kathryn joined us in 2022 as our Director of Advisory Services. Having qualified in 1999 Kathryn has had an extensive career working within both practice and industry, in particular she has spent the past five years working in-house within a college of the University of Oxford. Prior to this she spent over 21 years working in accountancy practice across a range of different roles, providing a breadth of knowledge and experience to facilitate working with clients in a practical, helpful and empathetic way. Her current role allows her to support her clients across a broad spectrum of sectors, including University of Oxford colleges, on a range of systems, process and reporting projects. Her recent specialisms are the charity and education sectors and she particularly enjoys working with any clients where there is an opportunity to add value and problem-solve. In her spare time Kathryn enjoys spending time outdoors, including hiking and running.

Testimonials

A local auditor with a wealth of accounts knowledge (including international financial reporting). They are always available to answer any questions and we have no hesitation in recommending them.

Tracy Toms, Finance Manager at Guylian (UK) Limited

Wenn Townsend have continually helped me with all aspects of managing my accounts and with the successful development of my business.

France Baudet, Managing Director at Cannelle Beaute

We now have the financial information we need to run the business more effectively. The Wenn Townsend team have also been prompt in processing payroll, submitting VAT returns and filing statutory accounts.

Jeff Hunter, Managing Director at Premier Tennis

Wenn Townsend has been our accountants since 1999 and played an integral role in helping us succeed. Since 1999 our workings have evolved with the firm taking on payroll and audit.

Stanley P. Rosenberg, Executive Director

If you are considering outsourcing your payroll I cannot recommend Andrew and his team and Wenn Townsend highly enough. With a rapidly expanding company no doubt we will reach the point that by volume we decide to outsource our payroll once again; in which case we would not hesitate to contact Andrew.

Lisa Cherry, HR Manager, Adestra