The Farm Bookkeeper

The Farm Bookkeeper Based in East Anglia, covering all your bookkeeping and farm secretarial requirements. Based in East Anglia, covering all your bookkeeping requirements.

☔If the weather has you spending a little more time in the office today, why not tackle your P11D and tick another job o...
08/06/2026

☔If the weather has you spending a little more time in the office today, why not tackle your P11D and tick another job off the list?

📢Don't forget — the deadline for submitting your P11D and P11D(b) forms to HMRC is 6 July.

If you've provided employees with benefits or expenses such as company vehicles, fuel, accommodation, or other taxable benefits, it's time to get your paperwork in order.

Choosing the best VAT scheme can make a real difference to your business cash flow and administrative burden. Have you c...
26/05/2026

Choosing the best VAT scheme can make a real difference to your business cash flow and administrative burden.

Have you considered which scheme works best for your business?

🔹 Standard VAT Accounting
VAT is paid and reclaimed based on invoice dates.

🔹 Cash Accounting Scheme
VAT is accounted for when payments are received and made, as opposed to when they are invoiced – this can be beneficial for cash flow.

🔹 Flat Rate Scheme
Businesses pay a fixed percentage of turnover depending on the industry in which they operate.

🔹 Annual Accounting Scheme
If applicable, advance VAT payments are made throughout the year with one annual return.

🔹 Margin Schemes
Pay VAT on profit margin for eligible goods.

🔹 Retail Schemes
Simplifies VAT calculations for businesses with lots of low value sales, by only calculating VAT once with each VAT Return rather than on every sale you make.

The best option depends on turnover, industry, cash flow, and how the business operates.

Not all schemes are available to all businesses, but a quick VAT review can sometimes uncover opportunities to simplify processes or improve cash flow 🚀

🚀 Say goodbye to manual data entry!Xero’s new Smart Document Capture makes bookkeeping faster, easier, and more accurate...
17/05/2026

🚀 Say goodbye to manual data entry!

Xero’s new Smart Document Capture makes bookkeeping faster, easier, and more accurate by automatically extracting key details from bills and receipts using AI 📄✨

Here’s how to use it 👇

1. Upload or drag your invoice/receipt into Xero’s “Files”

2. Smart Document Capture scans the document automatically

3. Supplier details, dates, invoice numbers, and amounts are pre-filled for you

4. Review the information and make any edits if needed

5. Publish and reconcile in just a few clicks ✅

Less admin. More automation. More time back in your day. ⏱️

Have you tried it yet? Let us know your thoughts below 👇

Big changes are here under the Employment Rights Act 👇• Statutory Sick Pay (SSP): From April 2026, SSP becomes a day one...
20/04/2026

Big changes are here under the Employment Rights Act 👇

• Statutory Sick Pay (SSP): From April 2026, SSP becomes a day one right — no waiting days and no lower earnings limit.

--> Review your sickness policies and absence management policies

• Paternity and Parental Leave: From 6 April 2026, paternity and parental leave become a day one right (leave only, not pay), removing previous service requirements.

--> Update your staff handbook, contracts, policies to reflect new rules.

• Sexual Harassment: From October 2026, employers are liable for harassment against their staff by third parties and must take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. Allegations in the public interest will receive Whistleblowing protections.

--> Conduct risk assessments to identify high risks and make action plans to assess those risk. Ensure Whistleblowing policies refer to sexual harassment.

• Fair Work Agency: A new enforcement body launching from April 2026 to uphold rights like sick pay and holiday pay.

--> Review holiday pay calculations, ensure adequate records to demonstrate evidence of compliance (6 years’).

• Unfair Dismissal: Protections are being strengthened in phases — from January 2027 the qualifying period will be reduced to 6 months (currently employees must wait for two years before they are protected).

--> Review recruitment procedures probation process.

Thinking about your year end stock take? Here’s a reminder of what to include.* Crop in store – make a note of tonnages ...
16/04/2026

Thinking about your year end stock take? Here’s a reminder of what to include.

* Crop in store – make a note of tonnages and remember to estimate at cost (discount sales value by 25%) [exclude anything that’s left the farm that you’ve not received payment for yet, this should be brought in via debtors]

* Livestock – as with crops in store, make a note of numbers and remember to estimate at cost as opposed to sales value

* Inputs in store – any seed, fertiliser, and spray in store, yet to be applied

* Cultivations – seed, fertiliser and spray applied, as well as any contracting costs [you many use farm management software to record this]

* Wearing parts, red diesel, kerosene, etc – anything else (of sufficient value) held in stock at the end of the year

For arable farmers, essentially you need to record anything you’ve paid for to date relating to the 2026 harvest, plus anything yet to be sold relating to the 2025 harvest.

For anyone who’s diversified, don’t forget to include any non-farming stock on hand in relation to these businesses too.

Make sure you keep a detailed note of your workings. If challenged by HMRC, you would need to be able to justify the figures you’ve used.

💡Friday’s Xero tip💡When entering invoices with lots of line items (like Farm Farmers statements or credit card statement...
10/04/2026

💡Friday’s Xero tip💡

When entering invoices with lots of line items (like Farm Farmers statements or credit card statements), it’s easy to lose track of VAT.

To view the VAT amount on a line by line basis when entering a bill, simply click the ➕ icon next too “Tax Rate” to display the “Tax Amount” on each line. This gives you a clear breakdown - especially handy when working with different VAT rates.

Small trick, big time-saver ⏱️

💷 A quick reminder of the new National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates from April 2026.
09/03/2026

💷 A quick reminder of the new National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates from April 2026.

🚜📅 It’s that time of year again; are you ready for your financial year end? 📊✅ As the financial year end draws to a clos...
24/02/2026

🚜📅 It’s that time of year again; are you ready for your financial year end? 📊✅

As the financial year end draws to a close for many businesses, it’s time to get your accounts in order and set yourself up for a strong year ahead!

Here’s a quick end of year checklist to keep you on track:

✅ Review your transactions - For any obvious errors / mispostings

✅ Plan ahead for tax - Consider your profit for the year, any capital expenditure or capital gains

✅ Asset additions - Collate invoices for asset purchases in year. Need new equipment? Consider timing for tax efficiency

✅ Stock take - Remember to record crops in store, inputs in store and applied, as well as red diesel, wearing parts, etc

✅ Chase outstanding invoices - Follow up unpaid invoices, consider the need for any bad debt provision

✅ Review performance - Compare to the previous year, set targets for next year

✅ Reconcile - Important control accounts such as bank accounts, petty cash, payroll and VAT

✅ Expenses paid privately - Record any business expenses paid privately

✅ Plan ahead - Budget for cash flow, considering any new projects or upcoming investments 💡

If you have any handy tips, please share them below 👨‍🌾👩‍🌾

😉💘📖
13/02/2026

😉💘📖

Remembering this Xero hack from last February.... 📢If you are a Xero user, and your year end is approaching, February’s ...
08/02/2026

Remembering this Xero hack from last February....

📢If you are a Xero user, and your year end is approaching, February’s Xero Hack is one for you!📢

The General Ledger Exceptions report shows you any unusual or unexpected transactions.

These may be:

🗒Transactions that are higher or lower than usual for that account.
🗒Transactions with a different tax code to the default.
🗒Transactions that are debits in an account that usually consists of credits, or vice versa.

Use this to tidy up your transactions ahead of your year end to help make sure everything is tip top for your accountant.

To run the report:
1. Go to Accounting, then Reports.
2. In the top right hand corner search
for “general ledger exceptions report”.
3. Choose your date range, this could
be the current financial year to date
and then click Update.

👏

Address

Bury St. Edmunds

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

07801827610

Website

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