Bookkeeping
A current ledger, a bank reconciliation and a profit and loss you can read. The Starter retainer is for people who need the books kept, not a finance department.
Read moreMarket Harborough · sole traders and small companies
Bookkeeping, VAT and management accounts for UK small businesses
The books, kept. The decisions, clearer.
Sternal Finance keeps the books for sole traders and small companies, files Making Tax Digital VAT returns, and provides management accounts or a fractional finance director when you need one. Fixed monthly fees from £150. Based in Market Harborough.
- 15+
- years inside companies
- CIMA
- qualified practitioner
- Fixed
- monthly retainers
Services
Bookkeeping, VAT, and a finance director when you need one.
VAT
A Making Tax Digital return is only as good as the books behind it. The VAT work sits on top of bookkeeping that is already up to date.
Read moreXero
Most clients are on Xero. The practice connects the bank feed, reconciles it, and closes the month. If you are already on QuickBooks, that ledger is supported too.
Read moreManagement accounts
Growth is the step up from a tidy ledger. You get management accounts with a short written note, a 13-week cash forecast, and a quarterly call.
Read moreFractional FD
A fractional finance director for the owner who needs a judgement on cash, pricing, hiring and funding, and someone accountable for the numbers underneath.
Read moreMaking Tax Digital
A significant change for UK sole traders and landlords, coming in over the next year or so. Sternal Finance helps you get ready, and then keep up with it.
Read morePackages
A monthly fee, written down before you commit.
Foundation, at £250 a month excluding VAT, is the recommended starting point. The retainer is still set against turnover, volume and how much senior time you need.
Retainer
Starter
£150per month, ex VAT
Sole traders and smaller companies that only need the books kept.
- Monthly bookkeeping and bank reconciliations
- A simple monthly profit and loss
- Up to about 40 bank transactions
- Cloud ledger support in Xero or QuickBooks
- VAT returns and payroll as separate add-ons, quoted individually
Recommended
Foundation
£250per month, ex VAT
The recommended starting point: books kept, and the filings done.
- Monthly bookkeeping and bank reconciliations
- Quarterly VAT return, where registered
- Year-end accounts and corporation tax computation
- Confirmation statement
- One director Self Assessment
- Cloud ledger support in Xero or QuickBooks
Retainer
Growth
£650per month, ex VAT
Businesses that need a monthly picture, not just a year-end file.
- Everything in Foundation
- Monthly management accounts with written commentary
- 13-week rolling cash forecast
- KPI dashboard and budget versus actual
- Quarterly review call
- Up to two directors’ Self Assessments
Retainer
Fractional FD
£1,800per month, ex VAT
Owners who want senior finance leadership without a full-time hire.
- Everything in Growth
- Monthly strategy meeting and board-style pack
- Forecasting, scenarios and working-capital advice
- Margin, pricing and unit economics
- Lender and investor-ready numbers
- Oversight of the day-to-day finance work
VAT returns and payroll are separate add-ons. They are discussed and quoted individually, and the price depends on the complexity of the business. Catch-up bookkeeping is offered too. It is quoted after a conversation, because the cost depends on how far behind the books are, the volume of transactions, and the state of the records. Extra Self Assessments and one-off forecasts sit outside the retainer, and the fee is confirmed in writing before that work starts.
Approach
How an engagement starts.
01
A short conversation
We look at turnover, transaction volume, software and what you actually need decided each month.
02
A fixed scope
You get a written proposal and engagement letter. The monthly fee is agreed before any work starts.
03
The books put right
We set up or tidy the ledger and connect the bank feed. The month-end close is delivered by the 10th of the following month.
04
A rhythm, not a scramble
The month-end close, and management information where you have it, arrives by the 10th of the following month. Commentary tells you what changed.
JS
Jonathan Sternal
ACMA CGMA · CIMA qualified
About
Industry experience, brought into the practice.
Jonathan has spent more than fifteen years inside companies — management accounting, commercial finance and the work a finance director actually does between board meetings.
Sternal Finance is built around that. The practice keeps the books and produces the numbers, then stays close enough to help you use them. Statutory audit is not offered. Personal tax is taken on where the affairs are straightforward, and referred where they are not.
The practice is based in Market Harborough and works with sole traders and companies across the UK. Call 07917 390805 or use the form below.
Enquire
Tell us where the finance function is today.
A short note is enough. Foundation is the recommended starting point. Jonathan will come back if Starter, Growth or a fractional FD conversation is a better fit.