Do you do both childminder and nursery accounts?

Yes. For a childminder we file the Self Assessment return with the full expense claim. For a nursery or company we prepare the accounts, tax, owner's personal tax and payroll, with funding and VAT handled correctly.

Will funded income be accounted for properly?

Yes. We separate funded and private income so your real margin is visible, and account for the local authority funding correctly, which is a common area where nursery accounts go wrong.

Can you keep the books through the year?

Yes. You can take the annual return alone or add year-round bookkeeping so the numbers stay current, the claims stay straight, and Making Tax Digital is handled when it reaches you.

A fixed fee agreed up front, scaled to childminder, nursery or company and the bookkeeping involved. Tell us about your setting and we will price it with a deadline.

Childcare Accounts and Tax Returns

Written and reviewed by the Childcare Accountants editorial team. Last reviewed 29 July 2026.

This is the core engagement: your accounts and tax return prepared and filed, whether you are a childminder, a nursery, or a childcare company. Where the guides explain the rules, this is us doing the work and owning the deadlines.

Fixed fee, agreed before we begin, whether you want the annual job alone or the bookkeeping through the year as well.

What We Handle

For a childminder: the Self Assessment return with the full expense claim. For a nursery or childcare company: the annual accounts, the tax return, the directors' or owner's personal tax, and the payroll, with funding and VAT accounted for correctly.

Either way we reconcile the income to the bank, apply the expenses properly, and handle Making Tax Digital as it reaches you.

Where Childcare Returns Go Wrong

The common failures are the childminder household-costs claim under-used, funded and private income not separated so the real margin is hidden, and the VAT exemption misunderstood. Each one either costs money or gives the owner a false read on the business.

Because we do this for childcare specifically, the accounts are built around how the sector is funded and taxed. Nothing quietly falls off, and the numbers reflect reality.

How It Runs

Send us your records and, for a nursery, the funding statements and payroll details, in one list. We prepare the figures, show you the numbers with the tax and the dates, and file once you approve. Identity checks first. For the ongoing option we keep the books current so the year end is not a scramble.

You see the numbers before anything is filed. Nothing goes to HMRC without your approval.

What It Costs

A fixed fee agreed before work starts, sized to whether you are a childminder, a nursery or a company, and how much bookkeeping is involved. A single return is at the lower end; full nursery accounts with payroll and VAT costs more, priced clearly so you choose the level.

To get a price, tell us about your setting and we will come back with a fixed quote and a deadline.