Accountants in Kildare for SMEs
Running a business in Kildare means fitting it around everything else. At Census 2022 the county had 247,774 people, and 35% of its workforce worked from home at least one day a week. Many of the rest sit in traffic: 41,688 residents commute out of the county for work.
So the bookkeeping happens on Sunday night. If at all.
First Accounts is an online accountancy firm for SMEs, based at Maynooth Business Campus. We keep your books on Xero, file your VAT, corporation tax and B1 on time, and reply within 24 hours. No office visits needed.
What do Kildare businesses get with First Accounts?
Deadlines tracked for you. We watch every VAT, CT1 and B1 date and file ahead of it.
Books that are current. Bank feeds pull transactions into Xero, and Hubdoc reads your receipt photos.
Qualified people. You deal directly with Chartered and Certified accountants. No question is too basic.
Fees agreed up front. No surprise extras on the invoice.
The 24-hour rule. A reply within 24 hours, even if it's "we're on it".
24-Hour Response
Chartered and Certified Accountants
Chartered and Certified Accountants
What accounting services does First Accounts offer in Kildare?
Pick one of these six services or hand over the lot.
Who can keep my bookkeeping up to date on Xero?
Books three months behind cause most panicked calls to accountants. Our bookkeeping services run on Xero with bank feeds connected and your sales platforms integrated, so transactions are coded as they arrive, not in a scramble at year end. When something needs explaining, we ask once, in plain English. Your figures then reflect this month, the only version worth deciding anything on.
Who can file my VAT returns in Kildare?
VAT is where small mistakes become expensive ones. Through our VAT return service we prepare each return from your Xero records, check anything unusual, such as reverse charge purchases or mixed rates, and file it with Revenue before the deadline. Subcontracting in construction? We handle RCT too. Income tax, corporation tax and CGT returns sit alongside, so one team sees the whole picture.
How do I get my year-end accounts and B1 filed?
Every limited company has to produce financial statements, file a CT1 with Revenue and send an annual return to the CRO. Our year-end accounts service covers all of it. Because the books stay current during the year, year end becomes a review rather than an excavation. We also file CRO updates when a director steps down or the registered address moves.
Can someone else run payroll for my staff?
Yes. Under PAYE Modernisation, Revenue sees every pay run as it happens, so mistakes surface fast and are tedious to unwind. With our outsourced payroll, we process each run and issue the payslips, and you approve the figures first. New starters and leavers are handled too. Two staff in a Newbridge shop or twelve on a Naas fit-out crew, it works the same.
What can management accounts tell me that my bank balance can't?
A healthy bank balance can hide a margin problem for months. Our management accounts arrive quarterly with a meeting to talk them through, and we can build a KPI dashboard tracking cash runway, debtor days and payables. The point is to catch the slow payer or the shrinking margin while you can still act, not read about it at year end.
Do I need a Xero accountant to set Xero up properly?
Strictly, no. A bad set-up just breaks your books quietly. As a Xero accountant, we configure the chart of accounts, VAT settings, bank feeds and Hubdoc from day one, and migrate your history from other software. Revolut connects directly, handy for paying suppliers in other currencies. Already on Xero and the data's a mess? We clean up inherited books too.
Why do Kildare business owners choose an online accountant?
Kildare is commuter country. Over 40% of workers in Celbridge and Leixlip commute to Dublin city or suburbs. For them, a mid-morning appointment across town costs half a day.
Intel Leixlip spent €284 million with 1,115 Irish suppliers in 2023, each with VAT returns and accounts of its own. Most local firms are small: 97% of Kildare SMEs employ fewer than 20 people. Nobody in a six-person business has spare hours to be the finance department.
An online accountant suits that reality:
- Everything happens by email, phone or video call.
- Receipts go into Hubdoc from your phone, not a folder on the passenger seat.
- We're still local, with our office on the Straffan Road in Maynooth.
Why Kildare owners go online
Everything happens by email, phone or video call.
Receipts go into Hubdoc from your phone, not a folder on the passenger seat.
We're still local, with our office on the Straffan Road in Maynooth.
What services does an accountant in Kildare provide?
The work splits in two: keeping you right with Revenue and the CRO, and giving you numbers you can run the business on.
Which Revenue and CRO filings does a Kildare company have?
For a typical limited company, the recurring list looks like this:
- VAT returns, if you're registered.
- Corporation tax, including preliminary tax and the CT1.
- PAYE, PRSI and USC, reported each time you run payroll.
- The B1 annual return to the CRO, with financial statements attached.
- Income tax returns for the directors.
Your exact dates depend on your year end and VAT cycle, so no two calendars match. Sole traders have a shorter list, though the income tax return carries just as much weight. We keep the calendar and file ahead of it.
What does an accountant do beyond the tax filings?
This is the half that pays for itself. Clean bookkeeping feeds quarterly management accounts, and a cash flow forecast shows whether next quarter's VAT bill and wages can both be covered. Grant paperwork counts too: a LEO Kildare mentoring application needs a business plan and trading accounts. Two LEO Kildare grants worth knowing about:
| LEO Kildare support | What it offers | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Trading Online Voucher | 50% of eligible costs, up to €2,500 | Under 10 staff, turnover under €2 million, trading at least 6 months |
| Priming Grant | 50% of investment up to €150,000 (€80,000 cap unless there's Enterprise Ireland potential), max €15,000 per job | First 18 months of trading, up to 10 staff, turnover under €2 million |
What do Kildare business owners ask before switching accountant?
Do I need to come to your office in Maynooth?
No, you never need to visit. Documents come in through Xero and Hubdoc, and we talk by phone, email or video. Our office is at Block B, Maynooth Business Campus, but the service is identical whether you're five minutes away or in Monasterevin.
Do you work with businesses in Athy or Kildare Town?
Yes. Everything runs online, so where you trade makes no difference. A retailer in Kildare Town gets the same Xero set-up and 24-hour replies as a consultancy in Naas. Only the paperwork differs, depending on what you sell and how you're structured.
Can you take over from my current accountant mid-year?
Yes, and it's common. We request the handover information, bring your records into Xero and check what's already been filed. Books behind? We clean them up first, so you start from an accurate position rather than someone else's loose ends.
Do you work with contractors supplying the big employers around Leixlip?
Contractors and consultants suit how we work. We set up invoicing in Xero, keep on top of VAT, handle RCT where it applies and prepare your company or sole trader returns. Weighing up a limited company? We'll walk through the numbers with you first.