Accountants in Lucan for SMEs
If you run a business in Lucan, the bookkeeping probably happens after everything else. The Lucan electoral divisions were home to around 57,500 people at Census 2022, and the area is mostly residential, so there's a good chance your business runs from a spare room or a van rather than a unit on an industrial estate. Receipts end up in the glovebox. The VAT return turns into a Sunday-night job.
And the accountant you have now? Do you hear from them before a deadline, or only after it? First Accounts is an online accountancy firm for SMEs, run by Chartered and Certified accountants. We keep your bookkeeping current in Xero, file your VAT returns and CT1 on time along with the B1, and reply to every question within 24 hours.
Our office is at Maynooth Business Campus, a short drive up the M4/N4. You won't need to visit it. The service runs remotely, so nobody sits in N4 traffic to hand over a folder of receipts.
What do Lucan businesses get with First Accounts?
Whether you're a sole trader in Lucan village or a limited company with a small team, you get:
Filings in on time, every time. VAT returns, the CT1 corporation tax return and the B1 annual return are tracked on our side, and we chase you for what we need, not the other way round.
Real-time bookkeeping on Xero. Transactions are coded through the year, so the numbers you look at in June actually describe June.
Bank feeds and Hubdoc receipt capture. Bank transactions flow into Xero automatically and Hubdoc reads your receipts, which should shrink that glovebox pile.
Transparent pricing with no hidden extras. You'll know what the service costs before you start.
Direct access to Chartered Accountants. The firm is led by Mark Sweetman, a Chartered Accountant, and Colin Sweetman, a Chartered Certified Accountant, so you deal with qualified people rather than a ticketing queue.
The 24-hour reply rule. Every email gets a response within 24 hours, even if it's just to say we're working on it. No stupid questions, either.
24-Hour Response
Chartered and Certified Accountants
Chartered and Certified Accountants
What accounting services does First Accounts offer in Lucan?
Most business owners arrive with one pressing problem, usually VAT or messy books, and then notice the rest of the finance function needs attention too. Take one of these services or all six.
Who can keep my bookkeeping up to date on Xero?
Bookkeeping slips when you're busy, and in a small business you're always busy. We run your Xero file on a fixed routine, with bank feeds reconciled and receipts captured through Hubdoc. If you sell online, your sales platform can be integrated so income lands in the ledger without anyone retyping it. Our bookkeeping services for small businesses can also recognise revenue and costs in the right periods, which matters once you start reading margins month by month.
Can an online accountant handle my VAT returns and tax filings?
Yes, and VAT is usually the first job people hand over. We prepare your VAT returns from the Xero data we already keep, so the figures match your books rather than a guess made the night before. Beyond VAT, we look after Relevant Contracts Tax (RCT) for construction work, corporation tax, income tax returns and general Capital Gains Tax matters. See how our VAT return service works if VAT is keeping you up at night.
Who prepares year-end accounts and the B1 for a Lucan company?
Your company's B1 annual return goes to the Companies Registration Office every year, and we prepare the financial statements that go with it. We also handle CRO updates when something changes, such as a new director or a new registered address. Because the bookkeeping is already current, year-end accounts and B1 filing become a review exercise instead of a frantic reconstruction of twelve months you'd rather forget.
Can I outsource payroll for a small team in Lucan?
You can, and with two or three staff it's often the first admin job worth giving away. Under PAYE Modernisation every pay run is reported to Revenue, so payroll isn't something to leave to chance. We run it, work out PAYE, USC and PRSI, and deal with new starters and leavers. Directors of one-person companies need this too, since a director's salary goes through payroll like anyone else's. Our outsourced payroll service keeps it in one place.
What are management accounts, and does my business need them?
Management accounts are the numbers you actually run the business on: profit by month, cash position, what customers owe you and what you owe suppliers. Statutory accounts look backwards. These show where you stand now. We prepare quarterly management accounts with a review meeting, and can maintain a KPI dashboard showing cash runway and debtor days. Busy business, thin bank balance? This is usually where the explanation turns up.
Do I need an accountant to set up Xero properly?
Not strictly. But a bad set-up quietly breaks your books for years, whether it's VAT rates coded wrongly or a chart of accounts that means nothing to anyone. We handle Xero set-up and ongoing support: bank feeds connected, Hubdoc switched on, invoice reminders configured and multi-currency enabled if you bill abroad. We also work with Revolut, which integrates fully with cloud accounting software.
Why do Lucan business owners choose an online accountant?
Look at who employs people around Lucan. The list includes Intel in Leixlip, eBay in Blanchardstown, the business parks at Citywest and Tallaght, and Liffey Valley Shopping Centre at the N4/M50 junction. Then there's Grange Castle Business Park on the Adamstown Road, which South Dublin County Council runs with the IDA and describes as a "world class campus". Operations on that scale tend to create work for smaller firms: contractors, consultants, the IT specialist trading through a one-person company.
All those households also keep builders and other trades busy, and if that's you, there's an awkward detail. LEO South Dublin's Priming Grant and Business Expansion Grant don't give financial support to construction, retail, transport or professional services businesses, only non-financial help. So for a Lucan builder or shop owner, cash planning and tax reliefs have to do the work grant money might do elsewhere.
Distance barely matters with our model. Maynooth Business Campus is about 12 km away, 10 to 15 minutes by car via the M4/N4, and there's no direct train, since Adamstown station is on the Dublin Heuston to Kildare commuter line. You won't need either route.
Here's how the main LEO South Dublin grants were set out on its website in September 2026:
| Support |
Who it's for |
What it offers |
Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Priming Grant |
Start-ups in South Dublin with 10 or fewer employees |
Up to 50% of eligible spend, within an overall cap of €80,000 |
Professional services, construction, retail and transport get non-financial help only |
|
Business Expansion Grant |
South Dublin businesses trading for over 18 months, with 10 or fewer employees |
Up to 50% of eligible spend, same €80,000 overall cap |
The same sector exclusions as the Priming Grant |
|
Grow Digital Voucher |
Businesses with 1 to 50 employees, trading for at least 6 months |
Up to €5,000 at 50% of eligible costs, minimum €500 |
Needs a completed Digital for Business project in the previous two years, plus tax clearance |
Why Lucan business owners go online
A remote accountant tends to suit businesses here for practical reasons:
Contractors working into Intel, Grange Castle or Citywest can keep their company's VAT, CT1 and director's payroll in order without leaving the client site.
Trades get RCT and VAT handled alongside van and material costs, with books current enough to hold on to tax clearance.
Shops and cafés around Liffey Valley or the village can have card takings flowing into Xero through bank feeds, rather than a carrier bag of paper each quarter.
If you're one of the more than 137,100 South Dublin residents at work in April 2022 and run a business on the side, a 10pm question still gets answered within 24 hours.
LEO funding needs your tax affairs in order, and the Grow Digital Voucher asks for tax clearance explicitly. Hard to produce with books a year behind.
What services does an accountant in Lucan provide?
Two jobs, really. One keeps you on the right side of Revenue and the CRO. The other keeps the business healthy, and that's the one most small firms skip until something goes wrong.
What does an accountant file with Revenue and the CRO for a Lucan business?
For many growing firms, VAT comes first. Revenue's VAT registration thresholds are €42,500 for services and €85,000 for goods. If turnover is climbing towards either figure, plan the registration before you cross it rather than discovering the problem afterwards.
Limited companies also file a CT1 corporation tax return each year. Employers operate PAYE and report every pay run to Revenue, and construction businesses deal with RCT on top of that. Then there's the Companies Registration Office, which expects the B1 annual return plus an update whenever directors, secretaries, shareholdings or the registered address change. None of it is optional. Most of it is manageable once someone owns the calendar.
What does an accountant do for the day-to-day running of a Lucan business?
The operational side is where a good accountant earns the fee. Current bookkeeping in Xero is the base, and payroll sits on top of it. Quarterly management accounts then show whether margins are holding up, while a cash flow forecast tells you whether you can afford that second van before you sign the finance agreement, not after.
We also build budgets, run accounting health checks and clean up books inherited from a previous accountant or from years of doing it yourself. Need paperwork for a grant application or a mortgage lender? We prepare that too, which is handy if you're self-employed and buying a home in the Lucan area.
What do Lucan business owners ask before switching accountant?
Do I need to visit your Maynooth office if my business is in Lucan?
No. First Accounts is fully remote, with no need for office visits at any stage. The office is at Block B, Maynooth Business Campus, Straffan Road, roughly 12 km from Lucan, but onboarding, document sharing and meetings all happen online. You can run the whole relationship from your kitchen table.
Can you look after my company if I contract into Intel or Grange Castle?
Yes. A one-person contracting company needs VAT registration and returns, director's payroll, the CT1, year-end accounts and the B1, and we handle all of it. We'll also look at how you pay yourself, because that choice affects your tax bill. To be clear, we have no relationship with Intel or any Grange Castle occupier; we look after your side of the contract.
Can I switch to First Accounts from my current accountant mid-year?
You can. The handover is mostly paperwork: we request records from your previous accountant, get your Xero file in order and pick up whichever filings are next due. If the books you're inheriting are messy, or were never really kept, we clean them up first so your next VAT return starts from accurate figures.
Can you help with a LEO South Dublin grant application?
We can prepare the financial side, including projections and the supporting documentation grant bodies ask for. What we can't do is promise an outcome, because LEO South Dublin makes that decision. Check eligibility first, since some sectors qualify only for mentoring and other non-financial help.