Chartered Tax Adviser · Ex-PwC · Agencies only
Most agency owners are brilliant at winning clients and quietly terrible at keeping what they make.
SRJ International is a firm of specialist accountants and Chartered Tax Advisers for UK marketing agencies. Led by Simon Jacobs, a Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA · ACA) and ex-PwC, we handle corporation tax, VAT, profit extraction, and the accounts around how founder-led agencies actually run, so more of what you earn stays yours and the business is genuinely worth selling.
A general accountant will file your accounts correctly and keep you compliant. That is the floor, not the ceiling. Marketing agencies carry quirks that a generalist rarely sees every day: ad spend and media rebilled to clients, freelancers and subcontractors, lumpy retainer and project income, and the constant question of how the founder should actually take money out of the business.
Because we only work with agencies, we see those patterns constantly. We know where the profit leaks, where the planning opportunities sit, and where the traps are, so the advice is specific to how your agency runs rather than generic small-business box-ticking. And because our founder, Simon Jacobs, is a Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA · ACA) who trained at PwC, the tax planning goes well beyond what most high-street firms offer.
What actually moves the numbers
Ad spend, software, and media you buy on a client's behalf distort your VAT position and your true margin. We make sure VAT is handled on the right scheme for an agency, and that pass-through money is never mistaken for profit.
VAT for agencies →Most agencies flex capacity with freelancers and subcontractors. That raises employment-status and off-payroll questions that can get expensive if they are ignored. We keep the arrangement clean and defensible.
What agencies can claim →Salary, dividends, pension, and interest all pull in different directions. We plan how you take money out of the company so more of it reaches you, decided before the money moves rather than after.
How much to pay yourself →Agency income arrives unevenly, which makes tax bills feel like an ambush. We plan around your real cashflow so corporation tax and VAT are visible early, never a year-end surprise.
Agency VAT & cashflow →Every agency gets sold eventually. Clean books and the right structure, in place well before an offer, raise the multiple and cut the tax on the sale. We build that quietly in the background.
Plan tax around your exit →Agency founders, and business owners who came to Simon for the same reason: the tax was being filed, not planned.
“Simon helped me save thousands on my tax bill and prevented me from losing my Personal Allowance. He also gave me very good insights and advice into cryptocurrency, which will save me thousands of pounds in the future.”
“Simon helped me reclaim money I did not even realise I was entitled to, saved me a significant amount in tax through proper structuring, and ensured everything is compliant and future-proof.
What really separates him is how proactive and responsive he is. He advises, explains, and genuinely fights your corner with HMRC. You feel protected, informed, and strategically guided at all times.”
“Simon has always given the best he can for the customer. Understanding my situation has allowed him to advise and guide me in the right direction and be more tax efficient where possible.”
Based in London? See our London Chartered Tax Adviser for marketing agencies page. We also work with creative agencies and advertising agencies and digital marketing agencies. Want the detail on outcomes? See client results or read the agency tax notes.
Agency FAQ
Not strictly, but it helps. Agencies have quirks a generalist rarely sees daily: rebilled ad spend and VAT, freelancers and IR35, lumpy retainer and project cashflow, and how founders take money out. A specialist spots the planning opportunities and the traps that a general practice can miss.
The mechanics are the same, the risk areas are not. Pass-through client costs distort margins, ad spend affects VAT, subcontractors raise status questions, and income arrives unevenly. Agency accounts are most useful when they separate real profit from money that is only passing through.
We plan corporation tax, VAT, and profit extraction together, before the money moves rather than after year-end. How much that saves depends entirely on your numbers and structure, so the honest answer is that we look at your specific position on a call first, then tell you.
Yes. We advise UK agencies serving clients worldwide, and founders weighing a move abroad. That means looking at both sides, UK residence and the overseas position, rather than only one. Getting the UK rules right first usually matters more than people expect.
Typically founder-led UK agencies from around £500k to £5m in turnover, usually 1 to 20 people. That is the point where tax and profit extraction start to matter a lot, and where a specialist adds the most value ahead of a future sale.
Yes, and the earlier the better. A clean, well-structured set of books built 12 to 24 months before an offer lands makes an agency worth more and the sale far more tax-efficient. We handle the structuring and accounts quietly in the background so you are ready when a buyer appears.
It depends on your size, structure, and what you need handled. Rather than quote a misleading number, we scope it on a short discovery call and give you a clear figure. Most agency owners find the tax planning pays for the fee several times over.
General information, not personal tax advice. Rules and thresholds change; we advise on your specific position on a call.
Book a short discovery call and we will look at where your profit is going.