Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) · London · Agencies only
Most “agency accountants” are accountants with a tax team. You would be dealing with a Chartered Tax Adviser directly.
SRJ International is a London practice led by Simon Jacobs, a Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA · ACA) and ex-PwC. We work only with UK marketing, digital and creative agencies on retainer revenue, media pass-through VAT, IR35, profit extraction and exit planning. You deal with the adviser, not an account manager.
When you search for a chartered tax advisor in London for your marketing agency, most of the firms you find are Chartered Accountants who file your accounts and hand the tax to a separate team. That keeps you compliant. It rarely keeps more of your profit.
The Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) qualification, awarded by the Chartered Institute of Taxation, is the UK's specialist tax credential. Simon holds the CTA and the ACA and trained at PwC, so the tax planning and the accounts sit with one person who actually understands how an agency earns: retainers, project margins, media pass-through, freelancers, and how founders take money out.
What actually moves the numbers
Retainers and project fees can be recognised in different ways, and the wrong basis distorts both margin and tax. We recognise revenue the way you actually invoice and deliver, so the numbers show real profit.
Why clean books matter →Ad spend and media bought for clients is not your income. Booked wrongly it inflates turnover and confuses VAT. We keep pass-through as pass-through and put you on the right VAT scheme.
How agency VAT works →Agencies run on contractors, which raises employment status and off-payroll questions. We help you engage freelancers in a way that stays clean and defensible under IR35.
What you can claim →How you split salary, dividends and pension decides how much of the agency's profit you actually keep. We plan director pay around your numbers, not a generic template.
Salary vs dividends →We forecast and plan your corporation tax before the year-end, so decisions on hiring, dividends and reinvestment happen with the tax bill in view rather than as a nasty surprise.
Reduce corporation tax →Buyers look hard at whether reported profit is real. Clean, well-structured books built 12 to 24 months ahead make the agency worth more and the sale far more tax-efficient.
Plan tax around your exit →Based in London, working across the UK
The practice is based in North London (10 Northcliffe Drive, London, England, N20 8JZ). We work with agencies across London and the wider UK, mostly by video call and shared cloud accounting, so you get a London-qualified CTA without being tied to one postcode. Prefer to talk it through? Call 07821 900 992.
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.”
More on how we work with marketing agencies, creative agencies and advertising agencies. See client results or meet Simon.
London agency tax FAQ
Most agency accountants are Chartered Accountants who file accounts and keep you compliant, with tax handled by a separate team. A Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) is the CIOT's specialist tax qualification, so tax planning is the core skill rather than an add-on. Simon holds both the CTA and the ACA, so the planning and the accounts sit with one person.
Yes. SRJ International is a London practice (North London, N20), and we work with marketing agencies across London and the wider UK. Most of the work runs by video call and shared cloud accounting, so you get a London-qualified Chartered Tax Adviser without needing to be in the same postcode.
Yes. Marketing, digital, creative and advertising agencies are the focus, because the advice is strongest when it understands retainers, project margins, media pass-through, freelancers and how founders take profit. We are not a generalist firm that happens to have a few agency clients.
Retainers and project fees can be recognised in different ways, and getting it wrong distorts both your margin and your tax. We make sure revenue is recognised on the right basis for how you actually invoice and deliver, so the accounts show real profit across retainers and one-off projects rather than a misleading spike.
Yes. Media and ad spend bought on a client's behalf is not your income, and booked wrongly it inflates turnover and confuses your VAT. We separate genuine agency income from money in transit and check you are on the right VAT scheme for your client mix, including overseas clients under the place-of-supply rules.
Yes. Agencies lean heavily on freelancers and contractors, which raises employment status and off-payroll (IR35) questions. We help you engage people in a way that is clean and defensible, so a cost-effective freelance model does not turn into an unexpected tax liability later.
Yes, and the earlier the better. Buyers scrutinise how clean the numbers are and whether reported profit is real. Structuring and cleaning the books 12 to 24 months before a sale tends to make the agency worth more and the exit far more tax-efficient. We plan the tax around the exit, not just the year-end.
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.