GM Bookkeeping Services

GM Bookkeeping Services Calm, professional bookkeeping for sole traders and small businesses. Jargon-free support to keep your business on track.

Based in Little Sutton and available virtually, I can handle your daily records or provide one-off tidy-ups. I’m Gill, and I provide a relaxed, flexible bookkeeping service tailored specifically for sole traders and small businesses. Whether you need a one-off tidy-up of your records or regular weekly or monthly support with your paperwork, I’m here to help. From data entry and debtor control to MTD filing and year-end preparation, I offer a flexible service that fits your needs. My goal is to give you more time to focus on your business, while I deal with the accounts. I can work virtually or in person in Little Sutton, providing clear, jargon-free support that keeps your books in order and ready for your accountant.

Here's an example of why you need to still check your figures when using cloud based software. If you use automatic bank...
02/10/2026

Here's an example of why you need to still check your figures when using cloud based software. If you use automatic bank feeds, it can still go wrong, it can miss a transaction for some reason, or duplicate them. This client's bank account in real time should be £560. Yet Xero is saying it is fully reconciled and correct. After investigation, it was established that Xero had failed to download a bank receipt for £270. So this income wasn't included in the accounts, and the bank account wasn't showing the correct balance.

How to fix? You need to to compare the bank transactions in xero to the original bank statements and identify the error. In this case you then need to add the income in Xero as money received so that Xero and the accounts are correct. Then manually mark the entry off as reconciled. This will then create a bank transaction line to replace the missing entry and show the correct bank balances.

If you're having issues with your software, please drop me a message.

I know, you're probably tired of hearing the letters MTD as it's been the hot topic in accountancy for the past 12 month...
28/08/2026

I know, you're probably tired of hearing the letters MTD as it's been the hot topic in accountancy for the past 12 months, but bear with me, because it might catch out more of you smaller sole traders from next April.

Here's why. Your accounts to 5 April 2026 are what HMRC will use to work out whether you fall into the next wave of MTD sign ups, and the turnover threshold has dropped to £30,000 (down from £50,000 last time). So if you fell just under the £50,000 threshold last time, you will likely now be required to sign up.

So what should you do? Get your 2025 to 2026 accounts done sooner rather than later. Not because there's a deadline breathing down your neck this minute, but because it gives you time to find out where you stand and get set up properly if you need to.

It really is all about the planning. Know early and you can get everything organised at a sensible pace. Leave it until January and you'll be racing to get registered before April.

If you're not sure whether this applies to you, give me a shout, happy to help you figure it out.

20/08/2026

To everyone receiving results these last couple of weeks, they don't define you or your future.

My career didn't take the route it did because of my GCSEs and A levels alone, it was more because of who I knew and being in the right place at the right time. I got my first job because someone I knew heard about a trainee accounts position within their friend's business. He put my name forward and I got the job. Someone believed in my capabilities, and that made all the difference. I now run my own business.

Your future is just starting. It may take a few turns along the way, but eventually you'll find a route that suits you. Keep believing in yourself.

I'll always be grateful that my employer listened to a recommendation rather than just looking at a piece of paper. Qualifications can be a good indication, but a recommendation from someone who actually knows the person can tell you just as much, if not more.

Results are a snapshot of one moment in time, not a verdict on who you are or what you're capable of.

How often do you have contact with your accountant?Genuinely interested to hear as I had a conversation with a local bus...
18/08/2026

How often do you have contact with your accountant?

Genuinely interested to hear as I had a conversation with a local business recently who said they haven't spoken to or met with their accountant over the past 3-4 years.

They receive letters to remind them about their accounts, tax deadlines etc. At year end, the business pulls together their paperwork, passes it over to the accountant, who then prepares the year end accounts and sends them a copy for approval.

The business doesn't have any discussions with them about how well the business is doing (or not as the case may be), doesn't discuss closing stock, petty cash in hand, future plans, whether all income has been recorded for completeness etc.

Is this the norm? Maybe it's the business that doesn't want to meet and leaves the accountant to it?

16/08/2026

Why pay a bookkeeper monthly when your accountant cleans everything up at the year end?

I get asked this one a lot, so let's clear it up.

Your accountant should be pulling everything together, submitting your return and making sure you're compliant. If you have tax related questions, they should be on hand to answer them for you. But by the time they see your books, the year's already happened and you're onto the next year before anything has been reviewed. Anything that could have been fixed, flagged or planned for along the way has already passed.

That's where I come in.

Working with your books monthly means I can catch things while there's still time to act on them, like:

- supplier invoice that's gone missing before it's forgotten entirely.

- Expenses being miscategorised, which affects your figures all year round

- VAT thresholds creeping closer than you think

- Reconciliation issues, caught in the month they happen rather than untangled twelve months later

Having a bookkeeper can make your accountants job easier. Clean, accurate monthly books mean less time spent unpicking things at year end, which often means a smoother, sometimes cheaper year end process too.

Think of it as accountant and bookkeeper working as a team, one keeping things ticking over accurately month to month, the other bringing it all together and filing it correctly.

If you'd like a hand keeping on top of things throughout the year, have a look at gmbookkeeping.co.uk or drop me a message, I'm always happy to chat through what would suit your business.

Do you have an accountant, but don't have the time to get your books in order to pass to them? I can liaise with your ac...
09/08/2026

Do you have an accountant, but don't have the time to get your books in order to pass to them? I can liaise with your accountant, pass over monthly, quarterly or yearly books, ready prepared, so all they have to do is review and consult with you. Limited availability, send me a message to find out more.

Reminder: HMRC payment on account.If you make payments on account to HMRC, you need to ensure that payment is received b...
29/07/2026

Reminder: HMRC payment on account.

If you make payments on account to HMRC, you need to ensure that payment is received by the 31 July. You should have received a statement to inform you of what to pay, if not take a look at your business tax account online.

Some bookkeepers and accountants are advertising that they won't process paperwork for clients anymore, everything must ...
28/07/2026

Some bookkeepers and accountants are advertising that they won't process paperwork for clients anymore, everything must be provided digitally. Not here. I'm a bookkeeper, processing paperwork is my job.

It may take longer and it may cost a bit more, but it's a service I still provide. Some businesses find it difficult to go fully digital, so I'm here to help with that.

There's no legal requirement to keep your purchase invoices online, but if you're MTD registered, you do need to record the transaction digitally. You just need to keep the paperwork safe, usually for 5 years.

And just a heads up, next year even more sole traders will be required to file quarterly MTD returns due to the drop in the income threshold.

Shout if I can help

Well that was a busy week, after having a week off it was time to tackle the MTD filing, and I'm happy to say that all m...
25/07/2026

Well that was a busy week, after having a week off it was time to tackle the MTD filing, and I'm happy to say that all my clients that have been affected by MTD have had their return filed. Everything went smoothly which is a bonus 🙂.

If you're reading this and thinking that you haven't filed your return yet, then drop me a message. The deadline is 7 August.

Anyone else experiencing Xero troubles today? That's a couple of my jobs on hold!
17/07/2026

Anyone else experiencing Xero troubles today? That's a couple of my jobs on hold!

Address

Greenbank Avenue, Little Sutton
Ellesmere Port
CH661PJ

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when GM Bookkeeping Services posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to GM Bookkeeping Services:

Shortcuts

Featured

Share

Category