Hospitality accounting
Accountants for hospitality in Edinburgh.
Specialist hospitality business accounting for Edinburgh — ACCA-regulated, fixed-fee, with a named accountant on direct contact.
- Firm no. 4549994
- ACCA
- From, per month
- £35
- Named accountant
- 1:1
Countify for Edinburgh hospitality businesss
Local context
that actually matters.
Edinburgh's hospitality market operates at two distinct scales: the year-round Old Town and New Town restaurant and bar trade, and the Festival peak that compresses twelve months of revenue ambition into six weeks. Festival-season cash flow management — reserving tax liabilities against a trading surge, managing temporary payroll increases and tronc administration for seasonal staff — is the most acute accounting challenge for Edinburgh operators. Short-term let licensing has also pushed some Edinburgh Airbnb operators back into serviced-apartment or hotel registration, creating new VAT and payroll obligations. Edinburgh's higher average property values mean commercial leases carry higher rents, compressing margins further and making MTD-compliant bookkeeping — with real-time P&L visibility — more important than in most UK cities.
Sector context
What hospitality business accounting actually involves.
Hospitality accounting covers VAT complexity that trips up most operators: standard rate on alcohol, zero rate on most cold food, and the fine line between meal deals and combinations that span multiple VAT rates. The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 overhauled tronc and tips compliance, with new requirements for written tronc policies, independent tronc masters and employee transparency. Beyond VAT and tips, seasonal cash flow, Scottish Business Bonus Scheme eligibility for smaller premises, business rates relief, and the pressure of thin margins under Making Tax Digital all require careful management. Countify handles monthly VAT returns, tronc scheme design and payroll, and MTD-compliant bookkeeping for hospitality businesses across Scotland.
How we help Edinburgh hospitality businesss
Hospitality-specific scope, fixed fees.
VAT on food and drink
Correct VAT treatment across your menu — zero-rated food, standard-rated alcohol, and the edge cases that most operators get wrong, reconciled to your EPOS data monthly.
Tronc schemes and tips compliance
Written tronc policy, independent tronc master appointment, and payroll processing compliant with the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023.
Seasonal payroll and cash flow
Payroll scaled for seasonal staffing peaks, with cash flow forecasting to smooth the gap between high-summer or festive-season revenue and quieter periods.
Scottish business rates and SBBS
Scottish Business Bonus Scheme eligibility reviewed annually. Business rates appeals and relief applications handled where your rateable value has shifted.
Run the numbers
Calculators built for hospitality businesss.
Questions we hear weekly
Hospitality FAQs.
How does VAT work on food and alcohol in a restaurant or bar?
Most cold food sold for consumption off the premises is zero-rated; hot food and food consumed on the premises is standard-rated at 20%. Alcohol is always standard-rated at 20%, regardless of how it is sold. Mixed deals — a meal deal combining hot food and a soft drink, for example — need to be apportioned correctly. EPOS systems that do not apply the correct VAT treatment to each line create mismatches that surface on VAT returns and can lead to underpayments or overclaims. We map your menu to the correct VAT treatment and reconcile to your EPOS export monthly.
What do I need to do about tips and tronc after the 2023 Act?
The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 (in force from October 2024) requires employers to pass all tips, gratuities and service charges to workers in full, maintain a written tronc policy, allocate tips fairly and transparently, and keep records for three years. Tronc-managed tips are processed through payroll (subject to income tax but not NI if the scheme is compliant). Employer-received tips that are not passed to a tronc must go through PAYE. We design compliant tronc structures and handle the payroll processing.
How does Making Tax Digital affect my hospitality business?
MTD for VAT has applied since April 2022 — you must keep digital VAT records and submit via MTD-compatible software. MTD for Income Tax Self Assessment has applied since April 2026 to sole trader hospitality operators and landlords with income over £50,000, and reaches those over £30,000 from April 2027. We use Xero and compatible EPOS integrations to keep your records MTD-compliant from the start, so quarterly updates are a routine export rather than a scramble.
Does CIS apply if we're doing a fit-out or refurbishment?
Yes — if your hospitality business commissions a contractor to carry out construction works (a kitchen refit, interior fit-out, extension or new build), and you qualify as a 'deemed contractor' under the CIS rules (spending more than £3 million on construction over a rolling 12-month period), you are obliged to verify subcontractors and make CIS deductions. Most single-site hospitality operators fall below the £3m threshold and are not deemed contractors — but the test should be run when a major project is commissioned.
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Free, no-obligation consultation. We agree the fee upfront — no surprises.
5.0 on Google · 8 reviews- Fixed fee agreed in writing before work starts — no surprise bills.
- Switching is handled for you, including the professional clearance letter.
- A named accountant who knows your business, not a call queue.