Care home accounting

Accountants for care homes in Glasgow.

Specialist care home accounting for Glasgow — ACCA-regulated, fixed-fee, with a named accountant on direct contact.

£0
First consult
20+
Years combined
ACCA
Regulated

Countify for Glasgow care homes

Local context
that actually matters.

Glasgow's care home sector operates within the NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and Glasgow City HSCP (Health and Social Care Partnership) integration framework. Funded placement rates from the local authority — set against the independent care home cost model — are a persistent margin pressure for Glasgow operators, making accurate cost accounting and payroll efficiency critical. The large care home payroll in Glasgow typically involves a mix of contracted hours staff, bank staff and agency cover, all requiring RTI compliance and pension auto-enrolment administration. Care equipment capital allowances and zero-emission vehicle allowances are consistently underused by Glasgow care home operators. VAT-exempt income analysis is straightforward for pure care operators but becomes a partial-exemption exercise where any ancillary commercial services are offered alongside care.

Sector context

What care home accounting actually involves.

Care home accounting involves several layers of complexity that standard small-business accountants routinely mishandle. Most care services — personal care, nursing care and accommodation provided with care — are VAT-exempt, creating a partial-exemption VAT position that requires careful analysis of any standard-rated income streams (such as hairdressing, guest meals or private room upgrades). Payroll is large, complex, and high-turnover: RTI compliance, pension auto-enrolment with care-sector staff profiles, and DBS check records all need maintaining. The Care Inspectorate (in Scotland) imposes record-keeping obligations that overlap with financial records. Capital investment in care equipment and facilities carries favourable capital allowances treatment, including zero-emission vehicle allowances for care transport.

How we help Glasgow care homes

Care Home-specific scope, fixed fees.

VAT-exempt care income analysis

Partial-exemption VAT calculation for any mixed VAT-exempt/standard-rated income. Capital VAT recovery on building works and equipment purchases assessed correctly.

Large payroll and RTI

Monthly payroll for care staff — including zero-hours, bank staff and management — processed and RTI-submitted. Pension auto-enrolment managed against care-sector staff profiles.

Care Inspectorate record-keeping

Financial records maintained in a format compatible with Care Inspectorate requirements and NHS Scotland integration audits.

Capital allowances on care equipment

Annual Investment Allowance claimed on eligible care equipment, beds, hoists and assistive technology. Zero-emission vehicle allowances applied to care transport.

Questions we hear weekly

Care Homes FAQs.

Is care home income VAT exempt?

Yes — welfare services including personal care, nursing care and care accommodation are exempt from VAT under VATA 1994 Schedule 9 Group 7. This means you do not charge VAT on care fees, but you also cannot reclaim VAT on most of your costs. Where you have standard-rated income streams — a hairdressing salon open to the public, commercial catering, or other non-welfare services — you enter partial exemption, and a proportion of your input VAT becomes recoverable. Capital expenditure on care buildings and equipment also needs a partial-exemption analysis to determine how much input VAT can be reclaimed. HMRC's partial-exemption standard method or a special method approved by HMRC applies depending on the scale of mixed activity.

How do we handle a large payroll with high staff turnover?

Care home payroll requires real-time RTI submission for every pay run, pension auto-enrolment processing for eligible workers (including part-time and bank staff who meet the earnings threshold), correct calculation of statutory sick pay and holiday entitlement for irregular-hours workers, and DBS check status monitoring. High turnover amplifies the admin burden — starter and leaver processing needs to be timely to avoid incorrect tax codes accumulating. We use cloud payroll software connected to your care management system where possible to reduce manual re-entry, and we manage the auto-enrolment contribution calculations and Nest or NEST-equivalent pension submissions.

What records do we need for Care Inspectorate?

The Care Inspectorate (Scotland) does not audit financial records directly, but its inspections include adequacy-of-resources assessments that require you to demonstrate financial sustainability. In practice, this means having current management accounts, cash flow forecasts, and evidence that staffing ratios are funded. NHS Scotland integration authorities — where funded care placements are received — may also require financial information as part of contract compliance. We maintain records in a format that supports these external reviews without requiring a separate reporting exercise.

Can we claim capital allowances on care equipment?

Yes — beds, hoists, assistive technology, medical-grade furniture and care vehicles all qualify for capital allowances. The Annual Investment Allowance gives 100% relief on up to £1 million of qualifying plant and machinery expenditure per year. Zero-emission vehicles — electric minibuses and care transport vehicles — qualify for a 100% first-year allowance separately. Building works on an existing care home may include integral features (electrical systems, heating) that qualify for the Structures and Buildings Allowance at 3% per year. We identify qualifying expenditure correctly and claim the maximum available relief.

Countify supports Glasgow care homes from 5 St. Vincent Place, Glasgow.

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