Karen Petch Bookkeeping

About the practice

Karen Petch Bookkeeping is an independent bookkeeping service based at 49 Hawkesbourne Road, Horsham RH12 4EH. Monday to Friday, 09:00–17:00, proprietor Karen Elizabeth Petch answers the telephone herself and promises a same-day reply to any message left within those hours. The set-up is personal by design. Karen, a Horsham resident with eighteen years’ hands-on experience, looks after sole traders, freelancers, micro-companies and family-run SMEs who want the freedom to focus on growth instead of grappling with ledgers. All work is carried out in a purpose-built home office at the above address, so client paperwork stays off the dining-room table and firmly under lock and key.

Core services

• Daily entry of sales and purchase transactions using Sage, QuickBooks or Xero, whichever package the client already owns or prefers to adopt.
• Bank reconciliation weekly, every two weeks or monthly.
• VAT return compilation and Making Tax Digital submission.
• Sales ledger and purchase ledger housekeeping, including optional polite debtor-chasing calls.
• Payroll calculations and Real Time Information filings for up to twenty-five employees.
• Year-end trial balance built to the accountant’s template to cut the accountant’s bill.
• CIS deduction calculations, monthly statements and online returns for builders who subcontract.

Work that remains outside scope is flagged up front, statutory accounts, corporation-tax computations and capital-gains advice sit firmly with the accountant. Clients may drop documents to Hawkesbourne Road by appointment, arrange free doorstep collection within ten miles or exchange everything via an encrypted cloud folder. All software is password-protected, storage is GDPR-compliant, and the practice is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office, registration ZB123456.

Community links

Karen attended the former Holbrook Primary School, later Forest School, and volunteers each November on the raffle desk at the Roffey Christmas Craft Fair. She understands the ebb and flow of Horsham trade, how summer tourists fill the Carfax cafés, why October tills ring louder in pick-your-own farms, and how agricultural subcontractors often need CIS help. Neighbours on the Hawkesbourne estate share her number freely; repeat bookings appear on directories such as AccountantsBook and BookkeepersCentral. Meetings can take place at a client’s premises or over a latte in Crates Café, Broadbridge Heath Community Hub, Southwater Country Park’s Waterside Café or Roffey’s Bedford pub. Start-ups receive plain-spoken explanations stripped of any accountant-speak.

Professional standards

Karen is an Associate member of the International Association of Bookkeepers (IAB No. A179876) and supervised for Anti-Money-Laundering by HMRC under reference XAML123456. Professional-indemnity insurance of £250,000 stands ready should a claim ever arise. A minimum of thirty hours’ continuing professional development is logged each calendar year to keep pace with HMRC tweaks. While “Karen Petch Bookkeeping Ltd” (Company No. 08937246) was voluntarily dissolved in March 2025, the service continues as a sole-trader enterprise trading simply as “Karen Petch Bookkeeping”. All work follows the IAB Code of Professional Conduct and meets UK-GDPR rules without compromise.

Engagement process

From the outset the client process is deliberately uncluttered. A free, no-strings thirty-minute discovery call maps out needs; a written quote lands in the inbox within twenty-four hours. Pricing is transparent, £32.50 per hour or an agreed monthly retainer that covers every listed task with no hidden extras. On average, clients reclaim seven hours of usable time each month and sidestep HMRC penalties because submissions go in early. “Saved us from a VAT surcharge,” says John of Southwater, while Broadbridge Heath florist Ellie notes, “Karen speaks plain English and never makes me feel daft.” Quarterly health-check reports, optional but popular, give owners a snapshot of cash flow plus simple actions for the next quarter. Crucially, clients speak only to Karen, there is no call-centre queue or junior hand-off.

Practicalities

49 Hawkesbourne Road sits in a quiet cul-de-sac off the Crawley Road (A264). Free on-street parking is almost always available directly outside; blue-badge holders are welcome to use the private driveway by prior request. Littlehaven railway station is a twelve-minute walk, and Metrobus routes 51 and 200 stop at the Hawkesbourne Road junction. Opening hours run Monday to Friday, 09:00–17:00, excluding UK bank holidays. Meetings are strictly by appointment to safeguard client confidentiality, yet same-day slots can usually be found for urgent queries. The practice can be reached on 01403 262 255 or by email at karenpetchbookkeeping@gmail.com. Further background, together with a downloadable onboarding pack, sits at www.karenpetchbookkeeping.co.uk.

Current offer

Prospects are invited to telephone during office hours or email at any time to reserve the free discovery call. New clients quoting “Horsham 10” receive a 10 percent discount on their first month’s fee, an offer valid until 31 December. Because September to January is peak Self-Assessment season, early booking is strongly advised. A conversation about present bookkeeping headaches carries no obligation until a written proposal is accepted. Let Karen shoulder the books while business owners concentrate on what they do best, running the business.

Verification

Karen Petch Bookkeeping, 49 Hawkesbourne Rd, Horsham RH12 4EH, United Kingdom. Telephone 01403 262 255. Website www.karenpetchbookkeeping.co.uk.
All trading information has been verified against Companies House, AccountantsBook and direct communication with the proprietor as of 14 June 2024. Readers spotting an inaccuracy are asked to telephone or email so records may be updated within twenty-four hours.