Accountants for engineering contractors
Engineering contractors — civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, process, and oil and gas — typically operate through a limited company on long-term project engagements. Those long project timescales and embedded site working arrangements create specific IR35 considerations that a generalist accountant won't flag until after the problem arrives. AutoBooks handles your limited company properly from £89+VAT/month.
Most contractor accountants charge £120–£159/month for equivalent cover. AutoBooks includes everything for £89.
What's included
Bookkeeping
Every transaction recorded and reconciled monthly
VAT returns
Quarterly MTD-compliant returns filed on time
Director payroll
Monthly PAYE and RTI submissions
Corporation tax
CT600 prepared and filed with HMRC
Self Assessment
Director's SA100 included as standard
Companies House
Confirmation statement and annual accounts
Salary & dividends
Optimal split calculated and reviewed annually
Year-end accounts
Full statutory accounts prepared and filed
What engineering contractors need from an accountant
- Long-term single-site IR35 risk. Engineering contractors often work on the same project or site for 12–36 months. This pattern — combined with prescribed working hours and client-controlled methods — is a classic inside IR35 risk profile. Substitution and control are your key defences. We flag when your working pattern creates risk.
- Equipment, PPE, and site expense claims. Specialist tools, PPE, site clothing, and equipment purchased for specific contracts are all claimable. The rules differ between employee-owned and company-owned equipment, and between capital assets and consumables. We capture everything correctly.
- Travel and accommodation on away contracts. Engineering contractors frequently work away from their home base on extended projects. Temporary workplace rules allow hotel costs, daily subsistence, and travel to be claimed against the company — within HMRC's rules, which differ from the 24-month threshold most people know.
- Salary and dividend planning at engineering day rates. Civil and energy contractors regularly earn £450–£900/day. The optimal extraction strategy at this income level involves employer pension contributions as well as the salary-dividend split. We model this for your specific earnings. Calculate your take-home pay.
Professional membership fees you can claim
IMechE (Institution of Mechanical Engineers) annual subscription — IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology) — ICE (Institution of Civil Engineers) — IStructE (Institution of Structural Engineers) — IChemE (Institution of Chemical Engineers) — CIBSE (Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers) — Chartered Engineer (CEng) registration fee — SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers) — Professional indemnity insurance premiums — Health and safety training and CSCS card renewals relevant to your current contracts.
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