What is your role within RG?
I am a Tax Senior in the Personal Tax department, which currently has 11 team members handling all aspects of compliance and advisory work.
Tell me about your career to date…
I began my accountancy career on an AAT apprenticeship at a small practice in Durham where I got a taste of accounts preparation, payroll, VAT processing, and bookkeeping. However, I quickly developed a strong interest in personal tax and decided to specialise in this field. I took the plunge moving to a small firm in Newcastle, where I began my ATT exams. During my time there, I gained extensive experience working with a diverse range of clients and formed lasting friendships. When the company was acquired by a larger national firm and my team was disbanded, I found my way to RG.
What makes RG different?
RG successfully balances the advantages of a larger firm—such as the adoption of new technologies and a supportive culture for staff—with the personal touch of maintaining close relationships with clients. This allows us to offer a bespoke and comprehensive service to each client.
What does your current role involve?
I manage a portfolio of approximately 280 clients, including sole traders, partnerships, high-net-worth individuals (HNWI), retirees, and everyone else in between. My primary responsibility is to complete self-assessment tax returns, ensuring that clients meet their annual filing obligations and do so in a tax-efficient manner. RG enables me to provide substantial support to my clients, addressing queries of all kinds and arranging visits to ensure they feel comfortable with the process. Additionally, I handle a small number of P11D cases, working alongside my colleagues in other departments to ensure filing requirements are met.
Tell us about your day so far…
My day began at 4:50 am with an early morning gym session. I returned home to get ready for the day, gulp down some coffee, and get into the office for 8am.
The first task in the office was to check my emails and make a plan of action for the day, responding to urgent queries in the meantime.
At 10:30 am, we had our weekly Personal Tax meeting to discuss current workloads and capacity, focusing mainly on P11D progress given the looming deadline. We often use this meeting as a time to address any concerns or unusual queries that have arisen during the week.
As it is currently P11D season, much of my day was spent preparing P11D forms for various clients, chasing missing information, and reviewing data to determine if PAYE Settlement Agreements are required.
I then met with one of our tax directors to work through accounts for a death estate before returning to P11D preparation which occupied the rest of my day until around 3.30pm, at which stage I try to spend my final hour catching up on emails and sorting out any post.
What do you enjoy outside of work?
Outside of work, I enjoy hiking, going to the gym, and like most people spending time with friends and family.
And finally, leave us with one interesting fact about yourself?
As I have no interesting facts about myself, I thought I would end with an anecdote: earlier this year, I hiked Blencathra and got caught in a snow cloud. With severely limited visibility we reached the peak and decided to head back on the route we took up, although now off path. I used my excellent navigational skills to get back on track – which was by excitedly finding the snow angels and various childish drawings one could expect a group of 25 year olds to leave in the snow! A scary but extraordinary experience, and a lesson to always remain slightly childish!