A new town with an old town at its heart
Hemel Hempstead was named a New Town after the Second World War, and most of what you see today was built between then and the late 1980s. The original High Street survives as the Old Town. The modern centre is Marlowes, pedestrianised in the early 1990s, with the Riverside development added in 2005 to stretch the shopping area further.
The town is run by Dacorum Borough Council and Hertfordshire County Council. Hemel Hempstead station is in Boxmoor, about a mile south of the centre, on the West Coast Main Line with London Northwestern trains to Euston, Tring and Milton Keynes. To the south, Apsley grew up around the John Dickinson paper mills, and the old mill site is now homes, retail parks and a marina.
Accountants for Hemel Hempstead firms on Maylands
Maylands sits on the east side of the town, towards the M1. It was the industrial area of the New Town and was badly damaged by the Buncefield oil depot fire in 12/2005. Rebuilding followed, and in 2013 the area was rebranded as Maylands Business Park. Today it is home to offices and light industrial units of many sizes.
Businesses here tend to have staff, stock and suppliers, which makes the accounting more involved than for a one person firm. Monthly payroll, workplace pensions and accurate stock figures all feed into the year end accounts. Employer National Insurance is 15% above the threshold in 2026/27, and many employers can claim the Employment Allowance of up to £10,500. Management accounts, meaning monthly or quarterly figures for the owners, help directors spot problems before the year end rather than after.
What we help people in Hemel Hempstead with
- Monthly payroll, payslips and workplace pensions
- Year end accounts and corporation tax returns
- Monthly or quarterly management accounts
- Company formation for new businesses
- Cloud bookkeeping setup and support
- VAT registration and quarterly returns
- Making Tax Digital quarterly updates
- CIS returns and refunds for trades
Starting out at the Maylands Business Centre
Dacorum Borough Council runs the Maylands Business Centre on Redbourn Road as a place for young businesses to grow. It offers serviced offices, light industrial units and free bookable desks, with the idea that firms move on to private premises within three years. The council also runs Kylna Business Centre on Maylands Avenue for businesses ready for the next step.
Startups like these usually ask the same early questions. Should I be a sole trader or a limited company? When do I register for VAT? What records do I need to keep? We answer them in plain words, help with company formation if that is the right route, and set up cloud bookkeeping so the numbers are right from the first invoice.
Shops, trades and sole traders across HP1 to HP3
Away from the business park, much of the work is with sole traders and small shops. Retailers on Marlowes and in the Old Town need VAT handled once turnover goes over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months. Builders and trades working for contractors fall under the Construction Industry Scheme, with deductions of 20% for registered subcontractors that can be reclaimed through the tax return.
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax started on 6/4/2026 for sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000. From 6/4/2027 it reaches those over £30,000, and from 6/4/2028 those over £20,000. Quarterly updates now sit alongside the yearly return, which is still due by 31/1. We choose software with you and keep the updates on time.
What matters most for Hemel Hempstead businesses
With a large business park, a busy shopping centre and plenty of self employed residents, these services come up most. Most enquiries for accountants in Hemel Hempstead involve at least one of them, and growing firms often need several at once.
- Payroll and pensions for employers on Maylands
- Year end accounts and corporation tax for limited companies
- Management accounts for growing firms
- Company formation and bookkeeping setup for startups
- Making Tax Digital, VAT and CIS for sole traders and trades
Working with us from Hemel Hempstead
We are based in Watford and do not have an office in Hemel Hempstead. Most clients share records through cloud software or secure upload, and we talk by email and video. If you prefer to meet, we can arrange it.
To start, fill in the free quote form. An ACCA qualified accountant reviews what you need and we agree a fixed fee before any work begins.
Choosing accountants in Hemel Hempstead is less about postcode than about whether they understand how your business runs. Some owners in the town live elsewhere in Dacorum, or over in St Albans or Kings Langley, and distance makes little difference when the work is done online. What counts is quick answers, clear fees and deadlines raised well before they arrive.
Who we work with here
- Employers based on Maylands Business Park
- Startups in council business centres
- Retailers on Marlowes and in the Old Town
- Builders and trades working for contractors
- Sole traders affected by Making Tax Digital
Common questions
Do you have an office in Hemel Hempstead?
No. Our accountants are based in Watford. Hemel Hempstead clients usually work with us online through cloud software, email and video, with meetings arranged when needed.
We have just taken a unit on Maylands. What do we need to set up?
Usually a bookkeeping system, payroll if you have staff, and a plan for VAT. If you trade through a company, there are also Companies House and corporation tax deadlines to diary. We set all of this up with you.
Can you run payroll for a business with 20 staff?
Yes. We run payroll each pay period, send the reports to HMRC, handle workplace pension duties and check whether you can claim the Employment Allowance.
What are management accounts and do I need them?
They are regular reports on sales, costs and profit, usually monthly or quarterly. They are not required by law, but they help owners make decisions with current figures instead of waiting for the year end.
I am a sole trader in Hemel. Does Making Tax Digital apply to me?
It applies from 6/4/2026 if your qualifying income is over £50,000, and from 6/4/2027 if it is over £30,000. We can check your figures and set up suitable software.
Should I start as a sole trader or a limited company?
It depends on your expected profit, the risks in your work and how you want to take money out. We compare both with your own figures before you decide.
How much do you charge?
We do not publish prices. After a free review of what you need, we agree a fixed fee in writing before any work starts.