Knowing which projects actually make money
It is easy for a creative business to be flat out and still not sure which work pays. The headline fee on a project rarely tells you the real story once the hours that went into it are counted.
Accountants for Creative Agencies & Studios
Creative work is brilliant at making things and notoriously tricky at tracking the money behind them — lumpy cash flow, half-finished projects and a shifting mix of staff and freelancers. We help design, marketing, media and studio businesses see where they actually make money, with a dedicated named accountant, a fixed monthly fee and cloud-first books that turn busy into profitable.
Creative & Agencies
What's involved
Here's exactly what's involved — and how your own named accountant handles each part for you.
Retainers, projects and lumpy cash flow
Creative income tends to arrive in waves — a big project lands, then a quiet patch follows — and a mix of retainer and one-off project billing makes the pattern harder to read.
Freelancers, subcontractors and IR35
Most agencies and studios flex their capacity with freelancers and subcontractors, which is efficient but brings questions about how those people are engaged and taxed.
R&D tax relief for genuine innovation
Creative businesses sometimes solve real technical problems — building tools, platforms or techniques that did not exist before — and that work can qualify for R&D tax relief.
Creative-industry tax reliefs
Beyond R&D, there are specific reliefs aimed at the creative sector, and qualifying companies can benefit meaningfully where the rules are met. They are easy to overlook, so we flag them early.
Chartered-standard, cloud-first, easy to switch
We run your books in Xero, QuickBooks or Sage with project and time data feeding in, so your numbers are always current and decision-ready. Joining us is paperless and usually takes a few days, with your records collected under professional clearance.
What's included
- Project profitability tracked job by job
- Work-in-progress and time tracking kept accurate
- Retainer and project billing handled cleanly
- Cash flow smoothed across lumpy months
- Freelancer and subcontractor mix and IR35 reviewed
- R&D and creative-industry tax reliefs explored
- Fixed monthly fee with your own accountant
Last reviewed: June 2026. This page is general guidance, not advice — figures relate to the 2025/26 UK tax year and may change. Please get in touch for advice tailored to your circumstances.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
By tracking the time and costs that go into each job against what you bill for it. We use your time and project data to measure profitability job by job and value your work-in-progress, so you can see your real margins and price future work accordingly.
Get started
Ready to work with an accountant who's genuinely on your side?
Book a free, no-obligation consultation and we'll show you exactly how MMR can help — with a clear fixed-fee quote and no pressure.