Maxwells

What Maxwells does

Maxwells Chartered Accountants is an independent chartered accountancy firm established in 1968 and headquartered in Bridgwater, Somerset, United Kingdom, operating with 101–250 employees from a single location that was recently expanded through the acquisition of adjacent King Square office space. The firm delivers a comprehensive suite of professional services — accounting and bookkeeping, audit, business planning, business start-up support, company secretarial, payroll (for businesses with 1–300 staff), management accounts, personal and corporate taxation, probate, funding advisory, and IT consulting — to both businesses and individuals. Its underlying technology stack is composed entirely of third-party cloud accounting platforms (Sage, QuickBooks, Xero, Intuit) and the IRIS OpenSpace client portal; the firm does not own proprietary software or a unified product, and supplementary digital resources include an online calculator suite, tax calendar with email reminders, downloadable HMRC and Companies House forms, and a monthly Newzwire email newsletter.

The firm's revenue model is fee-based professional services on personalised engagement terms; no public pricing exists, and a free no-obligation consultation is offered as the entry point. Go-to-market is sales-led, relying on direct referrals, local reputation, word-of-mouth, SEO/content marketing, and inbound inquiries via the website and phone. Customers are segmented horizontally across five groups: SMBs (primary), individual taxpayers (primary), corporate/owner clients, farmers and rural landowners, and high-net-worth individuals — with vertical specialisations in IHT for family farms, probate, construction industry scheme taxation, and HNW personal tax. Distribution channels are direct client service (face-to-face, phone, email) and self-serve document exchange through IRIS OpenSpace.

The firm is privately held with no external institutional investment, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no funding history. Management is partner-led, including Jodie Maisey (Partner, CTA), Adam Turrell (Audit Partner, FCA), Mike Villis (FCA, IT lead), Nicola Hayes (Tax and Probate Manager, ex-Big Four), and Martin Batten (Tax Manager, ex-HMRC). The firm holds formal accreditation with Sage and partnerships with QuickBooks, Xero, and IRIS, and operates a Facebook page alongside its content-rich website. Operating geographies are limited to the United Kingdom, primarily Southwest England.

Name

Maxwells

Legal name

Maxwells Chartered Accountants

Website

https://maxwellsaccountants.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Maxwells Chartered Accountants is an independent chartered accountancy firm in Bridgwater, Somerset, delivering taxation, bookkeeping, payroll, audit, probate, and business advisory services to SMBs, individuals, farmers, and high-net-worth clients across Southwest England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bridgwater

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Professional Accountancy Services: Fee-based professional services encompassing accounting, auditing, business planning, tax compliance and advisory, payroll, probate, company secretarial, and management accounts for both business and individual clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Maxwells is an independent chartered accountancy firm providing professional accountancy, taxation, audit, payroll, bookkeeping, business planning, company secretarial, probate, funding, and IT advisory services to businesses and individuals in Southwest England. The firm also offers supplementary digital resources including online financial calculators, market data, downloadable HMRC/Companies House forms, and a tax calendar with email reminders. Service delivery is supported by Sage, QuickBooks, Xero, and IRIS cloud accounting platform expertise plus a secure IRIS OpenSpace client portal.

Product overview

Maxwells Chartered Accountants is a traditional accounting and business consultancy firm that provides a comprehensive suite of professional services rather than a unified software product. Their core service portfolio consists of twelve primary accounting service modules: Accounting & Bookkeeping, Audit, Business Planning, Business Start-Up, Company Secretarial, Fee Protection, Funding, Information Technology, Management Accounts, Payroll, Probate, and Taxation. These services are delivered through direct professional engagement rather than software platforms. The firm also provides supplementary digital resources including an online calculator suite (for APR, loans, mortgages, VAT, and other financial calculations), market data tools (tracking inflation, exchange rates, FTSE 100, interest rates, and retail price index), downloadable HMRC and Companies House forms, a tax calendar with email reminders, and current tax rates and allowances. The firm also offers a client portal powered by IRIS OpenSpace for document management. No formal API or developer offering is available.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Accounting & Bookkeeping Preparation and interpretation of management accounts for businesses and individuals, covering ongoing bookkeeping and financial reporting support.
• Audit Audit engagements grounded in a thorough understanding of clients' businesses, delivered by the firm's Audit Partner Adam Turrell.
• Business Planning Strategic planning services that help businesses plan ahead and ensure success.
• Business Start-Up Advisory support for new businesses, including advice on the most suitable business structure and related start-up services.
• Company Secretarial Carrying out company secretarial duties on behalf of clients to maintain corporate compliance.
• Fee Protection Fee protection service offered to clients prior to completing their tax return, protecting against the cost of HMRC enquiries.
• Funding Assistance in finding the right funding options for businesses.
• Information Technology IT advisory recognising that clients' success is increasingly dependent on effective use of technology, including cloud accounting platform guidance.
• Management Accounts Monitoring and controlling the financial performance of businesses through regular management accounts.
• Payroll Payroll preparation by experienced, qualified staff for businesses with 1 to 300 employees.

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SagecoreTechnology or IntegrationMaxwells is a Sage-accredited firm offering Sage accounting software advice and support to clients. The firm displays multiple Sage partnership logos including Sage Accredited, Sage Business, Sage Online, and Sage Training, indicating formal accreditation status.
• QuickBookscoreTechnology or IntegrationMaxwells partners with QuickBooks, offering QuickBooks solutions and services to clients. The firm has a QuickBooks marketing partnership link on their website.
• XerocoreTechnology or IntegrationMaxwells is an advocate of Xero cloud accounting software, with staff (including Mike Villis) having expertise in Xero implementation and advisory.
• IRIS OpenSpacecoreTechnology or IntegrationMaxwells provides clients with access to the IRIS OpenSpace client portal for secure online document sharing and collaboration. The firm is an IRIS partner with a designated partner identifier.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bishop Fleming: Southwest-headquartered chartered accountants with full service lines (audit, tax, payroll, business advisory) and similar client focus on owner-managed businesses, agriculture, and private clients. Closest direct peer to Maxwells in geographic and segment overlap.
• Albert Goodman: Long-established Somerset and Southwest chartered accountancy firm providing accounting, tax, audit, payroll, and specialist rural/farming advisory. Comparable in size, regional concentration, and specialist agriculture practice to Maxwells.
• Porter Dodson: Regional Somerset/Devon chartered accountancy and legal services firm with a strong agriculture and private client practice. Direct competitor to Maxwells in the same Southwest geography with overlapping farming, IHT, and probate expertise.
• Kreston Reeves: South East and London-based chartered accountancy firm serving owner-managed businesses, HNW individuals, and rural/farming clients. Comparable in size band, service mix, and emphasis on private client tax and probate specialisms.
• PKF Smith Cooper: Mid-sized UK chartered accountancy firm with strong East Midlands/Southwest presence, offering full accounting, tax, audit, and advisory services to SMBs and HNW individuals. Comparable in service mix and target client profile.
• PKF Francis Clark: Southwest England-based chartered accountancy firm offering accounting, tax, audit, payroll, and advisory to SMBs, HNW individuals, and rural businesses. Direct competitor to Maxwells in the same regional footprint, with comparable service breadth and similar size band.

Broad incumbents

• Moore Kingston Smith: UK top-30 chartered accountancy firm providing accounting, tax, audit, and specialist advisory (including private client and creative industries). Comparable service breadth, larger scale, and competes for the same owner-managed and HNW segments.
• Crowe UK: Top-10 UK chartered accountancy firm offering audit, tax, advisory, and risk services with multiple UK offices including in the South. A broader incumbent that competes for mid-market and owner-managed business clients in the same vertical.
• Azets UK: Major UK and Ireland accountancy group (formed via multiple roll-ups) providing accounting, payroll, tax, audit, and advisory to SMBs. A leading consolidator that competes with Maxwells for regional client mandates and talent across the Southwest.
• MHA (and member firms): UK top-20 accountancy and advisory network with multiple regional member firms offering accounting, audit, tax, and business advisory. Larger and broader than Maxwells but competes for the same regional SMB and HNW mandates across the UK.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/maxwellsaccountants

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Maxwells