Saint & Co

What Saint & Co does

Saint & Co is a chartered accountancy and tax advisory firm structured as a partnership, founded in 1884 and headquartered in Carlisle, United Kingdom. The firm operates 10 offices across Cumbria and Dumfries & Galloway, employing 10 partners and over 100 staff. It delivers a comprehensive suite of professional services including year-end accounts, management accounts, payroll, VAT, audit, business tax, personal tax, inheritance tax planning, trusts and estates, insolvency, and mergers and acquisitions advisory. Saint & Co holds ICAEW Chartered Accountant membership, ICAEW Audit Register registration, FCA registration, and Insolvency Practitioner licensing (through partner Lindsay Farrer), with professional indemnity insurance coverage up to £10M.

The firm's go-to-market is relationship-led and regional, with most new clients acquired via referrals and recommendations. Service delivery is supported by a technology stack anchored on Xero (Platinum partner status with Making Tax Digital-ready accreditation), supplemented by AutoEntry and Dext for document processing, and training capability in QuickBooks and Sage. Saint & Co pursues vertical specialism in Farming, Charities, Academies, and Tourism & Leisure, alongside horizontal general business services for SMBs across its geographic footprint. Pricing is time-based professional fees with annual inflationary uplifts and monthly standing-order payment arrangements.

Revenue is generated entirely through professional service fees computed on time spent by principals and staff, with no subscription, product, or platform revenue streams. Customer engagement is multi-year (clients cite 15+ year relationships), and the firm maintains client-facing channels including a blog, Brighter Business quarterly newsletter, BITE annual event, and active presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X. Notable transaction evidence includes the firm's advisory role in the multi-million pound sale of a 12-site petrol station portfolio (Hills of Corby Hill Group to Roadside Real Estate PLC), demonstrating capability beyond routine compliance work.

Name

Saint & Co

Legal name

Saint & Co Chartered Accountants

Website

https://saint.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1884

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Chartered Accountancy and Tax Advisory Services

NAICS

Offices of Certified Public Accountants (541211), Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (54121)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Estate Planning & Trust Structuring Advisory (FSAEAKAC)

Keywords

• Chartered accountancy services
• Tax advisory services
• Audit and assurance
• Payroll and VAT
• Insolvency practitioner

Headquarters

HQ city

Carlisle

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Accounting Services: Time-based professional fees computed on the basis of time spent by principals and staff, including sub-contractors or consultants. Annual inflationary increase applied. Monthly standing order payment arrangements common.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Saint & Co is a chartered accountancy and tax advisory partnership providing bookkeeping, payroll, statutory accounts, management accounts, VAT, audit, tax planning, insolvency and mergers & acquisitions advisory to businesses and not-for-profit organisations. Services are delivered across 10 offices in Cumbria and Dumfries & Galloway with specialist verticals in farming, charities, academies and tourism & leisure, supported by Xero Platinum partner accreditation.

Product overview

Saint & Co is a chartered accountancy and tax advisory firm operating as a partnership with 10 partners and over 100 staff across 10 offices. The firm offers a comprehensive portfolio of accounting, auditing, tax, and advisory services organized into core service areas (starting a business, finance function, cloud migration, Xero services, insolvency, tax planning, compliance services), industry specialisms (farming, charities, academies, tourism & leisure, in-house bookkeeping), and tax specialisms (inheritance tax, trusts & estates, capital gains tax, personal tax, business tax, property tax planning, Making Tax Digital). The services are delivered as professional advisory offerings rather than a software product platform, with Xero being the primary accounting software partner for cloud-based bookkeeping and MTD compliance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Starting a Business Guidance, planning and ongoing support for new business owners in establishing and operating their businesses.
• Finance Function Support Comprehensive finance function support providing outsourced bookkeeping, reporting and financial management to businesses.
• Moving to the Cloud Migration of business accounting operations from desktop systems to cloud-based platforms, supported by certified advisors.
• Xero Cloud Accounting Services Specialist Xero cloud accounting software implementation, training and ongoing support delivered by Xero Platinum partner certified MTD-ready advisors.
• Insolvency Services Licensed insolvency practitioner services for distressed companies, including liquidations and restructuring, led by IP Lindsay Farrer (IP Number 9487).
• Year-end Accounts Preparation and filing of statutory year-end financial accounts for businesses and organisations.
• Management Accounts Regular management reporting and financial analysis to support business decision-making.
• Payroll Services Payroll processing, P11D preparation and employee compensation management for businesses.
• VAT Services VAT registration, returns and compliance services including Making Tax Digital support.
• Audit Services Statutory and independent audit services delivered under ICAEW audit registration for companies and organisations across the UK and Ireland.
• Plan for the Future (Strategic Planning) Strategic planning, forecasting and scenario modelling engagements supporting business growth and resilience.
• Save Tax (Tax Planning) Tax planning and efficiency advisory covering reliefs, allowances and structuring to minimise legitimate tax exposure while ensuring compliance.
• Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory M&A advisory including financial due diligence, transaction modelling and deal support for buyers and sellers, exemplified by the multi-million pound Hills of Corby Hill Group petrol station portfolio sale.
• Farming Sector Services Specialist accounting, tax and advisory services for agricultural businesses including farm tax, succession planning and inheritance tax planning.
• Charities Services Accounting, audit and advisory services for charitable organisations including gift aid recovery, CAF Charity Deposit Platform and statutory charity compliance.
• Academies Services Specialist services for academy schools covering conversion, financial management and ongoing compliance with academy-specific funding and reporting requirements.
• Tourism & Leisure Services Accounting, tax and advisory services for holiday parks, hotels, guest houses and other tourism and leisure businesses facing seasonal cash flow and VAT complexity.
• In-House Bookkeeping Outsourced bookkeeping using Xero with continuous real-time financial monitoring and reporting for clients.
• Inheritance Tax Planning Inheritance tax planning and estate advisory including reliefs, trusts and succession arrangements to minimise IHT exposure for individuals and families.
• Trusts & Estates Trust administration and estate planning services for individuals, families and executors.
• Capital Gains Tax Planning Capital gains tax planning and optimisation for individuals and businesses on disposals of assets including property and business share sales.
• Personal Tax Services Self-assessment, personal tax return preparation and personal tax planning services for individuals.
• Business Tax Services Corporation tax compliance and planning, structuring advice and business tax support for companies and partnerships.
• Property Tax Planning Tax planning for property investors and developers including furnished holiday lettings, real estate transactions and ownership structuring.
• Making Tax Digital Compliance Making Tax Digital for ITSA compliance support delivered by certified advisors holding the Xero Making Tax Digital-ready accreditation.

Quantifiable outcome

• £84,000 tax saving achieved for client through specialist IHT planning
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• XerocoreTechnology or IntegrationXero cloud accounting platform integration partnership. Saint & Co has direct access to client financial data through Xero, enabling real-time advisory services. The firm holds Platinum partner status (highest level) and has achieved Making Tax Digital-ready accreditation through Xero certification programmes.
• BurnettscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership with legal firm Burnetts for M&A advisory services. Both firms, headquartered in Carlisle, worked together to guide Hills of Corby Hill Group through the multi-million pound sale of 12 petrol filling stations. Saint & Co provided financial and accounting advice while Burnetts led legal aspects.
• Christie & CominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProperty advisory firm that managed the sale of Hills of Corby Hill Group petrol stations. Saint & Co worked alongside Christie & Co providing financial due diligence during the transaction.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Armstrong Watson: Northern England chartered accountancy firm operating across Cumbria, Yorkshire and the North East with comparable headcount, vertical specialisms (farming, hospitality) and ICAEW credentials serving similar owner-managed and SME clients.
• Azets: UK-wide chartered accountancy and advisory group with a strong presence in the North of England and Scotland; competes in the same core compliance, tax and advisory categories for regional SMEs.
• DJH (formerly DJH Mitten Clarke): Northern England chartered accountancy firm headquartered in the North West offering accounting, audit, tax and advisory services to owner-managed businesses in overlapping regional verticals.
• Whittingham Riddell: Mid-sized UK chartered accountancy firm with offices across North Wales, Shropshire, the Midlands and North West, providing the same core accounting, audit, tax and business advisory mix to SMEs.

Broad incumbents

• Crowe UK: Mid-tier national accountancy and advisory network offering audit, tax, corporate finance and insolvency services; competes for the same larger regional advisory mandates while operating from a broader footprint.
• BDO UK: Top-ten UK accountancy and advisory firm providing audit, tax, corporate finance and insolvency services to owner-managed businesses, mid-market corporates and not-for-profits competing for regional advisory mandates.
• RSM UK: Mid-tier UK accounting and consulting firm offering audit, tax, transactions and advisory services to mid-market and SME clients including charities and academies; directly comparable service suite.
• Mazars UK: International mid-tier audit, tax and advisory firm with a strong UK regional office network covering audit, accounting, tax compliance and corporate finance work for similar SME and mid-market clients.

Others

• Xero: Cloud accounting platform and Saint & Co's technology partner; the firm holds Platinum partner status and integrates Xero directly into its advisory workflow, making it a key ecosystem enabler rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/saints_accs
• Facebookfacebook.com/SaintAccountants
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saint-&-co/about

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Saint & Co