What Ellacotts does

Ellacotts LLP is a Top 100 UK independent chartered accountancy firm headquartered in Banbury, Oxfordshire, with a 60+ year operating history since its 1960 founding by Geoffrey Ellacott. The firm operates five UK offices in Banbury, Birmingham, Kettering, London, and Stratford-upon-Avon, employing over 110 professionals across partner, tax, audit, corporate finance, forensic, and wealth planning disciplines. Service delivery is built on a partner-led model with relationships across owner-managed and small businesses, individuals and families, multinational organisations, and eleven specialised verticals including agriculture, academies, charities, healthcare, landed estates, property, and international businesses.

The firm offers approximately 25 distinct services organised across three pillars: Business Services (audit and assurance, corporate tax, business tax planning, corporate finance, forensic services, IR35, R&D tax relief, Patent Box, VAT, outsourced bookkeeping, exit strategies, employee ownership trusts, share schemes, and start-up advisory), Personal and Family Services (wealth planning, inheritance and estate planning, pension and retirement, landlord tax, personal protection, residence and domicile, and family financial planning), and Online Cloud Accounting through Xero (Platinum Partner), Sage, Dext (Silver Partner), QuickBooks, and FreeAgent. Forensic accounting is delivered via a specialist subsidiary (Ellacotts Forensic Services, 2023) and private wealth management via Ellacotts Wealth Planning Ltd (2014). Core technology is therefore a multi-vendor cloud accounting stack rather than proprietary IP, supplemented by integrations to GoCardless, Float, ApprovalMax, Satago, and iZettle.

Revenue is generated through fee-based professional services engagements priced on a quote basis tailored to client scope, with no publicly disclosed pricing. The go-to-market motion is sales-led, relying on direct client relationships across the five offices, sector specialist expertise, and referral pipelines through UK200Group and AGN International memberships plus the Xero partner ecosystem. Memberships in ICAEW, ACCA (Platinum training provider), AAT, ATT, CTA, and Best Companies One Star accreditation underpin credentialing, while an NPS of 67 indicates client satisfaction. The firm has no parent company, no external funding, and remains wholly partner-owned.

Name

Ellacotts

Legal name

Ellacotts LLP

Website

https://ellacotts.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Ellacotts LLP is an independent Top 100 UK chartered accountancy firm providing audit, tax, corporate finance, forensic, wealth planning, and cloud accounting services to owner-managed businesses, individuals and families, and specialised sectors across five UK offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Accounting Services

NAICS

Offices of Certified Public Accountants (541211), Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (54121), Management Consulting Services (54161), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

akta.pro primary industry

Accounting & Bookkeeping Services (BPAHABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Estate, Gift & Trust Valuation (BPAHANAL), Family Office Administration & Operations (Accounting, Reporting, Payroll) (FSAAADAD), OCIO & Multi-Asset Outsourced Portfolio Management (FSAAAJAF)

Keywords

• Accountancy services
• Tax planning
• Audit assurance
• Business advisory
• Cloud accounting

Headquarters

HQ city

Banbury

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Accounting Services: Ellacotts generates revenue through providing professional accounting, tax planning, audit and assurance, business advisory, and wealth planning services to clients ranging from owner-managed businesses to multinational organisations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Ellacotts is a chartered accountancy firm providing audit and assurance, bookkeeping, payroll, tax compliance and planning, corporate finance, forensic accounting, business advisory, and wealth planning services. The firm operates as a Xero Platinum Partner delivering cloud-based accounting solutions across five UK offices, serving owner-managed businesses, multinational organisations, charities, academies, landed estates, and high-net-worth individuals.

Product overview

Ellacotts is a Top 100 UK accountancy firm offering a comprehensive suite of professional services through three core pillars: Business Services (audit, tax, corporate finance, forensic services, and advisory), Personal & Family Services (wealth planning, inheritance, pension, and personal tax), and Online Cloud Accounting. The firm operates as Xero Platinum Partners providing cloud-based accounting through platforms including Xero, Sage, Dext, QuickBooks, and FreeAgent. Ellacotts Wealth Planning Ltd, established in 2014, provides dedicated private wealth management. The 110+ person firm serves diverse sectors including agriculture, academies, charities, property, healthcare, and international businesses across offices in Banbury, Birmingham, Kettering, London, and Stratford-upon-Avon.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Audit & Assurance Comprehensive audit and assurance services including statutory audits, accountant's reports, assurance reviews, and agreed-upon procedures, using a paperless and risk-based approach.
• Business Protection Assurance Insurance solutions to protect businesses against financial losses due to illness or death, including key person protection, partner/director/LLP share protection, and business loan protection.
• Business Tax Planning Tax planning strategies combining personal and business information to develop efficient tax planning and remuneration structures for business owners.
• Corporate Finance Strategic corporate finance services including business valuations, financial modelling, strategic advice, and transactional support for mergers, acquisitions and disposals.
• Corporate Tax Corporation tax compliance and planning services ensuring tax-efficient operation while maximizing reliefs and minimizing liabilities.
• Employee Ownership Trust Advisory services on Employee Ownership Trusts facilitating employee ownership structures similar to the John Lewis model, with potential capital gains tax benefits for business owners.
• Exit Strategies Exit and succession planning services to maximize sale value, minimize tax, and ensure smooth business transitions.
• Forensic Services Expert forensic accounting services including fraud investigations, expert witness reports, civil and criminal litigation support, loss quantification, and contentious valuation.
• IR35 Services Off-payroll working rules assessment and compliance services including workforce assessments to determine IR35 readiness and contractor status determination.
• Outsourced Bookkeeping & VAT Outsourced bookkeeping and VAT services using cloud-based software, with tiered packages for sole traders to multinational businesses.
• Patent Box Tax Advisory services for Patent Box relief, applying an effective 10% rate on profits attributable to qualifying intellectual property rights.
• R&D Tax Relief Research and Development tax relief claims under the merged scheme, providing 20% above-the-line credit on qualifying expenditure for companies innovating in science and technology.
• Share Schemes & Employee Benefits Tax-efficient employee share scheme implementation including EMI, SIP, CSOP, and unapproved schemes, with compliance and reporting support.
• Specialist Corporation Tax Services Advanced corporation tax planning including Annual Investment Allowance, transfer pricing, controlled foreign companies, company reorganisations, and EIS/SEIS schemes.
• Start-up Advice Comprehensive accounting and advisory support for startups including business structure, HMRC registration, accounting software setup, and IR35 guidance.
• VAT Services VAT specialists providing registration, health checks, compliance, error corrections, cross-border transactions, planning, and scheme advice.
• Family Financial Planning Tax and wealth planning strategies for families including allowances, marriage allowance, child benefit, grandparents trust planning, life assurance, and savings for children.
• Inheritance & Estate Planning Inheritance Tax planning services utilizing Nil Rate Band, Residential Nil Rate Band, Agricultural and Business Property Relief, trusts, and life assurance.
• Landlord Services Specialist property tax services for landlords including rental income compliance, Making Tax Digital, Capital Gains Tax planning, and property structure advice.
• Pension & Retirement Planning Pension planning including contribution optimization, lifetime annuity, flexi-access drawdown, and retirement options advisory.
• Personal Protection Insurance advisory including life assurance and income protection insurance to protect individuals and families against death, critical illness, or inability to work.
• Personal Tax Planning Personal tax return preparation, Self Assessment compliance, Capital Gains Tax planning, and foreign income advisory for individuals.
• Property & Land Transaction Property transaction advisory including private residence reliefs, Business and Agricultural Reliefs, gift planning, business structure, and Stamp Duty Land Tax guidance.
• Residence & Domicile Tax residence and domicile advisory for UK and overseas income, gains, and estates, including double taxation agreement guidance.
• Tax Planning for Business Owners Combined personal and business tax planning strategies for business owners to develop tax-efficient remuneration and family wealth structures.
• Cloud Accounting Services Online accounting solutions providing real-time financial access, automated bookkeeping, and comprehensive reporting through cloud platforms including Xero, Sage, Dext, QuickBooks, and FreeAgent.
• Ellacotts Wealth Planning Specialist wealth planning service providing investment advice, financial planning, and wealth management for private clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• NPS score of 67 in People Engagement Survey
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• UK200GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongstanding and active member of UK200Group, a national quality-assured association of chartered accountants and lawyers. Provides access to shared professional knowledge, resource and expertise on a national platform.
• AGN InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliate member of AGN, an international association of accounting firms with similar ethos and quality standards. Provides access to expertise on both national and international platforms.
• XerocoreTechnology or IntegrationXero Platinum Partner with specialist online accounting team. Provides cloud-based accounting solutions to clients including Xero setup, training, and ongoing support.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves19 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MHA MacIntyre Hudson: Top 15 UK chartered accountancy firm with a strong regional and mid-market presence, offering audit, tax, advisory, and wealth services to SMEs, owner-managed businesses, and individuals. Highly comparable in positioning, service mix, and target client base to Ellacotts.
• Bishop Fleming: Top 50 UK accountancy firm with offices across the South West and Midlands providing audit, tax, advisory, and wealth planning services to SMEs, individuals, and charities. Direct peer given similar size band, regional footprint, and full-service offering.
• Crowe UK: Top 15 UK accounting and advisory firm offering audit, tax, corporate finance, forensic services, and wealth advisory across regional offices. Comparable full-service mid-tier model with similar vertical specialization and corporate finance capability to Ellacotts.
• PKF Smith Cooper: Top 30 UK accountancy firm based in the Midlands with audit, tax, corporate finance, and forensic services targeting owner-managed businesses and SMEs. Direct competitor given overlapping Midlands geography, similar headcount band, and parallel service lines.
• Moore UK: Top 20 UK accountancy firm providing audit, tax, advisory, and outsourced services to mid-market clients, owner-managed businesses, and not-for-profits. Comparable in service mix, vertical coverage (including charities and academies), and mid-tier positioning.
• UHY Hacker Young: Top 25 UK chartered accountancy network offering audit, tax, corporate finance, and wealth services to SMEs, individuals, and international clients via member firms. Comparable mid-tier structure with national coverage through member firms.
• Kreston Reeves: Top 40 UK accountancy firm offering audit, tax, corporate finance, wealth planning, and forensic services across the South East. Comparable full-service mid-tier firm with strong private client and owner-managed business focus similar to Ellacotts.
• Saffery Champness: Top 20 UK chartered accountancy firm with strong landed estates, private wealth, and owner-managed business practices. Comparable in private client focus, landed estates specialization, and HNW individual services that overlap with Ellacotts' Landed Estates and Wealth Planning offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Mazars UK: Top 10 UK audit and advisory firm with national coverage offering audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory across all client segments. Overlaps with Ellacotts on audit, tax, and corporate finance but operates at significantly larger scale with international network.
• BDO UK: Top 5 UK accounting and advisory firm serving mid-market and large corporates across audit, tax, and consulting. Comparable service mix to Ellacotts but at materially larger scale, particularly competing for Ellacotts' larger SME and multinational clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Ellacotts
• Facebookfacebook.com/ellacotts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ellacotts-llp
• Instagraminstagram.com/ellacottsllp

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Ellacotts