Coastal Accounting

What Coastal Accounting does

Coastal Accounting – Chartered Accountants (SA) is a privately held, full-service middle-market chartered accounting and consulting firm headquartered in Durban (Westville) with a secondary office in Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The firm was established in its current form in 2008 and serves a diversified client base that includes middle-market businesses, family-owned enterprises, and high-net-worth individuals, with services spanning core accounting, taxation and planning, trust and estate services, business consulting, business valuation, internal controls assessment, cash flow management, property management, and estate executor services. Auditing and assurance is delivered through an exclusive partnership with Lockhat Incorporated, whose registered auditors (including partner Priya Singh) provide fully ISA-compliant audits; the firm is itself compliant with IFRS and the South African Companies Act.

The firm is partner-led, with five professionals (four partners and one associate) and operates a sales-led, trusted-advisor go-to-market in which partners engage directly with client principals. Revenue is generated through four pricing mechanisms: hourly billing as the default, unit pricing for standard compliance tasks (WCA, VAT, PAYE), contingent or outcome-based fees for value-added services such as loan applications, and fixed monthly retainers that can also be used to secure exclusivity against conflicts of interest. The technology stack supporting both client delivery and internal operations includes Xero, Workflow Max, Hubdoc, Wolters Kluwer, Draftworx, UiPath, Nessus, Tripwire I360, Galvanize, MySQL, G Suite, and Evernote. Coastal Accounting has 11–50 employees, no external institutional investors, and is not publicly listed.

Name

Coastal Accounting

Legal name

Coastal Accounting – Chartered Accountants (S.A)

Website

https://coas.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Coastal Accounting is a privately held, partner-led South African chartered accounting and consulting firm in KwaZulu-Natal serving middle-market businesses, family enterprises, and high-net-worth individuals with accounting, tax, audit, valuation, and advisory services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Accounting and Auditing Services

NAICS

Offices of Certified Public Accountants (541211)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Reporting & Technical Accounting Advisory (GAAP/IFRS) (BPAHABAF)

Keywords

• Chartered accounting services
• Tax planning advisory
• Business valuation
• Estate and trust services
• Audit and assurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Port Shepstone

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Hourly Billing: Default billing method applied to most work performed. Time spent by directors and staff is recorded through timesheets and billed at periodic intervals upon completion of a task or monthly for ongoing consulting engagements.
2. Unit Pricing Services: Fixed price charged for completion of standard tasks including WCA submissions, VAT returns, and PAYE submissions.
3. Contingent Pricing: Fee structure based on achieving a specific outcome. Applied to value-added services such as preparing and submitting loan applications or business plan reviews. Fee is based partly or entirely on the outcome.
4. Retainer Services: Fixed monthly amount paid to secure ongoing participation in regularly required tasks. May also be used to ensure the firm refrains from providing services to other parties that could present a conflict of interest.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Coastal Accounting is a full-service, middle-market chartered accounting and consulting firm providing accounting, tax planning, business valuation, audit (through an exclusive partnership with Lockhat Incorporated), estate and trust planning, property management, and advisory services for middle-market businesses, family businesses, and high-net-worth individuals across KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Product overview

Coastal Accounting is a full-service, middle-market chartered accounting and consulting firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of professional services. The firm's offerings are organized around its core accounting practice (Accounting Services) supplemented by Taxation Services & Planning, Trust and Estate Services, Business Consulting, Family Businesses Services, and High Net Worth Individuals Services. Operational services include Internal Controls Assessment, Cash Flow Management, Computer Accounting Software Services, Business Valuation, Property Management, and Estate Executors Services. Auditing and Assurance Services are delivered exclusively through a partnership with Lockhat Incorporated. The firm also offers multiple billing structures including hourly billing, unit pricing, contingent pricing, and retainer arrangements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Accounting Services Core accounting services including periodic accounting, monthly management accounts, financial statement reviews, budget preparation, and accounting systems design and implementation, primarily for middle-market businesses.
• Taxation Services and Planning Business and personal tax advisory, tax compliance, tax planning meetings, SARS representation, and estate tax planning services for businesses and individuals.
• Trust and Estate Services Estate planning, trust formation, charitable trusts, business succession, and estate duty mitigation services for high-net-worth individuals and families.
• Business Consulting Strategic advisory services including business process improvement, financing, acquisitions, accounting systems, and succession planning for middle-market businesses.
• Family Businesses Services Advisory services for family-owned businesses covering corporate structure, ownership transfer, buy/sell agreements, conflict resolution, and profit enhancement.
• High Net Worth Individuals Services Wealth management advisory for high-net-worth clients including financial planning, estate planning, insurance, investment monitoring, and charitable giving.
• Internal Controls Assessment Evaluation of internal control systems, segregation of duties implementation, transaction authorization, and operational procedure assessment for businesses.
• Cash Flow Management Cash flow projection development, short-term and long-term projections, cash collection acceleration, and loan application assistance.
• Computer Accounting Software Services Accounting software selection, implementation, configuration, and on-site training services for business accounting offices, leveraging partnerships with Xero, Workflow Max, and other platforms.
• Business Valuation Professional business valuations using multiple methodologies including capitalized earnings, dividend growth, free cash flow discounting, and NAV methods for mergers, acquisitions, and succession planning.
• Property Management Property portfolio management including financial management, collections, maintenance, legal compliance, and tenant relations.
• Estate Executors Services Executor services for estate administration including asset disposition, cash management for probate, and heir settlement.
• Auditing and Assurance Services Auditing and assurance services delivered through exclusive partnership with Lockhat Incorporated, compliant with International Standards of Auditing (ISA) and IFRS.

Quantifiable outcome

• Partners actively involved in all accounts with periodic tax planning meetings
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lockhat IncorporatedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive partnership with Lockhat Incorporated provides Auditing and Assurance services fully compliant with International Standards of Auditing (ISA). The partnership enables Coastal Accounting to offer comprehensive ISA-compliant auditing through Lockhat's registered auditors, including Priya Singh who specialises in auditing and ensuring ISA compliance.
• Lexcorp PersonnelminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial recruitment partner for additional job opportunities. Job seekers can list their details on Lexcorp Personnel website to access additional job opportunities with the firm's extensive clients and network of business contacts.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• KPMG South Africa: KPMG South Africa is a Big 4 firm with full audit, tax, and advisory capabilities across all segments. It does not directly target Coastal's mid-market niche as its core focus, but represents a competitive incumbent that mid-market clients may migrate to as they grow.

Direct peers

• BDO South Africa: BDO South Africa is a mid-market-focused audit, tax, and advisory network with a similar target customer profile to Coastal Accounting — owner-managed and family businesses in the middle market. Both compete for the same KwaZulu-Natal and broader South African client base, though BDO has materially larger scale.
• Nexia SAB&T: Nexia SAB&T is a South African member of the Nexia International network. Notably, Coastal partner Ismail Lockhat completed his articles at Nexia Levitt Kirson, indicating direct historical and capability overlap. Nexia offers audit, tax, and advisory to mid-market and family businesses in the same regional markets.
• Mazars South Africa: Mazars South Africa is a mid-tier international audit and advisory network with comparable positioning to Coastal — serving middle-market and family-owned businesses with audit, tax, and consulting services. Mazars also operates a partner-led model and targets similar HNW and SME segments.
• Moore South Africa: Moore South Africa is part of the Moore Global network and targets mid-market and owner-managed businesses with audit, accounting, tax, and consulting services. Its service mix, partner-led approach, and customer profile closely mirror Coastal Accounting's positioning.
• PKF South Africa: PKF South Africa is part of a global mid-tier accounting network with a strong local mid-market focus. It offers audit, tax, and advisory services to owner-managed businesses, family firms, and HNW individuals — directly comparable to Coastal's core segments and service mix.
• Grant Thornton South Africa: Grant Thornton South Africa is a global mid-market audit and advisory firm with strong South African presence. Like Coastal, it focuses on owner-managed businesses, family enterprises, and growth-stage companies, with comparable service lines including audit, tax, and advisory.
• Crowe South Africa (formerly RSM South Africa): Crowe South Africa is a mid-tier international accounting network serving middle-market businesses, family enterprises, and HNW clients. It competes directly with Coastal for audit, tax, and advisory engagements in the South African mid-market.
• Baker Tilly South Africa: Baker Tilly South Africa is a global mid-tier accounting and advisory network with comparable mid-market focus. It serves SMEs, family businesses, and HNW individuals with audit, tax, and consulting services — directly overlapping Coastal Accounting's core offerings.

Others

• Lockhat Incorporated: Lockhat Incorporated is a registered audit firm and Coastal Accounting's exclusive partner for delivering ISA-compliant auditing and assurance services. It is not a direct competitor but a critical ecosystem partner whose performance directly enables Coastal's audit delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DoBusinessBest
• Facebookfacebook.com/dobusinessbetter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lockhat-incorporated
• Instagraminstagram.com/lockhat_inc
• TikToktiktok.com/@lockhat.inc

Compliance3 records

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 Coastal Accounting