Hayes And Associates

What Hayes And Associates does

Hayes & Associates (Leigh) Limited is a privately held accountancy and taxation practice headquartered in Leigh, Lancashire, United Kingdom. The practice traces its origins to the 1920s when it was founded by Edward Hayes, and it has operated continuously under the Hayes name through subsequent ownership transitions, including its current legal form adopted in 1999. The firm provides core accountancy services (bookkeeping, accounts preparation, VAT returns, payroll bureau) and taxation services (personal tax self-assessment, corporation tax, capital gains tax, inheritance tax planning) to sole traders, partnerships, and small limited companies in the Leigh, Wigan, Bolton, Lancashire, and broader North West England region.

The underlying technology stack is traditional and non-proprietary: the business operates as a professional services firm with no disclosed software products, APIs, or platform architecture. Its web presence is a legacy WordPress site (copyright 2015) with no app, no integrations, and no AI capabilities. Distribution is direct via the single Leigh office, supplemented by word-of-mouth referrals and a free initial consultation as the primary client acquisition mechanism.

The business model is fee-based professional services. Published unit pricing starts at £50+VAT for tax returns, £150+VAT for subcontractor services, and £400+VAT for small limited company services, billed on a pay-as-you-go cadence. The firm is run by Managing Director Steve M. Donlan, who joined in 1972 and has led the practice for over five decades; John Hayes (son of the founder) continues as a consultant. With 1–10 employees, no disclosed funding, no subsidiaries, and no M&A activity, the business operates as a stable, sole-locality professional services firm.

Name

Hayes And Associates

Legal name

Hayes & Associates (Leigh) Limited

Website

https://hayesandassociates.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hayes & Associates (Leigh) Limited is a long-established accountancy and taxation practice in Leigh, Lancashire, serving sole traders, partnerships, and small limited companies across the North West of England with compliance, bookkeeping, payroll, and tax planning services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Leigh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Accountancy Services: Fees for bookkeeping, accounts preparation, VAT returns, and payroll bureau services for sole traders, partnerships, and limited companies.
2. Taxation Services: Fees for tax advice, personal tax self-assessment, corporation tax, capital gains tax, and inheritance tax planning.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Hayes & Associates (Leigh) Limited provides accountancy and taxation services to sole traders, partnerships, and small limited companies across Leigh, Wigan, Bolton, Lancashire, and the North West. Its work covers tax advice, accounts preparation, bookkeeping, VAT returns, payroll bureau (PAYE), and tax planning including personal tax self-assessment, corporation tax, capital gains tax, and inheritance tax. Services are delivered by a small in-house team under a free initial consultation model.

Product overview

Hayes & Associates (Leigh) Limited is a traditional accountancy and taxation practice providing a unified suite of professional services to clients throughout Leigh, Wigan, Bolton, Lancashire, and the North West. The practice operates as a single integrated service rather than a modular software platform, offering core accountancy services (bookkeeping, accounts preparation, VAT returns, payroll bureau) alongside comprehensive taxation services (personal tax self-assessment, corporation tax, capital gains tax, inheritance tax planning). Services are priced as discrete offerings for different client types, including tax returns from £50 + VAT, subcontractor services from £150 + VAT, and small limited companies from £400 + VAT. The firm serves sole traders, partnerships, and limited companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Accountancy Services Comprehensive accountancy services including bookkeeping, accounts preparation, VAT returns, and payroll bureau work, delivered to sole traders, partnerships, and small limited companies in North West England; covers tax returns from £50+VAT through to small limited company engagements from £400+VAT.
• Taxation Services Expert tax planning and advisory services including personal tax self-assessment, corporation tax, capital gains tax, and inheritance tax planning for owner-managed businesses and individuals across the North West.
• Payroll Bureau Service Full payroll processing service handling PAYE and payroll administration on behalf of client businesses of all sizes.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Direct peers

• Streets Chartered Accountants: Mid-tier UK regional chartered accountancy firm serving SMEs, partnerships, and owner-managed businesses with bookkeeping, accounts, tax, and payroll services. Directly comparable service offering to Hayes & Associates, with multiple UK offices.
• Bishop Fleming: Top-30 UK regional chartered accountancy firm providing accountancy, tax, VAT, payroll, and advisory services to SMEs and owner-managed businesses. Comparable in service breadth and client type to Hayes & Associates, though larger and South West-focused.
• Haines Watts: UK-focused chartered accountancy network serving owner-managed businesses, sole traders, and small limited companies with bookkeeping, tax, and payroll services. Closely comparable in client segment and service mix to Hayes & Associates, but operating through a multi-office partner network across regions.
• Moore UK: Mid-tier UK chartered accountancy network providing accountancy, tax, and advisory services to SMEs and owner-managed businesses. Directly comparable in target client and service mix, with a similar multi-firm partnership model across UK regions.
• Scrutton Bland: East of England regional chartered accountancy firm focused on owner-managed businesses, offering accounts, tax planning, VAT, and payroll bureau. Closely comparable business model and client mix to Hayes & Associates.

Broad incumbents

• BDO UK: Top-10 UK accounting and advisory network with significant SME and owner-managed business practice. Comparable on tax, accounts, and payroll services offered to North West SMEs but operating as a broad national incumbent rather than a small local firm.
• Crowe UK: Top-10 UK accounting and advisory firm providing bookkeeping, accounts, tax compliance, and advisory services to owner-managed businesses alongside its larger corporate and audit practice. Comparable on SME-facing services but materially larger and broader in scope than Hayes & Associates.
• MHA (formerly MacIntyre Hudson): Top-20 UK accountancy and advisory network providing accountancy, tax, audit, and advisory services across the UK. Overlaps with Hayes & Associates on SME accountancy and tax work but operates at much greater scale as a broad incumbent with regional partner firms.

Emerging players

• FreeAgent: UK cloud-based accounting platform for small businesses and their accountants, automating bookkeeping, VAT, and self-assessment workflows. Not a direct services peer but a technology-enabled threat that commoditizes the upstream bookkeeping and VAT return work Hayes & Associates bills against.
• Tide Accounting Partners: Digital business banking platform with integrated accounting, tax, and compliance services targeting UK SMEs and sole traders. Represents the bundled fintech-accountancy model that increasingly competes for the same small limited company and sole trader clients Hayes & Associates serves.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hayes-associates-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Hayes And Associates