Forbes Dawson
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersAltrincham, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
Forbes Dawson firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Forbes Dawson
- Legal name
- Forbes Dawson Limited
- Website
- https://forbesdawson.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Forbes Dawson industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tax Consultancy Services
- NAICS
- Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (54121), Other Accounting Services (541219), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Transfer Pricing & International Tax Services (BPAHABAI)
Keywords
Where Forbes Dawson is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Altrincham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Forbes Dawson business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Professional Services Fees: Fees computed on basis of time spent on client's affairs, depending on levels of skill and responsibility involved. May also depend on importance and value of advice provided and level of risk. Additional fees chargeable for work outside scope of engagement letter (e.g., HMRC enquiries).
- Capital Allowances Review Service: Fixed percentage charge of amount identified as qualifying for capital allowances - if no claim can be made, no cost to client.
- Fixed Fee Engagements: Where requested, a fixed fee may be indicated for specific services or an indicative range for a particular assignment. Quotes reviewed annually in light of events.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Time-based professional services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels8 records
Forbes Dawson product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Forbes Dawson is a boutique tax consultancy providing specialist advisory services to private clients, owner-managed businesses, and other professional firms across the United Kingdom. Core offerings span corporate and business tax, private client tax, trusts and estates, employee incentive arrangements, VAT, property tax including SDLT, transactional work, HMRC tax investigations, Patent Box and R&D relief, plus a contingent-fee Capital Allowances Review Service. The firm also publishes a weekly Tax Bites newsletter and operates a client portal for document access.
Product overview
Forbes Dawson is a boutique, independently owned tax consultancy firm offering specialist tax advisory services. The firm operates as a unified service practice rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Its core offerings include corporate and business tax services, private client services, trusts and estates planning, employee incentive arrangements, VAT, property business tax, SDLT, transactional work, and tax investigations. The firm also provides specialist services such as capital allowances reviews and Patent Box advisory. Additional client resources include the Tax Bites weekly newsletter and a client portal for account access.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Corporate and Business Tax Services Specialist tax consultancy for businesses covering corporate tax planning, M&A advisory, cross-border structuring, financing, business model reorganisations, transfer pricing, and intangibles taxation. Targeted at owner-managed businesses, SMEs, and larger UK groups.
- Private Client Services Tax planning and advisory services for high net worth individuals, including personal tax affairs management, non-domiciled individuals, and offshore tax structures.
- Trusts and Estates Advisory services for trust structures, estate planning, and inheritance tax planning for families and individuals.
- Employee Incentive Arrangements Advice on Employee Benefit Trusts (EBTs), share schemes, and other employee remuneration and incentive structures for businesses.
- VAT Services VAT advisory including compliance, planning, and specialist VAT advice for property transactions and business activities, delivered with VAT specialists Ellis Chapman & Associates.
- Property Business Tax Tax planning and compliance services for property businesses including commercial property tax, capital allowances, and property transaction advisory.
- Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) Advisory services on Stamp Duty Land Tax for residential and commercial property transactions.
- Transactional Work Tax advisory services for business transactions including acquisitions, disposals, and restructuring.
- Tax Investigations Representation and support for clients during HMRC tax investigations and enquiries.
- Capital Allowances Review Service Specialist contingent-fee service identifying and claiming capital allowances tax relief on commercial property acquisitions, working with surveyors to value qualifying items. Fees are a fixed percentage of qualifying capital allowances identified; if no claim is identified, no fee is charged.
- Patent Box Advisory Advisory services on Patent Box Corporation Tax relief for innovative companies holding patents, including claim methodology and HMRC clearance.
Quantifiable outcome
- Successfully handled corporate disposals from initial share capital to significant valuations
Companies that use Forbes Dawson
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Forbes Dawson technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Forbes Dawson partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Ellis Chapman & AssociatescoreIndependent firm of VAT specialists who work alongside Forbes Dawson. They produce 'VAT Bites', a bi-monthly newsletter highlighting and commenting upon interesting developments from the world of VAT. This partnership extends Forbes Dawson's service offering to include specialist VAT expertise.
- Other professional firms and accountantscoreWorks closely with other professional firms, particularly other firms of accountants, to support them and add value to the expertise they provide. These firms refer clients to Forbes Dawson for specialist tax advice.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Forbes Dawson competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Claritas Tax: UK specialist tax boutique focused on R&D tax credits, Patent Box, and innovation reliefs for SMEs. Direct overlap with Forbes Dawson's Patent Box and R&D relief offerings but narrower scope, focused on innovation-driven tax incentives.
- Forrest Brown: Specialist UK R&D tax credits boutique serving innovative SMEs. Narrower focus than Forbes Dawson but competes directly in the R&D relief service line and targets a similar client base of ambitious owner-managed businesses.
Broad incumbents
- Burges Salmon: UK law firm with a strong private wealth and tax practice serving HNW individuals, families, and trustees. Adjacent rather than direct competitor, but competes for the same private client tax planning mandates that drive a material share of Forbes Dawson's revenue.
- Mazars UK: International mid-tier accounting and advisory firm with significant UK tax practice serving private clients, OMBs, and larger corporates. Comparable service breadth but materially larger scale and geographic footprint than Forbes Dawson.
- RSM UK: Top-10 UK accounting and tax advisory firm with corporate and private client tax services. Larger and broader than Forbes Dawson but competes for the same owner-managed business and entrepreneur mandates, particularly in the North West.
- BDO LLP: The very firm Forbes Dawson's partners left in 2012; a large UK accounting and tax practice offering corporate tax, private client, and specialist tax services. Competes head-to-head on mandates and is also a key talent pipeline and prior employer for Forbes Dawson's team.
Direct peers
- Evelyn Partners: UK wealth management and professional services group (formerly Smith & Williamson) with a substantial private client and owner-managed business tax practice. Highly comparable target market (HNW individuals, OMBs) and advisory-led delivery model.
- Buzzacott: London-based chartered accountants and tax advisers with a strong private client and not-for-profit tax practice. Similar boutique-to-mid-tier professional services positioning and comparable specialist tax advisory focus on HNW clients.
- Crowe UK: UK-based accounting and advisory firm with a dedicated tax consultancy practice serving private clients, owner-managed businesses, and professional advisers. Closely comparable in target market, service mix (corporate and private client tax, R&D, transactions), and mid-tier positioning.
- Moore Kingston Smith: UK chartered accountancy firm with a substantial tax advisory practice serving OMBs, entrepreneurs, and private clients across London and the South East. Comparable mid-tier tax advisory offering with similar specialist service lines.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Forbes Dawson social profiles
Digital presenceForbes Dawson compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Forbes Dawson financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Forbes Dawson leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Forbes Dawson funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Forbes Dawson M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Forbes Dawson
What does Forbes Dawson do?
Forbes Dawson is a boutique tax consultancy providing specialist advisory services to private clients, owner-managed businesses, and other professional firms across the United Kingdom. Core offerings span corporate and business tax, private client tax, trusts and estates, employee incentive arrangements, VAT, property tax including SDLT, transactional work, HMRC tax investigations, Patent Box and R&D relief, plus a contingent-fee Capital Allowances Review Service. The firm also publishes a weekly Tax Bites newsletter and operates a client portal for document access.
Is Forbes Dawson a public or private company?
Forbes Dawson is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Forbes Dawson founded?
Forbes Dawson was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Forbes Dawson based?
Forbes Dawson is headquartered in Altrincham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Forbes Dawson make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Professional Services Fees are the primary driver. The others are capital Allowances Review Service and fixed Fee Engagements.
Who are Forbes Dawson's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Claritas Tax and Forrest Brown. Broad incumbents are Burges Salmon, Mazars UK, RSM UK and BDO LLP. Direct peers are Evelyn Partners, Buzzacott, Crowe UK and Moore Kingston Smith.
Does Forbes Dawson have an API?
No public API is recorded for Forbes Dawson.
What industry is Forbes Dawson in?
Forbes Dawson's product category is Tax Consultancy Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHABAI, Transfer Pricing & International Tax Services. Its NAICS code is 54121.