Crunch is a low-cost all-in-one accountancy service for freelancers, contractors, independent consultants and small businesses. The system puts you in control, allowing you to invoice your clients, keep track of your expenses, manage your suppliers and receive payments from customers. What makes Crunch unique is there is no need for another accountant, we use the data from your invoices, expenses and payments and do everything else for you this includes all Payroll (PAYE), NI, VAT and end-of-year tax.

Crunch costs £59.50 per month. Our pay-as-you go approach means there is no big bill at the end of the year and no hidden extras.

The service is paid for, in advance, every month. If you wish to leave at any time you will need to let us know in writing, via a simple email to support@crunch.co.uk. There is no lock-in or contract period and if you do ever have the reason to leave all you need to do is let us know telling us why - your feedback will helpus continually improve our product and we're always happy to hear your comments and concerns.

Crunch will:

• Prepare, calculate and submit your company's annual and abbreviated accounts to the HM Inland Revenue (HMRC) and Companies House.
• Calculate of your corporation tax liability.
• Calculate and file your quarterly VAT return (if you are registered)
• Prepare, calculate and submit your annual PAYE return.

Yes we can register your company for you. During our sign up process you will be asked to provide the company name you want and we will do the rest.

Due to UK banking regulations Crunch is unable to do this for you. Once you have your Company registration number you will be able to set up a business bank account.

The system helps you keep good records (you'll never lose another invoice) and we prepare your accounts based on the information you enter into the system. You need to make sure the data is accurate and gives a true and fair representation of the financial position of the company. This means it is your responsibility to keep your Crunch account up to date and accurate but we take care of the rest.

Yes you may need to complete a Self-Assessment each year. If you need assistance with your personal tax return let us know.

You only have to register if your turnover for the past 12 months has exceeded the VAT threshold, currently £68,000. If your turnover is beneath the threshold and your client base are not VAT registered then registering for VAT may make you more expensive to your competitors.

At the end of this year Crunch will be optimised to work with Lloyds TSB. If you choose Lloyds TSB we will be able to automatically upload your bank statements and carry out your banking reconciliation and, while the choice is up to you, choosing a Lloyds TSB account will make Crunch work better for you. The automatic reconciliation feature will be available in the last quarter of 2009.

You must display your company name on all business correspondence and documentation whether hard copy, electronic or any other form.

On all business letters, invoices, emails and websites you must show:

• Part of the UK in which the company was registered i.e. Registered in England & Wales
• Company's registration number
• Address of the Company's registered office.
• If a business letter, invoice or any of the company's websites mentions more than one address, you should state which address is the registered office.

It is a legal requirement for all Ltd companies to have a bank account in their company name. You are not able to change the name of your existing account.

You can call NI helpline – 0845 915 7006 (this can take up to 10 days). Alternativley you can go to your local Job Centre Plus office, if you have 2 forms of ID you can get your number right away.

Yes, if you're already registered for VAT we will still need to register your company as you are transferring your business from one entity to another, as a going concern. Transferring is easier than the cancellation of your previous number.

Please note, by keeping your existing VAT number you are transferring your historical obligations over to your new company. If you are changing your trading activity you will need to cancel your VAT number and apply for a new one.

If you have used an agent previously to do your accounts we will contact them to obtain your historical data. You may wish to advise them this will be happening.

No this doesn't matter, we can take on your existing company. During our client set up process you will be asked to provide details of your existing company.

As a Limited company you can benefit from drawing a salary up to the National Insurance earnings threshold (2009/10 - £5720) and then draw dividends from the company. These dividends are based on the net profit of the company after corporation tax. You can take dividends as often as you like just as long as you have a net profit out of which to pay them.

Once your Crunch account is set up we will provide clear guidance on what can or can’t be claimed. You can claim any legitimate expenses for your company.

• Is your partner already working for someone else, or themselves?
• Does you partner pay higher rate tax?
• Is your partner fully utilising their basic rate tax allowance?

If your answer to any of the following questions is 'no' then it may be beneficial for your partner to become salaried or a shareholder.

It may be beneficial for your partner to be a salaried employee and/or shareholder if they currently do not draw a salary from any other employment. This will enable them to utilize their annual tax free allowance and basic rate tax band and thus reduce the overall family tax liability.

If they are salaried and dependent upon their earnings there will be no benefit.

For the company to pay a salary there would need to be some work undertaken to justify the expense.

Your online Crunch account is protected by a 256-bit SSL encryption authentication system which ensures all your confidential information and transactions can't be viewed, intercepted or altered. We use the same technology that banks use to protect your information and identity. All data is replicated across multiple database servers continuously in real time. Off-site backups are made daily and all backup data is encrypted.

Please see our Privacy Policy for full details.

Crunch offers a very generous affiliate programme that many businesses and website owners have already signed up to. If you'd like to help us grow, please email darren@crunch.co.uk.