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SJD Accountancy

Who are SJD Accountancy?

SJD Accountancy is a UK-based specialist provider of fixed-fee, limited company accountancy to contractors and freelancers.

Founded in 1992 by Simon Dolan, SJD was later acquired in September 2014 for a sum of £67m, and now acts under the umbrella of the Optionis Group.

Headquartered in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, SJD has nine offices across the UK, including in London, the Midlands, Wales, Scotland, and the North East and West of England.

The firm is led by Doug Crawford, who was appointed to replace Derek Kelly as CEO at the Optionis Group in August 2019. 

Other key staff members at SJD include Irma King, Helen O’Connell, Mark Whitehead, Claire Scoular, and Samantha Laverick, who act as team managers in Hemel Hempstead, London, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Newcastle respectively. Moreover, Chris Armorgie and Samantha Reading serve as operations managers at the firm.

What do they do?

SJD offers a range of services to contractors with private limited companies across the UK, including traditional tax and audit services, as well as insolvency services.

The group also provides its clients with accountancy packages, sole trader packages, company formation advisory services, and IR35 legislation support.

SJD now operates as an accredited member of the FCSA and has a client-base of over 15,000.

As IPSE Accredited Accountants, SJD is fully MSC compliant and is “the only national specialist firm of accountants with offices across the UK”. SJD also has “more qualified staff than any other firm in our market with qualifications” from the ATT, AAT, CTA, ACCA, CA, ACA and FCCA.

Meanwhile, SJD’s parent company the Optionis Group provides professional services to contractors and small businesses, specialising in accountancy, tax, and umbrella employment solutions.

Recent financials

SJD saw its turnover for the year ended 31 October 2019 decline 7.9% year-on-year to £19m due to a “decrease in client numbers”.

The group’s profit before tax for FY19 also fell by almost £2m, decreasing from £9.1m in FY18 to £7.2m the following year.

However, SJD was able to increase its net assets throughout the period by 18.7% from £31.1m to £37m in FY19.

The Optionis Group reported an almost £1m climb in turnover during the same period to £10.2m, while its loss before tax reduced from £5.5m in FY18 to £4.1m in FY19.

In the news

SJD was most recently in the news for its aforementioned appointment of Crawford as CEO at the Optionis Group and SJD.

Speaking on his appointment, Crawford said: “Within any professional services business, I believe people are the key to success, so we plan to continue investing heavily in hiring the very best people. 

“We will also focus on driving new technologies to further augment the level of market-leading service and support we provide to our contractors and business partners across the UK.”

He added: “Another part of my role will be to implement strategies that will allow us to deliver on our ambitious growth plans. Progressive thinking, particularly in the ever-changing marketplace, will be key to drive the company even further forward, including strategic acquisitions to strengthen our stable of brands”

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