Accountants in Northern Ireland, based in Ballymena
Buzz Accounting does company accounts, tax returns, bookkeeping, payroll and VAT for businesses across Northern Ireland from our office on Fenaghy Road in Ballymena. Fees are fixed monthly, from £29 + VAT for a sole trader and £49 + VAT for a limited company, the same as in Great Britain.
Unit 13:62 Fenaghy Road, Ballymena, Co. Antrim, BT42 1FL
Call or WhatsApp 07476 989568
Derry / Londonderry
Do the Northern Ireland goods rules apply to you?
Most NI businesses sell services, and the Windsor Framework goods rules do not apply to them. Answer three questions to see whether they apply to you.
Do you move physical goods, in or out?
Where do those goods come from or go to?
Do you know whether you hold an XI EORI number?
We will email you the written version, or you can book a call if you would rather talk.
Where tax and law differ in Northern Ireland
Corporation Tax, VAT registration, National Insurance, capital gains and Companies House work the same across the UK. These four differ in Northern Ireland.
- 01
EU rules for goods, UK rules for services
Under the Windsor Framework, Northern Ireland stays aligned with EU VAT and customs rules for goods while following UK rules for services. Two NI businesses selling to the same Dublin customer can face entirely different treatment because one ships product and the other sells advice.
- 02
Employment law is devolved to Northern Ireland
The statutory three-step dismissal procedure is still mandatory here, having gone in GB in 2009. The Equality Act 2010 does not apply. Employers with eleven or more staff file annual fair employment monitoring returns to the Equality Commission.
- 03
The NI rating system
Rates here are made up of a regional rate and a district rate, administered through Land and Property Services rather than the English business rates system, with its own reliefs and its own bills.
- 04
A separate legal jurisdiction
Northern Ireland has its own courts, statutes and solicitors’ profession. An England and Wales contract or handbook is not drafted for NI law, and a solicitor qualified in England and Wales cannot represent you at an Industrial Tribunal here.
Selling goods into the Republic from Northern Ireland
For a business that sells physical goods into the Republic or onward into the EU, the Windsor Framework is an advantage.
There are customs formalities, and import VAT falls due at the far end for the customer to fund and reclaim.
The NI business zero-rates the sale and the customer accounts for it as an acquisition.
The advantage only holds if your paperwork matches it. Check these three things:
- Your VAT number on EU invoices. It should carry an XI prefix. Check three recent invoices; this is the error we find most often.
- Your EORI position. Movements of goods need a customs identity, and NI traders typically need an XI EORI alongside a GB one because the two do different jobs.
- Whether you are services-only. If you are, none of this applies to you. Most NI businesses are services-only.
Map the routes your goods take and settle the VAT and customs treatment for each, instead of deciding shipment by shipment. The detail, with thresholds and worked examples, is in our cross-border VAT guide.
Who we work with in Northern Ireland
Agri-food and farming
We handle herd basis, farmers’ averaging and the other tax rules specific to farming. Agri-food is NI’s largest sector.
Manufacturing and engineering
We value stock and work in progress consistently month to month, claim capital allowances and map your goods movements.
Haulage, logistics and distribution
Vehicles, fuel and drivers make up most of the cost base and are easy to under-price into a job. We also handle the customs paperwork for your routes.
Construction and trades
We handle CIS, the domestic reverse charge and the employed-or-self-employed question.
Landlords with NI portfolios
We handle the reporting and tax planning for property held in Northern Ireland, alongside your business accounts.
Professional and tech services
Belfast’s services businesses are outside the Windsor Framework goods rules, so the main tax question is how the owners take money out.
Our services in Northern Ireland
You can start with the accounts and add advisory or coaching later.
Accounting
Bookkeeping, accounts, VAT and payroll handled for you, software included. Fixed fees from £29 + VAT a month for a sole trader and £49 + VAT for a limited company.
See packagesTax planning
Proactive planning and HMRC support, including the cross-border detail.
Explore taxAdvisory
Management accounts, forecasting and cashflow support for better decisions.
Explore advisoryCoaching
1-to-1 business coaching on running and growing the business.
Explore coaching
Towns we cover in Northern Ireland
Choose your town for local information, including travel to the Ballymena office.
BallymenaOur office: Unit 13:62 Fenaghy RoadNorthern Ireland guides
These guides cover the taxes and rules that differ in Northern Ireland.
Cross-border VAT in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland follows EU VAT rules for goods and UK rules for services.
Employing people in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland has its own employment law. Pay and tax work as they do in GB; dismissal procedure, discrimination law and fair employment monitoring differ.
Fair employment monitoring returns
Registering with the Equality Commission, the annual return, the four-month deadline and the three-yearly Article 55 review.
Business rates in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland rates have a regional and a district component and are administered by Land and Property Services.
Farm accounts in Northern Ireland
Farming has its own tax rules, including herd basis and farmers’ averaging.
Construction and CIS in Northern Ireland
Construction is one of NI’s largest sectors, and CIS paperwork carries penalties when it is late or wrong.
Holiday pay after Agnew
Northern Ireland has no two-year cap on backdated holiday pay claims, unlike Great Britain. The guide works out what leaving regular overtime out of holiday pay costs.
Start-up grants and loans
Go Succeed mentoring, the Go Succeed Grant of up to £4,000 and Start Up Loans of up to £25,000 for new businesses in Northern Ireland.
Business grants from Invest NI and Go Succeed
Invest NI and Go Succeed have different eligibility rules. Ambition to Grow opens again on 16 November 2026.
InterTradeIreland funding explained
InterTradeIreland is jointly funded by both governments and supports only cross-border trade. The guide explains what Acumen, Go-2-Tender and Seedcorn pay for.
Charity accounts in Northern Ireland
CCNI runs its own thresholds for receipts and payments accounts, independent examination and audit, plus the ten-month annual monitoring return.
Common questions from Northern Ireland business owners
- Is anything about the service different in Northern Ireland?
- How does the Windsor Framework VAT position affect me?
- Do you handle trade with the Republic of Ireland?
- Do you only work with businesses near Ballymena?
- Is Buzz Legal available in Northern Ireland?
- What is different about employing people in Northern Ireland?
- Can I switch from my current NI accountant easily?
Is anything about the service different in Northern Ireland?
The tax work is identical. HMRC applies the same rules, rates and deadlines across the UK, so Corporation Tax, Self Assessment, PAYE, VAT and Making Tax Digital all work exactly as they do in GB, and the pricing is the same. Three things differ. Goods moving GB to NI to EU sit under the Windsor Framework’s dual VAT arrangement. Northern Ireland is a separate legal jurisdiction, so contracts and employment law follow NI law rather than England and Wales. And rates are charged under the NI system rather than English business rates.
How does the Windsor Framework VAT position affect me?
It affects you only if you move physical goods. Northern Ireland stays aligned with EU VAT and customs rules for goods while following UK rules for services, which means a business selling goods GB to NI, NI to the Republic or NI to the EU faces a different treatment from one selling consultancy across the same borders. In practice that affects invoicing, evidence requirements, whether an EORI number is needed and how movements are declared. If you sell services only, none of it applies to you. Mistakes are expensive to put right, so set it up before the first shipment.
Do you handle trade with the Republic of Ireland?
Yes. We handle euro invoicing, exchange differences, Irish and EU VAT treatment, and the practical question of which entity should hold the contract. Funding routes through Invest NI and InterTradeIreland come into planning conversations where they are relevant. A business with a taxable presence in the Republic needs an accountant registered there for its Irish filings, and we work alongside them.
Do you only work with businesses near Ballymena?
No. Northern Ireland is our largest base, and we work with businesses right across the region: Belfast, Derry, Antrim, Down, Armagh, Tyrone and Fermanagh. The Ballymena office is at Unit 13:62 Fenaghy Road, BT42 1FL, and you are welcome to meet there by appointment. Most work runs by phone, video and WhatsApp.
Is Buzz Legal available in Northern Ireland?
Check with us first. Northern Ireland is a separate legal jurisdiction with its own solicitors’ profession and its own employment law, so contracts, handbooks and disputes need documents drafted for NI law. Where regulated legal work is needed, the route runs through an appropriately qualified firm for the jurisdiction. Accounting, tax, payroll and advisory carry across without qualification. See our legal services page and tell us at the start that the matter is in Northern Ireland.
What is different about employing people in Northern Ireland?
Employment law in Northern Ireland is devolved, so several rules differ from GB. The statutory three-step disciplinary and dismissal procedure is still legally mandatory in NI, having been abolished in GB in 2009, and skipping it makes a dismissal automatically unfair. The Equality Act 2010 does not apply; separate NI discrimination orders do, and religious and political belief are protected. Employers with eleven or more staff must register with the Equality Commission for fair employment monitoring and file annual returns. Cases go to Industrial Tribunals, and the Labour Relations Agency does the job Acas does in GB.
Can I switch from my current NI accountant easily?
Yes. We contact your current accountant for you, ask for professional clearance and your records, take over HMRC agent authorisation and set up software while we wait. Most handovers complete within a couple of weeks; delays usually come from waiting for the other firm’s reply. Our guide to switching accountants sets out each step. Check the notice period in your engagement letter, and make sure work you have paid for has been delivered before you move.
Contact the Ballymena office
- Address
- Unit 13:62 Fenaghy Road, Ballymena, Co. Antrim, BT42 1FL
- Phone and WhatsApp
- 07476 989568
- hello@buzzaccounting.co.uk
- Meetings
- In person by appointment, or by phone, video call and WhatsApp
Email us and we will come back to you from Ballymena, usually the same working day.
Accreditations and partnerships
