Accountants for Family Businesses. Protecting Your Wealth & Legacy
Running a family-owned business is different from any other venture. It’s about more than numbers, it’s about protecting your family’s wealth, relationships, and future. At Lanop Business & Tax Advisors, our specialist family business accountants understand these challenges. We help you manage both business and personal finances with confidence, offering clear strategies that reduce taxes, avoid disputes, and prepare your company for the next generation. With tailored accounting advice for family enterprises, we ensure your operations run smoothly while your legacy is safeguarded.
Why You need Smart Family Business Accountants
- Choosing the right accountants for family businesses means finding partners who understand the blend of family and commercial priorities. At Lanop, we bridge the gap, delivering professional expertise with a personal touch.Shape
Secure Tax Efficiency
- Our family business accountants specialise in reducing corporation, inheritance, and dividend tax liabilities while protecting wealth for future generations.
Streamline Finances
- From payroll to management accounts, we introduce clear financial systems that separate personal and business spending, avoiding conflict and confusion.
Plan for the Future
- With succession planning, trusts, and tailored accounting advice for family firms, we ensure your business thrives beyond today.
What Accounting Services We Offer
We offer extensive family business accounting services designed and tailored specifically according to the unique needs of each client. Here are a few of our services
We maintain accurate records that separate family finances from business activity, ensuring clear reporting, compliance, and visibility on profits.
Professional payroll management for both family and non-family employees, keeping you compliant and avoiding disputes over salaries and benefits.
We handle VAT returns and HMRC communication, reducing admin stress while preventing penalties that can damage both business and family reputation.
Our accountants for family businesses optimise corporate, dividend, and inheritance tax using proven reliefs such as Business Property Relief (BPR).
We prepare smooth ownership transitions, protecting both heirs and the company from heavy tax burdens and potential disputes.
Secure business assets through family trusts and wealth preservation strategies designed to maintain control and minimise tax.
Whether Limited, LLP, or Partnership, we advise on the most tax-efficient structure for your family business.
Who We Help
- Family-run SMEs across the UK
- Multi-generational businesses passing wealth to heirs
- Property-owning families managing rental portfolios
- Professional family practices (law, medical, consultancy)
Succession Planning by Expert Family Business Accountants
Passing on a business to the next generation can be emotional and complex. Without proper planning, succession often triggers high inheritance tax, loss of control, or disputes between siblings. Our family business accountants design succession plans that protect both financial assets and family harmony. We understand the needs of the family first and then make the decisions.
Challenges They Face
- No clear succession plan
- Exposure to inheritance tax
- Family disputes over leadership
- Lack of governance structures
- Fear of losing business continuity
Inheritance Tax & Wealth Preservation
Inheritance Tax (IHT) is one of the biggest threats to family wealth. Without planning, HMRC can claim up to 40% of your estate, leaving families struggling to keep control of their business.
At Lanop, our accountants for family businesses design proactive tax strategies that protect wealth. We use reliefs like BPR, alongside carefully structured trusts and lifetime gifts, to ensure maximum value stays within the family. We also integrate personal and corporate tax planning, since most family businesses blur the lines between personal wealth and business ownership. We have accountants who are expert in minimizing your tax liabilities and ensuring that your retained earnings are maximized. You’ll be taking home more than 20% than before because at Lanop, we’re all about maximizing our client’s business value and their personal estate.
Challenges They Face
- High inheritance tax bills
- Confusion over reliefs and trusts
- Worry about losing family assets
- Uncertainty in wealth transfer
- Lack of holistic personal + business planning
Professionalising Operations and Smart Accounting Advice for Family
Many family businesses grow organically. What starts small becomes a large enterprise, but without professional systems, growth stalls. Outdated processes often mean poor financial visibility and disagreements within the family.
Our family business accountants bring clarity by modernising operations. We introduce cloud-based tools like Xero or QuickBooks, deliver monthly management accounts, and set KPIs that track performance. This level of reporting reduces dependency on one family member and allows everyone to see accurate, fair financial data. So, everything is clear for your whole family. All they need is access and they will get all the transparency they require.
Our accounting advice for family firms goes beyond software, we also help implement governance systems, separating family salaries from business profits, and preparing the company for outside investors or a future sale. We help you scale and plan your business continuity. So you don’t have to worry that your business would shut down if you’re no longer there.
Professionalising your business not only improves day-to-day efficiency but also increases valuation, reduces stress, and strengthens family trust. It will improve your workers’ productivity and boost their confidence.
Our Identity
Integrity, honesty, and dedication are the core values at Lanop Business & Tax Advisors. Since launching our first Putney office in 2010, we’ve grown into a fully digital, UK‑based accounting and tax advisory firm that blends expert compliance with forward‑looking guidance and business strategy.
Our team of specialized chartered tax advisors and accountants delivers a full spectrum of services including tax planning, bookkeeping, VAT, payroll, and virtual finance director support all designed to help you manage your business more efficiently and confidently.
We believe accounting is more than numbers it’s about empowering your journey through modern finance. That means applying strategic insight, breaking down complex financial processes, and acting as your trusted partner not just submitting filings.
Put simply, Lanop Business & Tax Advisors is more than an accounting firm we are your strategic ally, dedicated to guiding your financial success with integrity, precision,
FAQ
Accountants for fAMILY BUSINESS
Do family businesses need specialist accountants, and can they help with succession planning?
Yes. Unlike ordinary firms, family businesses face unique tax, governance, and succession issues. Our accountants for family businesses provide integrated advice covering both personal and corporate finances, ensuring compliance and protecting wealth. We design ownership transfer strategies, reduce tax via BPR relief, and create governance systems to avoid disputes. With expert accounting advice for family firms, transitions become smoother and tax efficient.
What taxes affect family businesses most?
Corporation tax, dividend tax, inheritance tax, and capital gains are the biggest concerns. Our family business accountants develop holistic strategies that minimise exposure across both business and personal finances.
Can you separate personal and business finances and what’s the best business structure for family firms?
Yes. We implement clear systems that keep household finances apart from business operations, ensuring better reporting, fewer disputes, and accurate profit tracking.
The structuring depends on your goals. Limited companies often provide protection, while LLPs or partnerships may suit others. Our accountants for family businesses advise on the most tax-efficient structure.
How do you reduce inheritance tax for family businesses and how do you handle payroll & pensions for family employees?
By using trusts, lifetime gifts, and reliefs like BPR. Early planning is key. Our family business accountants ensure wealth passes securely and tax bills are minimised.
We manage payroll for both family and non-family employees, keeping you compliant with HMRC while ensuring fair, transparent salary structures.
What’s the benefit of family trusts and how can you prevent family disputes over money?
Trusts protect assets, provide control over how wealth is distributed, and reduce inheritance tax liability. We include trust in our accounting advice for family clients. We set up governance systems, produce clear financial reports, and ensure fairness in salaries and dividends—reducing causes of conflict.
Why choose Lanop over general accountants?
We’re specialists in family businesses, offering tailored advice that balances business goals with family harmony. Our accountants for family businesses deliver peace of mind and long-term security.
Here's some other accountancy services we offer...
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