Who owns UK accountancy firms

What each type means

• Only individuals listed as owners: every current person with significant control on the register is an individual. No company is listed.
• Owned through a holding company: at least one company is listed as a person with significant control, and the first one listed controls fewer than 3 companies on our list. That company may be the owners' own holding company, but the record does not prove it.
• Part of a group: the first company listed as a person with significant control also controls 3 or more companies on our list.
• No ownership record: Companies House holds no current person with significant control for the company.

These are working categories based on the first company listed as a controller, not a full ownership analysis. 241 of the trading companies with a company controller list more than one; we use only the first. The record may not show indirect ownership or every shareholder. Companies House publishes what companies file. Since March 2024 it can query and remove information it believes is wrong, but a record being on the register does not guarantee it is accurate.

The companies listed most often as controllers

193 companies are each listed as the controller of 3 or more companies on our list. These are the ten listed most often.

These counts are companies, not offices or clients. A group can run one practice through many companies, or many practices through one. We count only the company listed directly as a person with significant control. We do not trace the owner above it. A group that holds firms through middle companies will show fewer here than it really has, and could appear as several smaller owners.

Why this matters if you run a business

If your accountancy firm becomes part of a group, the people, the fees and the way you are served may change. You can check who owns your accountant's firm in our directory, or name them when you check your current support. Our guide My accountancy firm was bought by a group covers what to ask.

How we counted accountancy companies

• Who is included: every live company on the Companies House register with SIC code 69201 (accounting and auditing), 69202 (bookkeeping) or 69203 (tax consultancy), with status "Active", leaving out companies that file dormant accounts. That gives 54,295 companies.
• Who is left out: 6,261 dormant companies and 3,105 companies being struck off, in liquidation or in administration. Sole traders and partnerships are not on the company register, so they are not counted. Firms that chose a different SIC code are missed.
• Ownership: taken from the people with significant control snapshot. Where a company lists more than one company as a controller, we use the first one listed.
• Companies, not practices: one practice can run several companies. Until we match companies into practices, all counts here are registered companies.