Services tailored to you...
With over five decades’ experience serving a diverse range of clients in the South West, we possess an unbeatable depth of knowledge across a wide range of industry sectors.
Our specialist partners and teams can provide expert advice on everything from farming and agriculture, to military tax allowances. We’re here to help you make the most of your planning opportunities so that you can grow with confidence.
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Agricultural Accountants
Agricultural Accountants
Farming and agriculture form a vital part of the South West’s economy, and over the years we’ve supported generations of agricultural clients across Devon, Cornwall and beyond. Our expert team combines practical, hands-on knowledge with modern digital tools to deliver accounts, tax and advisory services tailored to the real needs of today's farm businesses.
Whether you're a family farm, tenant farmer, diversified rural business or landed estate, we're here to help you make the most of your land and your future.
Why farming businesses choose Simpkins Edwards
As specialist agricultural accountants, the farming sector has been central to who we are since the firm was founded. With offices in Exeter, Bovey Tracey, Okehampton, Holsworthy and Barnstaple – we are genuinely embedded in the rural communities we serve. Some of our client relationships span three generations. We also run office surgeries from both Exeter and Holsworthy markets, and Honiton.
Many members of our agricultural team are current or former farmers themselves. That means we understand the industry from the inside out. We know the pressures of seasonal cashflow, the complexities of succession, and the weight of decisions that affect not just a business, but a family's way of life.
Thanks to cloud accounting and secure digital communications, our reach now extends well beyond the South West. We advise farm businesses across the UK, from local dairy operations to arable businesses more than 300 miles away, who value specialist knowledge over proximity.
How we can help your farming business
Our agricultural accountants offer a comprehensive range of services built around the unique needs of agricultural businesses. We don't take a one-size-fits-all approach. Our work is shaped around the nature of your farm, your family circumstances and your long-term goals.
Accounts and tax compliance
Our farm business accounting services cover the full picture. We prepare annual accounts for the purposes of supporting your tax position, and these can be on an enterprise basis – separately analysing between different agricultural activities, such as beef and sheep – which may help to highlight more profitable aspects of the farm. For dairy clients, we have produced detailed schedules which break down income and costs on a pence-per-litre basis, and have benchmarking to allow for comparison with peer farms.
We also offer a variety of support options in order to assist businesses with their Making Tax Digital (MTD) compliance, be this for VAT and/or for income tax.
Management information and forecasting
Where farms may benefit from in-year, more ‘real time’ strategic insight, or where information may be required for provision to lenders, we can produce regular management information packs and financial forecasts to support decision-making throughout the year. We are here for you throughout the business cycle, not just at the year end.
Tax planning and reliefs
Effective tax planning is at the heart of our agricultural tax advice. We routinely consider special farming tax reliefs, including the herd basis election and farmers’ averaging relief, in order to help our clients manage tax liabilities. Our specialist tax team can also advise on:
Inheritance tax (IHT) and Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR)
Succession planning for farmers and family business restructuring
VAT, including the flat rate scheme for farmers
Capital allowances and relief on farm buildings and equipment
Development land sales and associated tax planning
Expertise enhanced by technology
We combine practical farming knowledge with efficient digital systems to deliver consistently high-quality work. Our processes are fully digital, and we use farm-focused templates and workbooks to ensure your accounts, tax returns and forecasts are both accurate and meaningful.
We help farming clients get the most from cloud accounting software, offering tailored nominal coding charts for QuickBooks Online, Xero and other platforms, along with training and ongoing support. Whether you want to manage your own bookkeeping or prefer us to take care of it, we can work around you. We also offer bureau services for payroll, VAT and bookkeeping.
Navigating the challenges facing farmers today
The farming sector is navigating one of the most significant periods of change in a generation. We work with our clients to understand and respond to the issues that matter most right now:
Rising input costs and cashflow pressure — we provide practical support, from cashflow forecasting to banking conversations.
The phaseout of the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) — as direct payments reduce, we help clients model the financial impact and review the business case for alternative income streams.
Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and other agri-environment schemes — we can help you understand the tax treatment of scheme payments and how they interact with your wider financial planning.
The capping of 100% IHT reliefs from 6 April 2026, and the extension of IHT to pension fund value from 6 April 2027, mean that previous Will and succession planning may no longer serve families as it once did. Although the changes in the 2025 Autumn Budget and pre-Christmas announcement reduced the damage (compared with the original 2024 Autumn Budget proposal), significant uncertainty prevails for farming families. We are actively helping clients review their position and consider whether restructuring or early planning steps are appropriate.
Supporting farm diversification
More farming businesses than ever are seeking farm diversification advice to supplement or replace income lost through the reduction in direct payments. We regularly advise clients on the tax and business structure implications of a wide range of diversification projects, including:
Holiday lets and glamping
Farm shops and direct selling
Renewable energy (solar, anaerobic digestion, wind)
Equine and livery operations
Barn conversions and commercial lettings
Getting the structure right from the start, whether that's a sole trader, partnership, limited company or a combination, can make a significant difference to the tax position and the long-term flexibility of the business.
Addition Magazine
We produce sector specific magazines, bi-annually, designed to provide you with the exact information you need, including for the Agricultural sector.