Currently preparing: year-end accounts, VAT returns, CT600s, management accounts, self-assessment returns.
Clean books. Clear returns. Filed on time.
Senior accountant for UK and Irish accountancy practices — year-end accounts, corporation tax, VAT and self-assessment, prepared review-ready from Sri Lanka.
Where next?
Software I work in, every day
- Capium
The short version
Who I am, where I work from, and why practices find me easy to work with.
I'm Shiran Hewathennage — most people call me Shiran. I've spent my whole accounting career on UK client work: bookkeeping and VAT at first, then year-end accounts and corporation tax, then personal tax, and since 2024 leading and reviewing a small team doing all of it.
I work from Akuressa, on Sri Lanka's south coast, for practices in the UK. That means I start my day before most UK inboxes wake up, and I've learnt that the best thing an offshore accountant can be is predictable: files that arrive when promised, working papers a reviewer can follow, and questions asked early rather than late.
Before accounting I spent a year in customer service. It taught me more about explaining numbers to non-accountants than any exam did.
- Akuressa, Sri Lanka
- UTC+5:30 · no DST
- BBA (Hons) in Accounting (Special)
- English (fluent)
- Sinhala (native)
- music
- cycling
- photography
- reading
What I can take off your desk
Senior-level compliance work and the bookkeeping behind it, prepared inside your practice's software and engagement — for accountancy practices in the UK and Ireland.
- 01
Year-end accounts
Statutory accounts for micro and small companies with review-ready working papers and lead schedules.
- FRS 105
- FRS 102 1A
- Working papers
- 02
Corporation tax
CT computations and CT600 preparation — capital allowances, marginal relief — submitted through your software.
- CT600
- TaxCalc
- Capium
- IRIS
- 03
VAT returns
Quarterly VAT returns prepared, reconciled to the ledger and submitted through your software under Making Tax Digital.
- MTD
- Xero
- QuickBooks
- Sage
- 04
Personal tax
Self-assessment returns for directors, sole traders and landlords, with payments on account and deadline tracking.
- SA100
- Payments on account
- 05
Management accounts & review
Monthly or quarterly management accounts, and review of junior work so partners only see files that are ready to sign.
- Syft
- Review notes
- Team lead
- 06
Bookkeeping & reconciliations
Day-to-day bookkeeping in your cloud file with bank, credit-card and control-account reconciliations — including catch-up work when a year-end arrives with the books behind.
- Xero
- QuickBooks
- Sage
- Dext
- 07
Purchase & sales ledgers
Bills and sales invoices processed, supplier and customer ledgers kept current and reconciled, with aged reports your team can act on.
- Dext
- Apron
- Aged reports
All work is delivered inside your practice's systems and engagement, under your agent authorisation with HMRC.
What you get when you hand me a file
Six things that come with every file, whether it's a single VAT return or a season of year-ends.
Review-ready by habit
I lead a team and review its VAT returns, management accounts and year-end working papers, so my own files arrive in the shape a reviewer expects.
UK and Irish compliance
Year-end accounts, corporation tax, VAT and self-assessment are the core of my week. For Irish practices I prepare the equivalents for your team to review and file.
Your systems, your data
I work inside your software, templates and document flow, under a written data-handling agreement, with no local copies.
A head start on your morning
My working day starts hours before yours, so work you queue at close is already moving when you arrive — and calls still fit your morning.
Fluent in your software
Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, TaxCalc, Capium, IRIS, Dext, Apron and Syft — so onboarding is about your templates, not the tools.
Questions early, not at the deadline
I've handled UK client emails and calls since 2023 and dealt with HMRC on client issues. Open points arrive flagged with the file, never buried in it.
By the numbers
4+
years on UK client accounts
9
software platforms, daily
7
roles, one clear direction
2+
years leading and reviewing a team
2
jurisdictions — UK and Ireland
Seven roles, one direction
From ledgers to returns to reviewing other people's returns — every step on UK client work.
- 2025 — now
Senior Accountant
EXEL Solutions · Dehiwala, Sri Lanka
Leading the team and owning the year-end.
- Reviews VAT returns, management accounts and year-end working papers prepared by the team
- Prepares and submits annual accounts and corporation tax returns; prepares personal tax returns
- 2024 — 2025
Semi Senior Accountant
OWCS Colombo (Pvt) Ltd · Colombo 04, Sri Lanka
First team-lead role.
- Allocated and reviewed the team's work; bookkeeping, VAT returns, annual accounts and CT returns, management accounts
- 2023 — 2024
Semi Senior Accounts Consultant
Smart Offshore (Pvt) Ltd · Colombo 04, Sri Lanka
Client-facing for the first time.
- Coordinated directly with UK clients by email and phone
- Prepared VAT returns, annual accounts and CT returns; liaised with HMRC to resolve client issues
- 2022 — 2023
Accounts Associate → Account Executive
The Apex Solution (Pvt) Ltd · Colombo 04, Sri Lanka
From ledgers to returns in twelve months.
- Invoice processing, bank reconciliations and ledger maintenance; monthly and quarterly management reports
- Promoted to prepare VAT returns, annual accounts and corporation tax returns
- 2020
Audit Associate
SCB Corporate · Colombo, Sri Lanka
Learning to check other people's numbers.
- Assurance engagement fieldwork and audit procedures
- 2018 — 2021
BBA (Hons) Accounting, Second Class Honours
University of Colombo · Sri Lanka
Completed while working.
- 2019
Customer Service Executive
Aegis Services Lanka (Pvt) Ltd · Colombo, Sri Lanka
Where the communication habit started.
Predictable, documented, reviewed
The best thing an offshore accountant can be is predictable: files that arrive when promised, working papers a reviewer can follow, questions asked early.
A short call
Twenty minutes: what you need, which software, what "done" looks like.
Onboarding inside your systems
Your software, your templates, your review checklist. No data leaves your environment.
A weekly rhythm
Work queued Monday, progress visible mid-week, files delivered with a cover note listing judgements and open points.
Review and sign-off
You review; I fix; nothing goes to a client until you're happy.
- UK & Irish morning overlap (09:00–12:30, to 13:30 in summer)
- Written data-handling agreement
- Named references on request
- Deadlines tracked per entity
The essentials
- Education
- BBA (Hons) in Accounting (Special)
- University of Colombo · 2018–2021
- Languages
- English · Sinhala
- Fluent · Native
- Right now
- Akuressa, Sri Lanka · UTC+5:30 · no DST
- References
- Available on request
- Managers and clients, UK and Sri Lanka
Working across time zones
Typical office hours, 09:00–18:00 local. The UK and Ireland share one clock all year, so one row covers both; the highlight shows where their day overlaps with mine.
- Overlap with UK & Ireland: --:--–--:-- Sri Lanka time
Things UK practices are asking about right now
- 5 min read · last checked 23 September 2026
UK tax deadlines — the ones that actually bite
A plain-English calendar for the current tax year: self-assessment, VAT, corporation tax, Companies House and MTD quarters. - 6 min read · last checked 23 September 2026
MTD for Income Tax: who is in scope, and when
The mandation waves and their thresholds, what quarterly updates mean, and a ten-second check for any client. - 4 min read · last checked 23 September 2026
How a remote accounts senior fits into a UK practice
Onboarding, the review loop, data handling, and what to expect in week one.
—
—
in — days
All upcoming deadlines
- —
Set by each client’s own dates
- VAT return & payment — One calendar month and 7 days after the end of the VAT period.
- Corporation tax payment — 9 months and 1 day after the end of the accounting period.
- CT600 filing — 12 months after the end of the accounting period.
- Companies House accounts — 9 months after the financial year end (21 months for a company's first accounts).
Source: GOV.UK · verified 23 September 2026
Questions practices ask first
Are you looking for a job or for clients?
Both, honestly. I'm open to remote senior roles with UK practices and to outsourced work I can deliver alongside my current role.
How do we get started?
Book a 20-minute call and we'll agree which files, which software and what "done" looks like. You set me up inside your own systems, and the first files come back with a cover note listing judgements and open points, ready for your review.
What time zone do you work in?
Sri Lanka is UTC+5:30 with no daylight saving — 5½ hours ahead of the UK and Ireland in winter and 4½ in summer. The UK and Ireland share one clock, so the same overlap works for both: I keep UK and Irish mornings open for calls.
Do you work with Irish practices?
Yes. I prepare Irish year-end accounts, CT1 computations, VAT3 and RTD working papers, Form 11 drafts, payroll support and CRO annual-return packs for the practice's review. The practice signs off and files with Revenue under its own TAIN, and with the CRO. Irish accounts use the same FRS 102 and FRS 105 frameworks as UK ones, in Companies Act 2014 formats, and Ireland keeps the same clock as the UK, so the working day overlaps in exactly the same way.
Which accounting frameworks do you prepare accounts under?
FRS 105 for micro-entities and FRS 102 Section 1A for small companies.
Which accounting software do you work in?
Xero, QuickBooks Online and Sage for bookkeeping and VAT; TaxCalc, Capium and IRIS for accounts production and tax; Dext and Apron for bills and receipts; and Syft for management reporting. If your practice runs something else, I'll learn it on your own files during onboarding.
Do you file with HMRC and Companies House directly?
I prepare and submit through the engaging practice's software and agent authorisation.
How do you handle client data?
Inside your systems — your cloud file, your document portal, your Dext or Apron feed — under a written data-handling agreement, with no local copies.
What does it cost?
It depends on volume and review level. Twenty minutes on a call will give you a clear answer.
What's your typical turnaround?
It depends on the file, the season and how complete the records are. We agree a date for each file when it's queued, and if anything could slip I'll tell you as soon as I see it — not on the day it's due.
Can you talk to our clients directly?
Yes — I've handled client email and phone communication for UK clients since 2023.
Are you a chartered or certified accountant?
No. I hold a BBA (Hons) in Accounting from the University of Colombo and four-plus years of UK practice experience.
Let's talk about your year-end backlog.
One call is usually enough to know whether I can help. Pick a slot, send a message, or WhatsApp me — whichever is easier for you.