Modernising a long-established firm with software they could be proud of

Sawford Bullard, founded in the 1980s, and operating from a single office in Northampton went looking for a more robust software...and found TaxCalc 
sawford bullard

13

staff firm

Sage

previous software
Cloud-Wifi-Network

Needed a cloud solution

90

minutes faster per set of accounts

A great firm with a (software) problem

James Parsons joined the firm following an acquisition in 2006 and became partner in 2017. Alongside his fellow partner Dustin Grande, he oversees a close knit team of 13 staff.

The firm had been using Sage across all areas including accounts, corporate tax and personal tax.

While the software remained functional, it was becoming increasingly outdated and expensive.

“Sage just wasn’t developing its solutions – the software did still work but the prices were going North pretty rapidly – 5-10% each year – and that wasn’t reflected in the value they were providing.”

In 2025, the team began actively reviewing alternatives across the market.

 

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Why TaxCalc was the obvious choice

After seeing a demonstration at Accountex, the decision became clear.

James had set clear criteria for any new system. It needed to support all client work, be modern and efficient, and minimise disruption during the transition.

The standout difference was immediately obvious.

“It was instant! The integrations were what really stood out – everything spoke to each other seamlessly”

“Generating a set of accounts in SAPA would take several minutes for every iteration – but with TaxCalc you could make changes and see them instantly”

Immediate impact

The improvements were felt across multiple areas of the firm’s workflow. in particular with accounts production

“We really like the ability to edit accounts – you didn’t have to run the accounts again after every change. – it saves us massive amounts of time”.

iXBRL tagging

“With SAPA iXPRL would take a good 15 minutes – the automatic tagging in TaxCalc blew everyone’s mind!”

 

“The workflows have been a complete game changer.  Sage had a basic jobs management tool – but being able to visualise all of the work in all departments in one place has really allowed us to focus.”

 

 

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Unexpected wins

Some benefits were not even on the original wishlist.

The CloudConnect Effect

Initially, James had planned to remain on a server based system. However, ongoing issues with outdated infrastructure led the firm to adopt TaxCalc’s CloudConnect solution.

“With Cloud Connect we couldn’t tell the difference between being on the cloud or on local hosting. We knew that any lag would cause resistance from the team, but there just wasn’t any”

E-signatures

“Esign is something we didn’t even know that we wanted but when we saw how good the integration was we bought that and it’s brilliant”

 

Truly supportive support

“It’s been so refreshing to deal with TaxCalc. They’ve been patient and have spent a lot of time understanding the quirks of our firm. We felt really well looked after all the way”

 

 

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Final thoughts from a genuinely satisfied customer

The team has seen significant gains in both efficiency and cost savings.

“We’re probably one hour to ninety minutes faster per set of accounts now”

“We are paying less than half for what we did with Sage – and we’re getting more too”

James is thrilled to have TaxCalc as a supplier and a partner with some strong words of encouragement for anyone else in a similar situation.

“Compared to TaxCalc it felt like Sage was like something out of the nineties”

“I would absolutely recommend that they move – you will definitely be saving money but it really feels like it’s built for this decade!

 

 

Why UK accounting practices are switching to TaxCalc

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Transparent prices

Predictable prices aligned to what you actually use. No hidden escalations, long contract lock-ins, or forced upgrades.

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Quick and easy onboarding

Dedicated migration and onboarding support, plus ongoing training, ensures transitioning from your current platform is fast and smooth.

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Simple, compliant software

Guided step-by-step workflows and a clear interface makes TaxCalc software simple to learn and use, while remaining compliant.

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Support from experts

Regular software improvements, plus reliable support from a UK-based team that you can reach by phone, email or in-product tickets.

Switch with confidence

Move to software that supports your team, improves efficiency and keeps costs under control. See how TaxCalc can help your firm.

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