CCPS Malta

CCPS Malta is an accounting practice of certified public accountants that looks after tax, audit and financial planning for companies, the self-employed and private clients. Its offices are in the Central Business District at Birkirkara, in the middle of the island, and the aim is to act as a one-stop shop: the same team can keep your books, file your tax, audit your accounts, set up your company and help your staff with work permits or residence.

The firm works with local and international clients and puts personal attention at the centre of its approach, treating each client relationship as a partnership in which its own success follows the client's. On VisitMalta.co.uk it is listed in our directory of accountants in Malta.

Who CCPS Malta is

Clive Caruana, a Certified Public Accountant and Registered Auditor, founded the practice in 2009 as an accounts and audit firm. More than a decade later it covers corporate law support, taxation and accounting as well as audit, and it invests steadily in professional training and in building its business relationships.

Clive Caruana leads the firm as Managing Partner, with Daniel Camilleri as Partner. Gaie Terry Galea is Senior Manager for Accounts and Tax, Ilona Zammit is Manager for Accounts and Tax, Ruby Agius Delicata manages Corporate and Banking, and Ivan Fsadni is the Risk Officer.

Clients range from family businesses and SMEs to larger companies and entities licensed in financial services. The team keeps a regular stream of articles on its site about tax and financial changes in Malta, such as budget measures, the relaunched Micro Invest Scheme from Malta Enterprise and the reduced tax rate for creative professionals, and it sends a newsletter to subscribers.

Bookkeeping, reporting and accounting advice

Maltese companies must keep proper accounting records under the Companies Act 1995, and missing filing deadlines can lead to penalties. CCPS Malta offers a full accounts function for companies and for self-employed people: bookkeeping, compiling and submitting the required returns and forms, and issuing sales invoices from its own systems if you prefer.

Management reporting can be produced monthly, quarterly, annually or more often. Typical reports include a trial balance, profit and loss account, balance sheet, account histories, stock listings for stocktaking and aged analyses of what you owe and are owed. The bookkeepers can also work out key ratios, compare periods, and prepare cash flow budgets and forecasts to help you plan.

A cloud-based remote bookkeeping system lets clients see their transactions from any device. Businesses with their own finance staff can ask the firm to review their accounts against Maltese rules and prepare VAT returns. On the advisory side, specialists support financial controllers and finance directors with an ad hoc query line, formal accounting opinions, analysis of new standards, IFRS and GAPSME questions (GAPSME is the Maltese framework for smaller entities), accounting manuals and consolidated financial statements.

Personal and corporate tax

The tax team covers both direct and indirect tax. For companies and individuals it prepares and submits income tax returns and tax refund claims, and it deals with share transfers, rental income, property tax, stamp duty, capital gains tax, cross-border questions and international restructuring. On VAT it carries out exemption number audits, VAT planning and health checks, advice on rulings, VAT returns and the EU's One Stop Shop schemes for cross-border sales.

For individuals the firm handles tax returns, tax certificates, disputes and tailored advice, and it supports wealthier clients, business owners and private foundations with estate, succession and generational planning. Compliance work includes registering with the Commissioner for Revenue, applications for tax residence and residence certificates, treaty forms, adjustment forms and negotiating with the tax authorities on a client's behalf.

CCPS Malta is an Authorised Registered Mandatory, which means it can represent people under the Global Residence Programme, the Residence Programme and the Malta Retirement Programme and deal with the authorities for them. For background before a first meeting, see our guide to Malta tax for UK nationals and our explainer on how Malta's corporate tax structure works, including the refund system.

Audit, assurance and liquidations

The practice carries out both internal and external audits with an in-house team, for companies, organisations and financial services licensed entities. Services cover statutory audits, expert reports, assurance and engagement reviews, IFRS and GAPSME reporting support, ad hoc advice and group consolidations, with all required disclosures included in the audited statements.

An audit is more than a legal box to tick: done well, it can expose weaknesses in accounting systems, reduce the risk of fraud, tighten internal controls and give directors and potential investors confidence in the figures. Owners hoping to sell shares or attract investment will find regular audits especially useful.

A Maltese company cannot simply be closed; it has to be formally liquidated and struck off. CCPS Malta assists with voluntary liquidations and can act as liquidator, collecting and selling assets, handling legal proceedings and paying creditors until the process is complete. It also audits liquidations.

Company formation and corporate services

For new ventures the corporate team prepares the Memorandum and Articles of Association, registers the company for VAT and income tax, helps open a bank account, advises directors on their personal liabilities and handles share transfers and contract drafting. It can attend board meetings and take minutes, and it prepares statutory forms, returns and notices. Companies can also be re-domiciled to or from Malta without being wound up.

As a licensed corporate services provider, CCPS Malta can form companies, act or arrange for others to act as director or secretary, and supply a registered office. Its corporate administration team handles post and forwards it, and virtual office plans add call answering and a professional business address. The company secretarial service keeps statutory registers, files annual returns and financial statements on time, records appointments and resignations, prepares meeting minutes and runs company name searches.

Larger projects include mergers, where the team drafts merger terms and covers takeover rules, minority rights and employee protection, and restructuring, from an operations review through to implementing a recovery plan. Back-office support takes care of payments, invoicing, debt collection and reconciliations.

Yachts, aircraft and specialist sectors

CCPS Malta registers and maintains yachts and other vessels under the Maltese Shipping Register, one of the largest in the world. If you are still choosing a boat, a broker such as FL Yachting Malta handles yacht sales on the island.

On the aviation side, the firm helps with aircraft registration, private aircraft leasing, aircraft finance and mortgages, tax advice and the drafting of agreements, drawing on the incentives Malta offers for aircraft, helicopters and engines.

The residence team also advises on the Highly Qualified Persons Scheme, aimed at senior staff in roles with companies licensed by the MFSA, the gaming regulator or the transport authority. Our guides to financial services in Malta and iGaming companies in Malta explain those sectors.

Payroll, work permits and residence

Outsourced payroll covers payroll runs, payslips, new starters and leavers, deductions, obtaining a PE number, social security advice and the monthly and annual Final Settlement System returns, including the FS3, FS4, FS5 and FS7 forms. HR advisory work extends to employment contracts, salary structures, labour law and employee relations.

Employers hiring people from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland need a Single Work Permit for each employee. CCPS Malta prepares the list of documents, checks and compiles them, completes the forms and liaises with the authorities.

A dedicated residency and immigration department handles applications for Malta Ordinary Residence, the Malta Permanent Residence Programme, the Residence Programme, the Global Residence Programme and the Highly Qualified Persons Scheme. Each route has its own conditions, so the team assesses which fits your situation. Our UK guide to relocating to Malta covers the wider practicalities of a move, and remote workers employed abroad should also read our guide to living in Malta as a digital nomad.

Working with CCPS Malta

The office is on Level 3 of Centris Business Gateway II in the Central Business District, an office area on the edge of Birkirkara in the centre of Malta. CCPS Malta does not publish fees, as it shapes each engagement around the client, and it aims to reply to enquiries within a day.

Whether you need a bookkeeper, an auditor, a new company or help with a residence application, the best first step is a short note describing your situation. Use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message on to CCPS Malta, who will get back to you directly.