About Buhir RafiqMAAT

Buhir Rafiq is the founder and managing director of Total Books Accountants Ltd, a Cardiff practice he started in 2009. He is an AAT licensed accountant, an HMRC registered tax agent, a Xero Certified Advisor and a Companies House authorised agent. Around 30 years in accounting and finance sit behind his work, and the last 17 have been spent running his own firm for limited company directors across Cardiff, Newport, Bristol and the wider UK. You can read more about the practice he leads on the Total Books about page.

What does Buhir Rafiq do at Total Books?

Buhir leads Total Books as its founder and managing director, and he stays close to the client work rather than sitting above it. The practice is built around limited company directors who want three things at once: clean compliance with Companies House and HMRC, a tax-efficient way to take money out of the business, and a senior pair of eyes on the numbers as they grow. Buhir shapes how the firm delivers all three, and he often runs the first conversation himself.

That hands-on style is why so many reviews name him directly. Directors meet a regulated accountant who explains the decision in front of them, not a faceless call centre. For companies that need more than year-end filing, he heads up the Virtual Finance Director service, which gives owner-managed businesses the financial direction a full-time finance chief brings, without the full-time salary.

The practices Buhir leads

Buhir runs two separate companies, each regulated and each with its own audience. Total Books is the main practice; RX Virtual Finance is a specialist practice for one sector he knows deeply.

Buhir’s certifications, licences and skills

Buhir is a licensed and regulated accountant, which matters in a field where anyone can call themselves a bookkeeper. Four credentials give a director something they can check and rely on.

Several further qualifications sit behind the advisory side of his work, such as an ILM Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management, a CIPD Certificate in Personnel Practices and a CIM Certificate in Marketing. The skills he is asked for most often are these:

Buhir’s affiliations, background and associations

Buhir’s standing comes from the bodies that regulate him, the roles he holds in the community, and the experience he built before founding the firm. They sit in four groups.

Results from Buhir’s published case studies

The trust signal here is not a slogan, it is a body of named, published outcomes. These are real, reported results for specific Total Books clients, not a promise of what any new client will save. Each links to the full case study.

There are more outcomes in the full Total Books case studies, including a media business that Buhir helped incorporate and scale until the owner could work on it full time.

Services Buhir and the Total Books team deliver

Buhir oversees the full range of accountancy, tax and consultancy work at Total Books, and you can reach any of it from the services overview. The links below go straight to each service.

How Buhir keeps his advice current

Tax does not stand still, so neither does the firm’s training. Buhir keeps his knowledge current through structured CPD, including Mercia tax and accountancy updates and GoProposal Academy accreditation, and in early 2026 he completed the Help to Grow management programme at Cardiff University. The date matters on any tax page, because the Companies House regime is moving: according to Companies House, identity verification became compulsory for new appointments from 18 November 2025, with a transition period for existing directors and people with significant control running through to November 2026. Content like this is reviewed regularly for that reason.

Frequently asked questions about Buhir Rafiq

The information on this page is general and is not advice for your specific situation. Tax outcomes depend on your own circumstances, and the taxpayer remains responsible for their filings and returns. For advice on your company, book a call with Total Books. Last reviewed May 2026.