How much does an accountant cost / charge in the UK? Accounts for self-employed and limited companies (Part 1)

Jump to:
- How much does an accountant cost? (Updated 2025)
- At a glance
- Price Guide for Accountants Cost / Fees
- Fixed Fee Guide for Accountants: Sole trader / Self-employed / Limited Company / Bookkeeping Fees / Tax Return Cost
- Accounting fees
- How much does an accountant charge to do a tax return?
- How much does an accountant charge/cost for bookkeeping?
- Frequently Asked Questions About Accountant Costs
- 1. How much does an accountant cost for a small business?
- 2. How much does an accountant charge for a self-employed tax return?
- 3. What is the cost of a limited company accountant in the UK?
- 4. What does bookkeeping cost, and is it included in accounting fees?
- 5. How much does it cost to file a personal tax return if I’m not self-employed?
- 6. Are there additional costs for VAT returns and payroll services?
- 7. Can I get a fixed-fee accountant instead of paying hourly?
- 8. Does the cost of an accountant change based on my business turnover?
- 9. Are cheap online accountants worth it?
- 10. How can I reduce my accounting costs?
- Why you may not want a cheap accounts or tax service?
How much does an accountant cost? (Updated 2025)
How much does an accountant in the UK cost for small business owners and individuals? This is a question that you may be searching for if you have just started a new business for the first time.You may even be wondering what the benefits of having an accountant are or ‘Do I need an Accountant?’. We will cover those questions in another article…
Price Guide for Accountants Cost / Fees
The prices depend on your circumstances and size of business where applicable. How much does an accountant cost typically for the following services…
- Individual tax return – £75 to £500+vat per annum
- Self-employed tax return and accounts – £250 to £1,000+vat per annum
- Limited company – £60 to £250+vat per month for accounts, tax returns and payroll is fairly typical
Fixed Fee Guide for Accountants: Sole trader / Self-employed / Limited Company / Bookkeeping Fees / Tax Return Cost
Service | Typical Cost Range |
---|---|
Individual Tax Return | £75 – £500 + VAT (per annum) |
Self-Employed Tax Return & Accounts | £250 – £1,000 + VAT (per annum) |
Limited Company (Accounts, Tax Returns & Payroll) | £60 – £250 + VAT (per month) |
Bookkeeping Services | From £1 per transaction |
Sole Trader / Self-Employed Fees | |
Turnover up to £10,000 | £300 + VAT (per annum) |
Turnover up to £30,000 | £350 + VAT (per annum) |
Turnover up to £80,000 | £600 + VAT (per annum) |
Turnover up to £150,000 | £800 + VAT (per annum) |
Limited Company Fees | |
Turnover £10k – £30k | £69 + VAT (per month) |
Turnover £30k – £80k | £79 + VAT (per month) |
Standard UK Tax Return (Non-Business Owner) | £90 – £300 + VAT |
Payroll for Directors | From £18 + VAT (per month) |
All-Inclusive Package (Excluding Bookkeeping & VAT Returns) | £100 – £130 + VAT (per month) |
Bookkeeping Costs | £1 – £2 per transaction (varies based on volume & software used) |
We explain below how typical accountants fees are derived. If you want a fixed fee now for a standard tax return then we look no further.
Not done your bookkeeping?! How Much does bookkeeping cost?
No problem. We can do this for you. It does impact the cost so if you want to do it yourself we can send you some free training resources. If you want us to do it, it will be from £1 per transaction to bring up to date. So 100 transactions for a year will just be £100+vat.
How to get started?
Just email us below with what you need, where you fit in terms of revenue, are you a sole trader etc and what year you need your tax return completed. We will then send you an official proposal based on the fees above to get started.
Not self-employed?
- If you have rental income then we charge the same as the fees above (per tax return), depending on your gross rents received.
- If you just need to complete a tax return but are not self-employed, not a director of a limited company nor a landlord a topical tax return fee is £180+vat
- Limited company accounts are more complex please book a chat HERE to discuss.
Normal Fees for Accountants
Q – ‘How much does an accountant cost?’
A – ‘How much is a piece of string?’
This may be fairly typical off the cuff answer from a traditional accountant. The truth is that many accountants do not like discussing costs, fees, prices or whatever you want to call it. But I will ask why! Why should any business, accounting or otherwise not be transparent when it comes to pricing?
This leaves the potential client with the following questions:
- What are they hiding?
- They must be expensive!
- How can I just get an idea of cost?
- Do they have fixed fees or not?

The actual reason that most accountants do not talk about cost on the phone and especially on their website is that they have no consistent and official pricing system. In some cases, they may as well just stick their finger in the air and see which way the wind is blowing and make up a number!
Ok so that’s a bit harsh but a typical method is to find out how much you are paying and quote the same or maybe a bit less to try and win the work. The issue with this is that it’s not consistent, it’s not fair on your other clients that are paying a different amount and it’s quite frankly making it up as you go along.
Accounting fees
We charge for preparing a set of accounts based largely around three different factors.
- Whether are you self-employed or a limited company
- The size of the business (measured by your annual turnover)
- The quality and type of your bookkeeping system/records.
Self-employed example:
I will give you some guideline figures to get an idea of our fees in this area. We charge £35+vat for per month for a self-employed person’s accounts with a turnover between £10k to £30k where the ‘books’ are kept on a simple spreadsheet (we can provide a template for this) or online using Xero or Quickbooks.
You will also need to add on £18+vat per month for the actual completion and submission of your self-assessment tax return, so the TOTAL FEE all in would be around £50+vat. Be careful to include the VAT on any fees if you are not a VAT-registered business yourself (where you can claim it back).
We have provided a new fixed fee table for our self-employed fees at the top of this page.
Limited company example:
A limited company set of accounts has far more requirements than a sole trader / self-employed person. I won’t bore you with the full details but these need to be submitted to Companies House and must comply with more rigorous accounting rules. You must have a more complete bookkeeping system to enable the completion of these accounts also. If you have a limited company with a turnover between £10k to £30k (or you are a contractor) then the fees for the accounts are around £69+vat per month, if the revenue is £30k to £80k then this increases to £79+vat and it goes up slightly depending on the size of the business.
How much does an accountant charge to do a tax return?
If you are not a business owner then your self-assessment tax return may be more straightforward. In this instance, a standard UK tax return would cost from £90 to £300.
At the lower end, you have something like Taxscout who says they will file any tax return even with business income for £119+vat! They are not looking to provide a substitute for a genuine accountants’ service. Taxscout competes with filing your own tax return for free direct with HMRC with a little extra guidance. For taxpayers with simple affairs, this may be an option but bear in mind with the fee there is an element of you get what you pay for. To our knowledge, there are no phone calls, meetings or proactive tax planning included with their service.
How much does an accountant charge/cost for bookkeeping?
The thing with a limited company is that there are several other services you are likely to require. The standard ones will be your personal tax return for £18+vat p/m and potentially the management and submission of a PAYE scheme to pay yourself as the director which can be as low as £18+vat p/m. An all-inclusive package excluding bookkeeping and VAT returns would be in the region of £100 to £130+vat p/m.
This is a whole new area for businesses and is something that you as the business owner could potentially do yourself. We even provide training for you to do it yourself! To give it the justice it needs we will explain how we charge for bookkeeping in part 2 of our ‘How much does an accountant cost / charge in the UK?’ series. Please note that the fees above to not accounts for bookkeeping and assume that you either have very few transactions or you complete your own bookkeeping currently. Bookkeeping is the biggest differentiator for your accounting and bookkeeping costs. If you have 50 transactions per month then your bookkeeping fees could be as little as £50+vat per month. If however your business transactions are say 1000 per month, this could cost you anything from £500 to £2,000 for bookkeeping alone! Even with automation with software such as Xero, Quickbooks, Sage, Dext, and Hubdoc it is not just as simple as clicking a button as these providers suggest. Ultimately they want you to buy their software so will over-promise when it comes to usability. Bookkeeping is something that a business owner can certainly do themselves but will require an investment of his/her time upfront to learn about the basics of bookkeeping and then on an on-going basis to maintain and review the data. We recommend tools such as Dext Precision or Xenon Connect to aid the review process. A good rule of thumb is to allow around £1 to £2 per transaction per month.
Frequently Asked Questions About Accountant Costs
1. How much does an accountant cost for a small business?
The cost of an accountant varies depending on the services required. For small businesses, fees typically range from £60 to £250 per month for limited companies and from £250 to £1,000 per year for self-employed individuals.
2. How much does an accountant charge for a self-employed tax return?
For self-employed individuals, a tax return typically costs between £250 and £1,000 + VAT per year, depending on the complexity of the accounts.
3. What is the cost of a limited company accountant in the UK?
For a limited company, accounting services (including accounts, tax returns, and payroll) generally cost £60 to £250 + VAT per month, depending on the size and complexity of the business.
4. What does bookkeeping cost, and is it included in accounting fees?
Bookkeeping is usually charged separately and costs around £1 to £2 per transaction. Some accountants offer bookkeeping as part of a package, but it is often an additional service.
5. How much does it cost to file a personal tax return if I’m not self-employed?
If you only need to file a personal tax return (e.g., for rental income or dividends), costs typically range from £90 to £300 + VAT.
6. Are there additional costs for VAT returns and payroll services?
Yes, VAT return filings are often charged separately, and payroll services for directors or employees start from £18 + VAT per month.
7. Can I get a fixed-fee accountant instead of paying hourly?
Yes, many accountants, including us, offer fixed-fee services to provide clarity and avoid unexpected charges. This means you pay a set monthly or annual fee rather than hourly rates.
8. Does the cost of an accountant change based on my business turnover?
Yes, larger businesses with higher turnover and more transactions typically pay higher fees. For example, a sole trader with £10,000 turnover may pay £300 per year, while one with £150,000 turnover may pay £800 per year.
9. Are cheap online accountants worth it?
Some online accountants offer low-cost services starting at £119 + VAT per year, but these may lack personalized tax planning, meetings, or phone support. You often get what you pay for.
10. How can I reduce my accounting costs?
You can lower your costs by maintaining organized records, using accounting software like Xero or QuickBooks, and doing your own bookkeeping. However, working with an accountant can often save more in tax than their fee.
Why you may not want a cheap accounts or tax service?
This article takes a deep dive into why cheap accounts and tax services are not the only consideration. In a nutshell to save you reading on, you can’t have your cake and eat it, so there needs to be a compromise which is often one of the following three elements of service:
- Quality
- Price
- Speed of delivery and service
LEARN MORE IN OUR ARTICLE ON ‘CHEAP ACCOUNTS‘
In the meantime please view our pricing page for some more example fees.