- Published 2026/27 bands put small Ltd company fees at £80 to £350 a month
- SEIS compliance, R&D claims and investor reporting add to the core fee
- First accounts are due at Companies House 21 months after incorporation
Startup accountant cost in the UK typically runs from £80 to £350 a month for a small limited company. A startup accountant prices on scope, so VAT, payroll for your first hires and any investment round move the fee more than anything else.
This guide covers fee bands by stage (see the table below), the startup-only work that costs extra and what to check in a quote.
How much does an accountant for a startup business cost?
Most early-stage Ltd companies pay a fixed monthly fee, and the band you fall into tracks what your company is actually doing. The figures below come from Accotax’s small business fee guide, published August 2026, and they’re market averages rather than quotes.
Generic benchmarks for any Ltd company sit in our guide to limited company accountant cost. This page covers what changes when the company is a startup.
| Startup stage | What’s usually in scope | Typical monthly fee | Typical annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newly incorporated, not VAT registered | Bookkeeping, first-year accounts, Company Tax Return, confirmation statement | £80 to £180 | £1,000 to £2,000 |
| Trading and VAT registered | All of the above, plus quarterly VAT returns | £150 to £280 | £1,800 to £3,200 |
| First hires on payroll (1 to 3 staff) | All of the above, plus monthly payroll and pensions | £180 to £350 | £2,200 to £4,000 |
| After a funding round | SEIS or EIS compliance, R&D claims, investor reporting | Ask for a fixed project quote | Depends on scope |
The same guide notes that London and the South East usually sit higher. Use the bands to sense-check quotes, not to pick the lowest one.
What affects the price of a startup accountant?
Startup accounting fees scale with the amount of work, not the label on your company. Ask how much does an accountant cost for a new business and you’ll get a range, because these factors decide where in it you land.
Transaction volume and bookkeeping quality
Every bank line needs recording and reconciling, so a company with 400 transactions a month costs more to look after than one with 40. Missing receipts or unreconciled accounts add catch-up time before any year-end work can start.
VAT registration
Once taxable turnover passes the VAT registration threshold of £90,000, you’ll file quarterly VAT returns through Making Tax Digital software. That’s four extra filings a year, which is why VAT registration moves most startups up a fee band.
Software
Some firms include bookkeeping software in the fee, while others pass on a separate subscription. Check which, because it changes the real monthly cost.
How much advice you want
A compliance-only package files what the law requires and little else. Fees rise when you want quarterly reviews, cash flow forecasts or a named accountant you can ask questions any day.
Full accounting services usually bundle bookkeeping, year-end and tax so you aren’t billed per task. Accountancy is also only one line in your budget; our breakdown of the cost of running a limited company covers the rest.
What startup-specific work costs extra?
This is where the accountant for startups cost splits from a standard Ltd company quote. The work below is either specific to early-stage companies or tends to land in the first two years.
First-year accounts and tax returns
Your first year accounts cost more than later years because they cover a longer and usually messier period. They run from your incorporation date to your first accounting reference date, and they’re due at Companies House 21 months after incorporation.
If that first period runs past 12 months, HMRC needs two Company Tax Returns, so your accountant prepares two computations instead of one. That second return is a common reason the first year accounts cost more than founders expect.
SEIS and EIS compliance after a raise
A SEIS startup accountant prepares the compliance statement (form SEIS1) you submit to HMRC after issuing shares, which is what lets your investors claim their tax relief. Under HMRC’s SEIS rules, a company can raise up to £250,000 if its gross assets are no more than £350,000 when the shares are issued.
EIS rounds need a separate EIS1 statement, and both schemes carry conditions your company has to keep meeting for at least three years. Ask whether this work is priced per round or included in your package.
Investor reporting
Once you have investors, your shareholder agreement may require regular management accounts, board packs or KPI updates. Monthly management accounts take more accountant time than a once-a-year set, so they usually sit in a higher tier.
A SEIS startup accountant who also prepares your investor updates saves you briefing two firms on the same numbers.
Payroll for your first hires
You need to register as an employer with HMRC before your first payday, then report pay through Real Time Information every time you run payroll. Pension auto-enrolment duties start alongside, and Accotax’s guide puts payroll at £5 to £10 per employee a month.
R&D tax relief claims
Tech and product startups often qualify for R&D tax relief, but the paperwork is strict. First-time claimants must notify HMRC of an R&D claim in advance, within six months of the end of the accounting period, and every claim needs an additional information form before the Company Tax Return goes in.
Miss the notification window and the claim for that period is lost. If none of this work applies to you yet, a standard limited company accountant package may cover everything you need.
What should you check in a startup accountant’s quote?
Two quotes at the same monthly price can cover very different work. Before you sign, get these points confirmed in writing:
- Which statutory filings are included and which are billed separately.
- Whether first-year accounts carry a set-up or catch-up fee.
- How SEIS, EIS and R&D work is priced: per round, per claim or not at all.
- What payroll costs per employee once you start hiring.
- Whether software is included or charged on top.
- How quickly queries get answered, and by whom.
- The notice period if you decide to leave.
These line items explain most of the gap in startup accounting fees between firms. Contractors face the same split between core and add-on work, covered in our guide to contractor accounting costs.
When you might not need a startup accountant yet
If your company hasn’t started trading and has no staff, filing dormant accounts yourself is straightforward. The case for paying an accountant gets stronger once money moves through the business, you hire or you raise. If you’re still weighing up how much does an accountant cost for a new business against doing it yourself, our accounting FAQs cover the common questions.
How Sleek helps with startup accountant cost
Sleek gives your startup a dedicated, qualified accountant, with AI handling routine bookkeeping and every step recorded in an audit trail. You see what the AI did and what your accountant approved, and your queries get a same-day response.
We handle first-year accounts, payroll for your first hires and the filings that follow a funding round. We quote the full scope up front, so the accountant for startups cost you budget for is the one you pay. See how our accounting for startups works.
Startup accountant cost, quoted on the work you actually need.
FAQs on startup accountant cost
Do I need a specialist startup accountant?
You need one when your company is raising under SEIS or EIS, planning an R&D claim or reporting to investors. A pre-revenue company with one director and no funding plans can usually use any qualified limited company accountant. The specialism pays off when a missed compliance step would cost your investors their tax relief.
Is a monthly fee better than a one-off year-end fee?
A monthly fee spreads the cost and usually includes year-round bookkeeping and questions, so problems get caught before year end. A one-off fee can work out lower for a dormant or very low-activity company, but you’ll usually pay extra for any help between filings. Most trading startups get better value from a monthly package.
What should be included as standard?
A standard Ltd company package should include your annual accounts filed with Companies House, the Company Tax Return (CT600) filed with HMRC and the yearly confirmation statement. Many firms also include the director’s Self Assessment return. VAT returns and payroll are standard only if your package says so.
Can my company claim accountancy fees as an expense?
Yes. Accountancy fees for your company’s own accounts and tax are an allowable business expense, so they reduce the profit your company pays Corporation Tax on. Fees for purely personal tax work, such as your own Self Assessment, are treated differently, so ask your accountant how they’re billed.
Do I need an accountant before my company starts trading?
Not necessarily, but some deadlines apply from day one. You must register for Corporation Tax within three months of starting to trade, and your first confirmation statement is due within a year of incorporation. Bringing an accountant in early helps you set up bookkeeping properly, which keeps first-year costs down.
What happens if my first accounts are filed late?
Companies House issues an automatic late filing penalty, starting at £150 for accounts up to a month late and reaching £1,500 once they’re more than six months late. The penalty doubles if your accounts are late two years in a row. Companies House doesn’t accept “these were our first accounts” as grounds for appeal.
Does SEIS advance assurance cost extra?
HMRC doesn’t charge for advance assurance, but accountants usually charge to prepare the application. It’s optional, though some investors want it in place before they commit. Ask for it as a fixed fee, separate from your compliance statement work.
