- Cheap accountancy plans usually cover statutory filings and little else
- Companies House late filing penalties run from £150 to £1,500
- Compare quotes on scope, not headline price, before you switch
Cheap accountants for limited company accounts usually cover the statutory filings and little else, while a full-service limited company accountant adds a named contact, tax planning and extras like VAT returns and payroll. Low-cost plans suit simple, low-volume companies; full service suits anyone with staff, VAT or plans to grow.
This guide compares four price tiers, the extras that change the real price and worked examples by business type.
What separates the cheapest accounting services from full-service accountants?
The gap comes down to scope and who does the thinking. A low-cost plan files what you send it, while a full-service accountant keeps your books through the year and tells you what’s coming.
At the bottom end, the cheapest accounting service UK companies can buy is software you run yourself. You keep the books, you file the returns and you carry every deadline.
One step up, a cheap online accountant charges a fixed monthly fee for year-end accounts and the Company Tax Return. Support usually comes by email or ticket from whoever’s free.
Full-service accountants charge more because they do more. You get a named accountant, bookkeeping during the year, director tax returns and, on the right plan, VAT returns and payroll.
How do accountant price tiers compare?
Every cheap accountant UK search turns up a headline monthly fee, but the tier tells you more than the number. For current price ranges, see our guide to limited company accountant cost.
| Tier | What is included | Typical extras | Who you deal with | Best for | Risk you keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software only | Bookkeeping app, bank feeds and filing tools | Any human help or review | You, plus a help centre | Confident founders with very simple books | Every filing, deadline and tax judgement |
| Budget online | Year-end accounts and Company Tax Return | Confirmation statement, director self assessment, VAT returns, payroll, bookkeeping, extra queries | A shared team by email or ticket | Low-volume Ltd companies with no staff or VAT | Spotting reliefs, keeping records tidy, timing decisions |
| Full-service online (Sleek) | Named accountant, bookkeeping, year-end accounts, Company Tax Return, confirmation statement, director self assessment, VAT returns on Pro and Enterprise | Payroll per employee, extra personal tax returns, management reports | A named qualified accountant | Growing Ltd companies with VAT, staff or plans to scale | Sending receipts and records on time |
| High-street firm | Usually full scope, with face-to-face meetings | Extra work often billed by the hour | A partner or local team | Complex affairs or founders who want to meet in person | Less predictable bills for one-off work |
Sleek’s accounting services sit in the full-service online tier. A high-street firm is the better fit if you want regular meetings across a desk, and it’s worth saying so plainly.
What costs extra on a cheap accountancy plan?
The headline fee on affordable accountant small business plans rarely covers everything a limited company files. These are the usual add-ons:
- Confirmation statement. Companies House charges £50 to file a confirmation statement online, and some plans add their own filing fee or leave it to you.
- VAT returns. You must register for VAT once taxable turnover goes over £90,000 in a rolling 12 months, and quarterly returns are often priced per return.
- Director self assessment. Directors who take dividends often need a personal tax return, and budget plans tend to charge for it separately. Our guide to what accountants charge for self assessment covers typical fees.
- Payroll. Paying even one employee means a submission to HMRC every payday, usually billed per employee.
- Bookkeeping and catch-up. If the plan assumes you keep the books, untidy records can trigger a clean-up fee at year end.
- Ad hoc queries. Some plans cap emails or calls, then bill by the hour.
Add these up before you compare. A cheap self assessment accountant bolted on to a cheap company plan can end up costing more than one plan that covers both.
What do you give up with a cheap accountant?
You give up time with someone who knows your numbers. That matters less in a quiet year and more when something changes.
A named contact
A shared inbox answers the question you ask. A named accountant spots the question you didn’t know to ask, like whether your salary and dividend mix still makes sense.
Advice and reliefs
Low-cost plans process what you send. They’re less likely to flag a relief you’ve missed or a better time to take money out of the company.
Protection from penalties
Penalties land on your company, whatever the plan cost. Late accounts at Companies House cost a private company £150 to £1,500 depending on how late they are, and the penalty doubles if you’re late two years in a row.
HMRC adds its own. A late Company Tax Return costs £100 on day one and another £100 at three months, and a late personal return starts at £100, with daily penalties after three months. A cheap online accountant with slow replies makes those dates harder to hit.
What does each tier look like for real businesses?
The right tier depends on what your business files each year. Three common set-ups show where cheap works and where it stops working.
Sole trader with simple income
A freelancer with one income stream and no VAT has one main filing: a personal tax return. Software plus a cheap self assessment accountant, or a dedicated sole trader accountant, is often enough.
Watch the rules, though. Sole traders with qualifying income over £50,000 have had to use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax from 6 April 2026, with quarterly updates, so check the plan covers them. Our guide to sole trader accounting cost sets out typical fees.
Single-director Ltd company below the VAT threshold
This company files year-end accounts, a Company Tax Return, a confirmation statement and usually the director’s own tax return. A budget plan can work if all four are in the price.
Where full service earns its fee is planning. A named accountant will look at how you pay yourself, what you can claim and when to take dividends.
VAT-registered Ltd company with staff
Now you’re filing quarterly VAT returns and running payroll every payday, on top of the annual filings. On a budget plan each of those is usually an extra, and the total climbs quickly.
At this stage, full service tends to close the price gap and cut the risk. One accountant sees your VAT, payroll and year-end together, so nothing falls between providers.
Is a cheap accountant worth it for your business?
Is a cheap accountant worth it? Yes, for some businesses, and it’s fine to pay less when your affairs are simple.
A low-cost plan is usually enough when:
- your company is dormant or barely trading
- you have no staff and turnover sits well below the VAT threshold
- you keep tidy records and rarely need advice
It’s worth paying for more when:
- you’re VAT-registered or close to the threshold
- you employ people or plan to
- you take dividends and want to plan your own tax
- you’ve already missed a deadline or had a letter from HMRC
If you’re weighing up an affordable accountant small business owners rate against a full-service firm, compare total cost for your actual filings. Plenty of cheap accountant UK quotes look different once the extras are added. Our accounting FAQs answer the common scope questions.
How Sleek helps with limited company accounting beyond the basics
With Sleek, what you pay for is what you get. Every plan includes a named, qualified limited company accountant, year-end accounts, your Company Tax Return, your confirmation statement and at least one director tax return.
The plans differ on how often your books are kept, VAT, advice and how fast you hear back. All prices are per financial year, plus VAT.
| Plan | Price (+ VAT) | Turnover up to | Bookkeeping | Self assessment returns | VAT registration and returns | Management accounts and advisory call | Support response |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | £900 a year | £90,000 | Annual | 1 | Not included | Not included | 72 hours |
| Scale | £1,399 a year | £90,000 | Quarterly | 2 | Not included | Not included | 48 hours |
| Pro | £1,836 a year (was £2,160) | £200,000 | Monthly | 2 | Included | Not included | 24 hours |
| Enterprise | £4,299 a year | £500,000 | Monthly | 2 | Included | Quarterly | Same day |
Starter is billed annually only, while Scale, Pro and Enterprise can also be paid monthly. Payroll is £85 per employee a year, an extra self assessment return is £275 a year and Xero is £375 a year, all plus VAT.
Starter is the closest like-for-like with a budget online plan, with a named accountant and a director’s return in the price. Once you’re VAT-registered, Pro covers your quarterly returns without per-return charges. Every plan runs on SleekBooks, with Xero as an optional add-on.
Tell us what your company files each year and we’ll quote it line by line.
Get a named accountant for your limited company and every filing handled.
Prices may vary with current promotions. Check the latest on the relevant page.
FAQs on cheap accountants for limited company
What is the cheapest accounting service in the UK?
In cash terms, the cheapest accounting service UK companies have is filing everything themselves with commercial software. The free joint HMRC and Companies House filing service closed on 31 March 2026, so a limited company now needs software to file its Company Tax Return. No single provider is cheapest for everyone, because the real price depends on which extras your business needs.
Why do accountants charge so differently for the same thing?
Some firms charge a fixed monthly fee and others bill by the hour, which makes like-for-like comparison hard. Fees also move with your transaction volume and the state of your records, since messy books take longer to close. A quote from a qualified accountant usually costs more than one from an unqualified bookkeeper offering the same filings.
Can I just use software instead of an accountant?
Software handles bookkeeping and filing, but it won’t make the judgement calls on expenses, reliefs or how you pay yourself. Limited companies have to file accounts and a Company Tax Return in a format HMRC accepts, which is where most DIY mistakes happen. If you’re weighing up tools, our Xero accounting guide explains what the software does and doesn’t cover.
Do accountancy quotes include VAT?
Many accountants quote fees before VAT, so a VAT-registered firm will add 20% to the price you see. If your company is VAT-registered, you can usually reclaim that VAT as a business cost. Check the small print before comparing a VAT-inclusive quote with a VAT-exclusive one.
Who pays the penalty if my accountant files late?
Your company pays, because the filing duty sits with the company and its directors. Companies House lists “it was your accountant’s fault” among reasons an appeal may not succeed. Check your engagement letter to see whether the firm covers penalties caused by its own mistakes.
Can I switch accountants partway through the year?
Yes, you can switch at any point in the year. Your new accountant contacts the old one for a professional handover of your records and gets authorised to act for you with HMRC. Switching before your year end gives the new accountant time to review your books before the deadlines arrive.
How can I check a low-cost accountant is properly qualified?
Anyone can call themselves an accountant in the UK, as HMRC’s own guidance on accountancy supervision confirms. Check whether the firm’s staff belong to a professional body such as ICAEW, ACCA or AAT, and ask who supervises the firm for anti-money laundering. A firm with neither in place gives you little protection if something goes wrong.
