- Most UK accountants charge between £275 and £400 plus VAT to prepare and file a standard self assessment tax return.
- Costs rise sharply when records are disorganised, income streams are complex, or the return is filed close to the 31 January deadline.
- Filing your own return is free in cash terms but carries real costs in time, missed deductions, and penalty risk that often outweigh accountant fees.
Typical cost: £150 to £400 + VAT for a standard self assessment tax return in the UK.
By client type: £150 to £250 for simple employed returns, £200 to £350 for sole traders, £250 to £400 for directors, £300 to £600+ for partnerships.
What changes the price: Record quality, income complexity, central London location (+20% to 30%), and filing close to the 31 January deadline.
Accountants charge between £150 and £400 plus VAT for self assessment, with simple employed returns starting around £150 and director or partnership returns reaching £400 and above.
Three things move your fee: how complex your income is, how organised your records are, and how close to the 31 January deadline you leave it. Central London practices typically charge 20% to 30% more than firms elsewhere.
Below you’ll find what to expect by client type, what pushes the price up, and whether filing it yourself is worth the saving. If you’d rather hand it over, Sleek’s self assessment tax return service is fixed-fee with no hourly surprises.
What is the average cost of a self assessment tax return in the UK?
The average UK accountant charges between £150 and £400 plus VAT for a self assessment tax return in 2026. Simple employed returns with one extra income source sit at the bottom of that range.
Returns involving self-employment, rental income, dividends, or foreign earnings push toward £400 and above.
Here is the typical price spread by client type:
| Client type | Typical fee range | Sleek | What it usually covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employed with simple untaxed income | £150 to £250 | £275 + VAT | PAYE income plus one extra source such as a single rental or savings interest |
| Sole trader or freelancer | £200 to £350 | £275 + VAT | Profit and loss preparation, expense categorisation, and full return |
| Company director | £250 to £400 | Included with a Sleek accounting package, otherwise £275 + VAT | Personal return alongside salary, dividends, and benefits in kind |
| Partnership | £300 to £600+ | Quoted on enquiry | Partnership return plus individual partner returns |
Sleek charges a flat £275 plus VAT whatever your income, so the fee doesn’t climb because you earn more or file later. If your company already uses Sleek for accounting, your director’s return is included in the package at no extra cost.
Fees vary depending on how complicated your return is, which is why it’s worth talking to a tax accountant who handles UK self assessment before you commit to anyone.
How much does a self assessment cost for a sole trader or freelancer?
Sole traders and freelancers typically pay between £200 and £350 plus VAT for self assessment in 2026. The fee covers expense categorisation, profit and loss preparation, and full filing with HMRC.
A few specifics worth knowing:
- A single self-employed income stream with clean bookkeeping usually lands around £200 to £250.
- Add a second income source such as rental property and the fee climbs to £275 to £350.
- Cryptocurrency disposals, foreign income, or multiple rentals can push the fee past £400.
If you use accounting software like Xero or QuickBooks throughout the year, you sit at the lower end of the range because the accountant spends less time on reconciliation.
Our sole trader expenses guide covers what you can claim before handing files over.
Also, worth noting that freelancers with irregular income have a few extra things to watch, which we cover in our guide to self assessment for freelancers.
How much does a director’s self assessment cost?
Company directors typically pay between £250 and £400 plus VAT for self assessment. The fee is higher than for sole traders because the return must reconcile salary, dividends, benefits in kind, and any director’s loan account activity.
Most directors also need limited company accounts filed alongside the personal return, which is usually quoted separately. Combined fees for both filings generally fall between £600 and £1,200 plus VAT depending on company size and complexity.
There’s more detail on what directors specifically have to report in our guide to the director’s tax return.
A director’s personal return on its own costs around £250 to £400, but you should budget for company accounts on top of that. Bundled packages from fixed-fee accountants almost always work out cheaper than paying for each filing piece by piece.
How much does a partnership self assessment cost?
Partnership self assessment fees start at £300 and rise to £600 or more depending on partner count and income complexity. The cost is higher because the SA800 partnership return must be filed alongside an SA100 individual return for each partner.
The typical breakdown looks like this:
| Partnership type | Typical total fee | What is included |
| Two-partner partnership, simple income | £300 to £450 | SA800 plus two SA100 returns |
| Three to four partners, standard income | £450 to £700 | SA800 plus all SA100 returns |
| Complex partnership with property or foreign income | £700 to £1,200+ | All filings plus additional schedules |
In plain English: budget at least £300 even for the simplest partnership, and expect to pay roughly £100 to £150 per additional partner. Partnerships with rental property, foreign income, or LLP status sit at the top end because each individual SA100 return needs its own schedules.
What factors affect the cost of a self assessment tax return?
Five main factors push self assessment fees up or down: income complexity, record quality, location, timing, and whether you need bookkeeping included. Each of these can shift your final bill by £50 to £200 or more.
Here is how each one affects the price:
| Factor | Effect on fee | Typical price impact |
| Disorganised records or missing receipts | Pushes fee up | +£100 to £300 |
| Multiple income streams (rental, dividends, foreign) | Pushes fee up | +£75 to £200 per stream |
| Central London location | Pushes fee up | +20% to 30% on base fee |
| Filing close to 31 January deadline | Pushes fee up | +£50 to £150 rush fee |
| Using cloud accounting software year-round | Pulls fee down | -£50 to £100 |
In plain English: the cheapest self assessment is one where you have a single income source, organised records in cloud software, file in October or November, and use a regional firm rather than central London. Tick all four and you stay at the bottom of every price range above.
Book your accountant by the end of October. January rush fees alone can add £100 to your bill, and the best firms close their books to new clients by mid-December.
Should you file your own self assessment or pay an accountant?
Filing your own self assessment is free in cash terms but costs you time, accuracy, and often money in missed deductions. An accountant charges £150 to £400 plus VAT but typically recovers that fee through claimed expenses and avoided penalties.
Here is the real comparison:
Cost factor | Filing it yourself | Using an accountant |
Cash cost | £0 | £150 to £400 plus VAT |
Time required | 8 to 15 hours | 1 to 2 hours |
Penalty risk | High if late or incorrect | Minimal |
Missed deductions | Common | Rare |
HMRC enquiry support | None | Full representation |
Late filing penalty | £100 immediate, plus £10 per day after 3 months | Avoided |
The £150 starting fee for an accountant looks expensive next to a free DIY filing, but most sole traders recover that fee through expenses they would have missed, and a single late filing penalty wipes out the saving.
The real question is whether your time is worth more than £20 to £40 an hour, which is the effective rate you’d save by doing it yourself.
If you do decide to file it yourself, our guide on how to file a self assessment tax return online walks through each stage of the form.
How can you reduce the cost of self assessment?
You can cut your self assessment fee by 20% to 40% with three simple habits: keep clean records year-round, file early, and use a fixed-fee accountant rather than an hourly firm. Each habit alone saves £50 to £150 on a typical return.
The practical steps:
- Use cloud accounting software such as Xero or QuickBooks from day one of the tax year.
- Reconcile bank transactions monthly rather than letting them pile up.
- Send records to your accountant by the end of October at the latest.
- Choose a fixed-fee firm so you know the price before work starts.
- Bundle self assessment with bookkeeping or VAT returns where possible for a package discount.
If you’re picking software for the first time, our Xero accounting guide covers what it does and how to set it up.
How Sleek helps with self assessment
Sleek files self assessment returns for sole traders, freelancers, directors, and landlords at a fixed fee, with no rush charges and no surprise bills. Our accountants handle the full return from records review to HMRC submission, and we flag every deduction you’re entitled to before filing.
Most clients have their return drafted within 5 working days of sending records, which means no January panic and no late filing penalties.
Disclaimer: The preceding information is not legal advice. This content is aimed to provide general guidance. For more formal or legal advice, contact Sleek directly.
450,000
businesses worldwide.
satisfaction rate from
16,000 surveyed clients.
FAQs on self assessment accountant costs
What documents does an accountant need to file my self assessment?
Your UTR, P60 or P45 if employed, business income and expense records, bank interest statements, dividend vouchers, rental income and expenses if you’re a landlord, and pension contribution certificates. Sending everything in one go rather than in pieces keeps you at the lower end of the fee range, since chasing missing documents is what pushes the hourly time up.
Is it cheaper to use an online accountant for self assessment?
Yes. Online fixed-fee accountants typically charge £150 to £300 plus VAT, which is 20% to 40% less than traditional high-street firms charging £250 to £500. The saving comes from cloud software handling reconciliation automatically and lower overhead costs. Service quality is comparable for standard returns, though complex partnership or foreign income cases may still benefit from in-person advice.
How much does an accountant charge for a self assessment with rental income?
Adding rental income to a self assessment typically costs an extra £75 to £150 on top of the base fee. A single buy-to-let property pushes a standard return from £200 to roughly £275 to £325 plus VAT. Multiple properties, furnished holiday lets, or overseas rentals add £50 to £100 per property and often require an SA105 supplementary page.
Can I claim accountant fees as a tax deduction?
Yes, but only partially. Self-employed individuals and landlords can claim the portion of accountant fees relating to business or rental income as an allowable expense, which typically saves £30 to £80 on a £200 to £400 fee depending on your tax band. The personal portion of the fee, such as time spent on PAYE income, is not deductible.
How much does a self assessment cost for someone with cryptocurrency?
A self assessment involving cryptocurrency typically costs £300 to £500 plus VAT in 2026. The higher fee reflects the time needed to calculate capital gains across multiple disposals, apply share pooling rules, and reconcile transactions across exchanges. Returns with 50 or more disposals or DeFi activity often push past £500 because each transaction needs individual capital gains treatment.
View more
How much does it cost to catch up on several years of missed returns?
Expect £150 to £400 plus VAT per year, so three missed years typically runs £450 to £1,200. Most accountants charge per return rather than offering a bulk discount, because each year needs its own records and its own submission. HMRC penalties accrue separately per year, so the earlier you start the less you owe overall.
Can I switch accountant partway through my self assessment?
Yes, though it usually costs more. Your new accountant has to review whatever the previous one completed, which adds £50 to £100 in most cases. You’ll need to authorise the new firm as your HMRC agent, which takes a few days. Switching before records are handed over is far cheaper than switching mid-preparation.
