Would you rather someone else handled this? Our Self Assessment service means we prepare, check and file your tax return with HMRC on a fixed fee.
When doing it yourself is fine
If your affairs are straightforward, for example one source of income and no reliefs to juggle, filing yourself through HMRC is sensible. The form guides you, and the tax is easy to check.
When an accountant pays for itself
- Multiple income sources. Self employment, property, dividends and employment together are easy to get wrong.
- Reliefs you might miss. Higher rate pension relief and expenses are routinely underclaimed by people filing alone.
- A first year of trading. Registration, payments on account and expenses all need setting up correctly.
- Peace of mind. A checked, optimised return removes the risk of penalties and the January stress.
What filing it yourself actually involves
For a straightforward return it is genuinely not difficult. You register, wait about 15 days for your Unique Taxpayer Reference to arrive by post, gather your figures, and file online by 31 January.
The work is in the gathering, not the filing. You need income from every source, allowable expenses with evidence, and any reliefs you are entitled to. HMRC's software will do the arithmetic. It will not tell you what you have forgotten.
The costs of getting it wrong
Worth knowing before you decide, because the downside is not symmetrical with the fee.
- £100 the moment you file late, even with no tax to pay.
- £10 a day from three months, capped at £900.
- 5% or £300, whichever is greater, at six months, and again at twelve.
- Late payment penalties of 5% at 30 days, six months and twelve months, plus interest at 7.75%.
Filing and paying are separate penalties. You can be charged both for the same year.
Where the money is usually left behind
In our experience, the return that goes wrong rarely does so through arithmetic. It goes wrong through omission.
- Higher rate pension relief never claimed, because in a relief at source scheme it is not automatic.
- Use of home either not claimed, or claimed at the flat rate without also claiming the identifiable fixed costs alongside it.
- Mileage claimed at 45p when the rate rose to 55p for the first 10,000 miles from 6 April 2026.
- The trading allowance and actual expenses confused, when it is one or the other.
- Payments on account not anticipated, so the January bill lands at roughly one and a half times what was expected.
- Capital allowances and cash basis treatment mixed up, particularly on vehicles.
When doing it yourself genuinely makes sense
One source of income. Straightforward figures. No property, no capital gains, no foreign income, no complicated benefits. Time in December rather than a scramble in January. If that is you, an accountant is unlikely to find enough to cover the fee, and we would say so.
When it stops making sense
More than one income source. Rental property. Anything involving capital gains, crypto, or income from abroad. A company where salary and dividends interact with the return. A year with a big one off event, a business sale, an inheritance, a large pension contribution. Income near £100,000, where the personal allowance taper creates a 60% effective rate and the planning is worth more than the fee.
Add to that anyone now inside Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, which from 6 April 2026 covers qualifying income over £50,000. That is four quarterly updates plus a final declaration, filed from compatible software, with digital record keeping throughout. It is a different rhythm from one return a year.
The honest way to decide
Ask what the fee actually buys. If it only buys the typing, do it yourself. If it buys someone checking what you have missed, anticipating the January cash flow, and telling you what to do differently next year, that is usually worth more than it costs.
A reasonable test: if last year's return took you a full weekend and you still were not sure it was right, the fee is probably cheaper than the weekend.
Not sure which side you fall on?
If your return has more than one moving part, the fee is usually smaller than the tax and stress it saves. TaxTune will tell you honestly whether you need us, and handle it in full if you do.
Let us take the return off your plate
We prepare, check and file your return, claim every relief, and tell you exactly what to pay. Fixed fee, agreed up front, no January panic.
Frequently asked questions
Can I do my own Self Assessment?
Yes. For a simple return with one income source and no reliefs to manage, filing yourself through HMRC is reasonable and the tax is easy to check.
When should I use an accountant?
When you have several income sources, property, dividends, higher rate pension relief, capital gains, or a first year of trading, an accountant usually saves more than the fee.
Will an accountant save me money?
Often yes, by claiming every allowable expense and relief and avoiding penalties. For complex returns the saving frequently exceeds the fee.
How much does an accountant cost for a tax return?
It depends on complexity. We work on a fixed fee agreed up front, based on how many income sources you have, so there are no surprises.
Is it risky to file my own return?
For simple affairs, no. For more complex ones, mistakes can mean overpaid tax or penalties, which is where a checked, optimised return earns its keep.