Accountants for freelancers

Your Unique Taxpayer Reference — the 10-digit number HMRC issues when you register for Self Assessment. Lifelong, and needed for every return.

Advance payments toward next year's tax, due 31 January and 31 July, triggered once your bill passes £1,000. The first year they apply effectively bills 150% at once.

The main Self Assessment return form. Supplementary pages bolt on for employment, self-employment, property, capital gains and foreign income.

The difference between what your payments on account covered and what the year's tax actually was — settled each 31 January.

The default constitutional rules a company adopts at formation. Fine for simple companies; customised articles matter once investors or multiple founders arrive.

Different types of shares (A, B, ordinary, preference) carrying different rights to dividends, votes and capital — the structure decision that's cheap at formation and expensive later.

The 6-character code Companies House issues at incorporation — the company's electronic signature, required for every online filing.

The 11-character identifier directors receive after mandatory identity verification (in force since November 2025), used on filings alongside the company's authentication code.

Once your tax bill passes £1,000, HMRC demands next year in advance: two payments of half each, January and July, on top of the year you just filed. The first crossing effectively bills 150% at once — brutal if unwarned. We forecast it the moment your numbers suggest it's coming, so the cash is planned.

Below roughly £30,000–£40,000 profit, sole trader simplicity usually wins. Above it, a company starts paying for its admin — more so if you can leave profit in the company or split shares with a partner. Client expectations matter too (some agencies prefer companies). We run your real numbers both ways, free.

Yes — equipment, subscriptions, software, the business share of home costs, professional insurance, training that maintains your skills. Mixed-use items get a fair business proportion. The habit that saves the most: one business bank account, so nothing claimable dissolves into the grocery statements.

A useful rule of thumb is 25–30% of profit for basic-rate sole traders (income tax plus Class 4 NI), more if you're into higher rate. We replace the rule of thumb with your actual number, updated quarterly.

Yes — either HMRC's flat rate or a calculated share of household costs based on rooms and hours worked. For most full-time freelancers the calculated method claims meaningfully more; we work out which wins for you.

Preparation and online filing of your full SA100 return, including the supplementary pages your situation needs. If your return is more complex — rental income, capital gains — the packages above show the fixed price, and we confirm it in writing before starting.

Yes. Late returns are common and fixable: we prepare and file the outstanding return quickly, and where there's a reasonable excuse we help you appeal penalties. The sooner it's filed, the sooner the penalties stop growing.

There's no Companies House filing for sole traders, but you must keep records supporting your Self Assessment — and proper accounts almost always save more tax than they cost, because expenses stop slipping through the cracks.

Anything wholly and exclusively for the business: materials, tools, mileage or vehicle costs, phone, insurance, home-office use, software, professional fees and more. Our job is claiming everything legitimate — clients are usually surprised by what they'd been missing.

It depends on profit level, risk and how you'll pay yourself. Very roughly, incorporation starts becoming tax-efficient around £30,000–£40,000 of profit — but liability protection and client expectations matter too. Try our Ltd vs sole trader calculator, or ask us for a view on your numbers.

Yes — our registered office service keeps your home address off the public record at Companies House and includes scanning of statutory mail.