Self Assessment return
Your yearly return prepared from your records, checked with you and filed online.
- Profit worked out from your records
- Other income included where needed
- Filed before 31 January
For freelancers and the self-employed
Accountants for the Self-EmployedYour tax return, handled with care.
Find an accountant who works with self-employed people and freelancers. They can prepare your Self Assessment return, check your expenses and get you ready for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. The Business Review Co. introduces you to an independent accountant, so you can compare their service and fees before you decide.
Free initial review · No obligation · Find better-value accountants for the self-employed
Your tax year
Your tax year
Every deadline. On the calendar.
- Self Assessment
- Return prepared & filed
- Expenses
- Allowable costs checked
- MTD for Income Tax
- Digital records & updates
The Business Review Co. helps you find a provider. Your provider agrees and carries out the work.
Support, at the right level
Self-employed accountants. Support through the tax year.
Most self-employed people send one return a year, but the records, expenses and payments behind it run all year round. An independent accountant can take on the return alone or the whole routine.
Expenses & records
Help to claim the business costs you are allowed and keep the records HMRC expects.
- Allowable expenses reviewed
- Simple record-keeping routines
- Trading allowance compared
Payments & MTD
Planning for tax bills and the move to digital records and updates.
- Payments on account explained
- Compatible software set-up
- Updates sent where MTD applies
Bookkeeping during the year, VAT returns and advice on becoming a limited company may be priced separately. Ask which are included.
Review the cost. Understand the value.
Self-employed accountant fees: what’s included?
A low fee for the return alone may not cover bookkeeping, digital updates or questions during the year. Compare what each accountant does across the whole year.
Review my support & costsFree initial review. Any saving depends on your current fees and the service you choose.
- Return only or the full year
- Is the fee just for the annual return, or does it include records, reminders and advice through the year?
- Making Tax Digital
- Will digital updates be included once you need them, and which software does the accountant use?
- Other income
- Is rental, savings or employment income on the same return included, or charged extra?
Self Assessment
Self Assessment for the self-employed. The dates that matter.
If you work for yourself, you report your profits on a Self Assessment tax return, and HMRC works out the Income Tax and National Insurance you owe. The tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April, and the key dates follow it.
Registering.
You register as a sole trader by registering for Self Assessment, which you need to do if you earn more than £1,000 in a tax year. If you need to send a return for the previous tax year and are not yet registered, tell HMRC by 5 October.
Sending the return.
Paper returns must reach HMRC by 31 October after the tax year ends, and online returns are due by 31 January. Late returns bring a penalty, so agree with your accountant when they need your figures.
Paying the tax.
Tax owed for the year is due by 31 January. If you want to pay through your tax code and you are eligible, your online return needs to be in by 30 December.
Keeping records.
Keep records of your income and costs for at least 5 years after the 31 January submission deadline for the tax year they relate to. Sole traders usually record income and expenses on the cash basis.
Sending your information early leaves time to plan the payment. The Business Review Co. can introduce you to an independent accountant who prepares Self Assessment returns for the self-employed.
Expenses and payments
Allowable expenses and payments on account. Avoiding surprises.
Two things catch out many self-employed people: claiming the right costs, and the extra payments that start after a good year.
Allowable expenses.
You can deduct allowable business costs to work out your taxable profit. HMRC’s list includes office costs, travel, uniforms, staff and subcontractor costs, stock and raw materials, insurance and bank charges, premises costs, advertising, subscriptions and business training. Money you take out for personal use does not count, and if something is used for both business and personal reasons you can only claim the business part.
The £1,000 trading allowance.
You may be able to use a tax-free trading allowance of £1,000 instead of claiming expenses. You cannot claim expenses if you use it, so an accountant can check which option suits your figures.
Payments on account.
If last year’s tax bill was £1,000 or more, you usually make two payments on account towards the next one. Each is half of last year’s tax, including Class 4 National Insurance, and they are due by 31 January and 31 July. You do not need to make them if more than 80% of your tax was paid outside Self Assessment, for example through your tax code. Any balance is due the following 31 January.
Why one January bill can feel larger.
The first time payments on account apply, the January payment can include the balance for one year and the first payment on account for the next. Planning for it early protects your cash flow.
Making Tax Digital
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. When it applies to you.
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax changes how sole traders and landlords keep records and report to HMRC. It is coming in stages, based on qualifying income from self-employment and property.
Who it applies to.
You need to use it if you are a sole trader or landlord registered for Self Assessment, you have income from self-employment, property or both, and your qualifying income is over the threshold for the relevant tax year. Partnerships will follow on a timetable HMRC has not yet set out.
When you start depends on your qualifying income:
- From 6 April 2026: qualifying income over £50,000 in the 2024 to 2025 tax year.
- From 6 April 2027: qualifying income over £30,000 in the 2025 to 2026 tax year.
- From 6 April 2028: qualifying income over £20,000 in the 2026 to 2027 tax year.
What changes.
You keep digital records in compatible software and send updates to HMRC through it. HMRC writes to people whose income is over the threshold to confirm when they need to start.
An accountant can choose software with you, set it up and send the updates on your behalf. The Business Review Co. can introduce you to an independent accountant who is preparing clients for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.
How it works
A simple start. A clear agreement.
Start with a free initial review. You choose whether to go ahead after discussing the service and fees with an independent provider.
- 01
Tell us what you do
Share how you work, roughly what you earn and the help you need. No records or tax returns are needed.
- 02
Explore an introduction
We review your enquiry and agree any introduction with you. An independent accountant can then discuss your return and records.
- 03
Agree the scope & fees
Confirm what is included, from the annual return to any digital updates, before work starts.
The Business Review Co. is an introduction service. Work is carried out by an independent provider and paid for separately. We may receive an introduction fee. How we are paid.
Guides
Guides to business accounting
- keeping accounting records
What bookkeeping involves for a UK limited company, the records the law expects, how long to keep them and who can do it.
- annual accounts for a limited company
What a UK limited company's annual accounts contain, who signs them, the filing deadlines and what happens if they are late.
- file a corporation tax return
Who files a Company Tax Return with HMRC, filing it with software or on paper, how to read the CT600, deadlines, late penalties, appeals and amendments.
- filing company accounts
How a UK company files accounts at Companies House: filing routes, normal deadlines, first accounts, extra time and what late filing may mean.
- VAT filing and payment dates
When VAT returns and payments are due, how annual accounting changes the date, ways to pay HMRC, refunds and what happens if a deadline is missed.
- the difference between a bookkeeper and an accountant
The practical difference between a bookkeeper and an accountant for a UK limited company, where the roles overlap and what to check.
Your questions
Accountants for the self-employed: common questions.
The scope, fees and responsibilities to discuss when choosing your provider.
How do I register as self-employed with HMRC?
You register as a sole trader by registering for Self Assessment, which you need to do if you earn more than £1,000 in a tax year. If you are already registered for Self Assessment for another reason, you register again as a sole trader. Tell HMRC by 5 October if you need to send a return for the previous tax year.
What are the new tax rules for self-employed individuals?
The biggest change is Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. Sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000 in 2024 to 2025 should have started from 6 April 2026. The threshold falls to £30,000 from April 2027 and £20,000 from April 2028. It means keeping digital records and sending updates to HMRC through compatible software.
Can I get the £1,000 allowance as a self-employed person?
You may be able to use the £1,000 tax-free trading allowance. It is used instead of claiming your actual business expenses, so you cannot claim both. If your allowable costs are more than £1,000, claiming them may leave you with a lower taxable profit. An accountant can work out which option suits your figures.
How much should you pay for an accountant if you’re self-employed?
Accountants for the self-employed usually charge a fixed fee for the annual tax return, a monthly fee that covers records, reminders and the return, or an hourly rate for extra advice. The price depends on how many income sources you have, the state of your records, whether you are VAT registered, whether Making Tax Digital updates are needed and how much help you want.
For official guidance, see GOV.UK: Self Assessment tax returns.
Let’s make a start
Let’s make your tax return easier.
Tell us what you do, the help you need and whether you already have an accountant. We’ll reply about the next step.
For UK sole traders, the self-employed and limited companies.
Free initial review · No obligation · No documents needed
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