How much does an accountant charge a limited company? (2026)

In short: Price lists from 11 UK accountancy firms, checked on 28 September 2026, start at £300 to £595 plus VAT for a small company's year-end accounts and Company Tax Return (CT600), and at £39.50 to £104.50 plus VAT a month for an ongoing package. GOV.UK says you can use an accountant or file yourself (GOV.UK: Company Tax Returns: Overview).

Taxley publishes this guide and sells CT600 software: take the 30-second check to see whether Taxley fits your company, or read do I need an accountant? first.

How much does an accountant charge for a limited company in 2026?

Accountants price a small limited company in two ways: a one-off fee for the year-end accounts and CT600, or a monthly package that adds support and other returns. On the 11 price lists we checked on 28 September 2026, one-off fees started at £300 plus VAT and monthly packages at £39.50 plus VAT.

We read each firm's own pricing page on 28 September 2026, covering online and fixed-fee accountants and local chartered practices that publish a fee schedule, and recorded each firm's lowest published price and what it covers. Two more firms were left out because their pages showed only a time-limited discount or a first-year price. This is a small sample of sales prices, not a survey of average fees, and most are "from" prices that rise with turnover and workload. Whoever prepares them, the accounts and CT600 now reach HMRC through commercial software, because HMRC's own filing service closed on 31 March 2026 (GOV.UK: Closure of HMRC's file-your-accounts-and-tax-return service).

Lowest published price on each firm's own website, checked 28 September 2026; no firm is named. Two firms don't state whether VAT is added, and their prices are shown as published. Only two firms list a separate price for FRS 102 accounts.

What a fee covers varies more than the price does. The cheapest monthly package we found covered the accounts, the CT600 and the confirmation statement, but charged extra for bookkeeping and £10 plus VAT a month for a director's Self Assessment. With its Self Assessment, VAT and payroll add-ons at their starting prices, it came to £108.50 plus VAT a month, more than a £104.50 package that already includes all three. Most one-off fees file the accounts at Companies House and the CT600 with HMRC, and none we checked includes the confirmation statement, which Companies House charges £50 to file online (GOV.UK: Confirmation statement: your responsibilities). Read each price list line by line, and add up a full year before you compare a monthly package with a one-off fee.

What makes an accountant charge more?

An accountant's price rises with the work a company creates: turnover, the number of transactions, VAT registration, payroll, the type of accounts and, above all, the state of the books. The price lists we checked set their bands by these same things, and two warn that untidy records cost extra (GOV.UK: Company and accounting records: your responsibilities).

Turnover and transactions set the band. One chartered practice's one-off fee for the accounts and CT600 rises from £300 plus VAT for turnover up to £10,000 to £1,080 plus VAT at £400,000 to £500,000. A monthly service prices its four packages by transactions a month (50, 100, 150 or 300) and says its average client has around 70 to 120. The type of accounts matters too: at the two firms that price both, micro-entity (FRS 105) accounts start at £595 and £350 plus VAT, against £795 and £2,500 plus VAT for small-company FRS 102 accounts. For accounting periods beginning on or after 6 April 2025, a company is a micro-entity if it meets at least 2 of these: turnover up to £1 million, a balance sheet total up to £500,000 and no more than 10 employees on average (GOV.UK: Preparing and filing Companies House accounts).

VAT and payroll add regular work. A company must register for VAT once its taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000 (GOV.UK: Register for VAT: When to register for VAT), and VAT returns then cost £20 to £35 a month on the monthly price lists, or £120 plus VAT a return at one practice. Paying the director a salary means registering as an employer, even when the director is the only employee (GOV.UK: Register as an employer), and firms charge per payslip or per employee. The state of the books matters most. One practice's prices assume the records are reconciled at the year end and it quotes clean-up separately, from £295 plus VAT; another says it may charge more if records are in poor order. Books kept up to date through the year keep the bill at the bottom of its band.

How much does filing yourself with software cost instead?

Filing yourself costs a software fee instead of an accountant's fee, but you keep the books and enter the figures. HMRC says the software should cover the CT600, the tax computation and the accounts (GOV.UK: Closure of HMRC's file-your-accounts-and-tax-return service). On 27 September 2026, 12 products published prices of £15 to £166.80 for a micro-entity trading company.

The cheapest way to do limited company accounts is usually to keep your own books and use software that prepares the accounts and CT600 and files both, but the lowest price isn't always a fit. In our 27 September 2026 check, the lowest micro-entity price assumed the accounts were already filed at Companies House and capped profit at £50,000, several low-cost products handled micro-entity accounts only, and several didn't say whether VAT is added. Dormant nil returns were published at £5 to £96, and small-company FRS 102 returns at £25 to £258 among the 5 products that state FRS 102 support. On any route, HMRC charges a £200 penalty once a CT600 is 1 day late (GOV.UK: Company Tax Returns: Penalties for late filing). Our guide to how much it costs to file a CT600 compares the routes and the late-filing penalties.

Taxley charges one fee per return, with no VAT to add: £9.50 (promotion price until 31 Dec 2026; £19.00 from 1 Jan 2027) for a dormant company, £44.50 (promotion price until 31 Dec 2026; £89.00 from 1 Jan 2027) with micro-entity (FRS 105) accounts and £84.50 (promotion price until 31 Dec 2026; £169.00 from 1 Jan 2027) with small-company (FRS 102 Section 1A) accounts. Each fee covers the CT600, the tax computation and the iXBRL accounts filed with HMRC, plus the same accounts filed at Companies House, which needs the company's authentication code (GOV.UK: Company authentication codes for online filing). You pay only when you file. See the pricing page, or take the 30-second check to see whether Taxley fits your company.

Taxley is software, not an accountant, and it covers only the company's year-end filing. It doesn't do bookkeeping, payroll, VAT returns, the director's Self Assessment or the confirmation statement, so you file the confirmation statement yourself at Companies House for £50 online (GOV.UK: Confirmation statement: your responsibilities). It doesn't handle R&D claims either, and it files with the company's own Government Gateway user ID and password. For a dormant company's nil return, Taxley's current price is the 3rd-lowest of the 13 products that publish a price for this case, set against the other 12 prices checked on 27 September 2026, which puts it among the lowest-priced. For a small company with FRS 102 Section 1A accounts, it was the 2nd-lowest of 5 products that publish a price for this case, checked on 27 September 2026.

Accountant or software: what does a one-person company pay in a year?

In our example, a simple one-person micro company pays £418.80 to £714 including VAT for an accountant's year-end accounts and CT600, using the published prices that cover it. Filing the same return with software costs the software fee instead, and both routes add £50 for the confirmation statement (GOV.UK: Confirmation statement: your responsibilities).

Example: a one-person company whose year ended on 31 March 2026, with £25,000 turnover, total assets under £90,000, no VAT registration, no payroll and reconciled books, so it's a micro-entity (GOV.UK: Preparing and filing Companies House accounts). Seven of the price lists we checked publish a one-off price that covers it, from £349 plus VAT to £595 plus VAT, or £418.80 to £714 once VAT is added. Two of the seven don't state VAT, and their £445 and £499 prices sit inside that range either way. With Taxley, the same accounts and CT600 cost £44.50 (promotion price until 31 Dec 2026; £89.00 from 1 Jan 2027), including filing the accounts at Companies House. Both routes add the £50 Companies House fee for a confirmation statement you file yourself, because none of the seven one-off prices includes it and Taxley doesn't file it. The example leaves out the director's Self Assessment, which is needed only in some cases.

Illustrative example using prices published on 28 September 2026, including VAT at 20% where a firm adds it.

Filing yourself costs less in cash in this example, but you take on the work the accountant would do: preparing the figures, checking them and answering HMRC's questions. The directors stay legally responsible for the accounts on either route (GOV.UK: Directors' responsibilities running a limited company). At today's promotion price, the software route in this example costs £374.30 to £669.50 less for the year. Find your own filing dates with the Corporation Tax deadline calculator, and see running a one-person limited company without an accountant for every yearly job, including payroll and Self Assessment.

When is an accountant worth paying for?

An accountant is worth paying for when the tax needs judgement or someone must deal with HMRC for you: an HMRC enquiry, an R&D claim, selling the company, a group, messy books or overseas income. GOV.UK lets you authorise an accountant or tax adviser to act as your agent (GOV.UK: Appoint someone to deal with HMRC on your behalf: Overview).

• An HMRC enquiry. HMRC can check a company's records with a compliance check (GOV.UK: Company and accounting records: your responsibilities). Some monthly packages include enquiry cover; one practice charges £95 an hour for enquiry work outside its year-end fee.
• An R&D claim. A company that hasn't claimed R&D relief in the last 3 years usually has to notify HMRC within 6 months of the end of its period of account, or the claim is invalid (GOV.UK: Tell HMRC you're planning to claim R&D tax relief). Taxley doesn't handle R&D claims.
• Selling the company. Business Asset Disposal Relief charges Capital Gains Tax at 18% on qualifying disposals from 6 April 2026 (GOV.UK: Business Asset Disposal Relief: Eligibility), and whether a sale qualifies is worth checking before you agree it.
• A group of companies. Group relief moves losses between companies under detailed rules (HMRC manual). Taxley doesn't handle consortium relief or group relief with companies outside the UK.
• Messy or missing books. A director can be fined £3,000 or disqualified for not keeping accounting records (GOV.UK: Company and accounting records: your responsibilities). Rebuilding a year of records is bookkeeping work, priced from £295 plus VAT at one practice.
• International matters. Overseas income, double taxation relief and controlled foreign companies need specialist treatment (HMRC manual), and Taxley doesn't file those returns.

A dormant company, or a simple company with one trade and tidy books, is where filing yourself tends to work. Our do I need an accountant? page sets out that decision and lists what Taxley can't file yet.

How do you check an accountant before you sign up?

Check the qualification and regulation, not just the price, because "accountant" isn't a protected title: ICAEW says that by law anyone can call themselves an accountant (ICAEW). Ask which professional body the accountant belongs to, who supervises the firm for money laundering, and whether it's registered with HMRC as a tax adviser.

A firm providing accountancy services to clients must be supervised under the money laundering regulations, either by HMRC or by a professional body such as ICAEW, ACCA or AAT (GOV.UK: Money laundering supervision for accountancy service providers). Since 18 May 2026, advisers paid to deal with HMRC for clients must also register with HMRC, in stages running to 31 March 2027, and an adviser who misses their deadline won't be allowed to deal with HMRC for clients (GOV.UK: Tax advisers: check if you need to register under new rules). ICAEW members who offer services to the public must hold a practising certificate and professional indemnity insurance. Ask for a written engagement letter that lists every return the fee covers, and remember that the directors stay legally responsible for the company's accounts whoever prepares them (GOV.UK: Directors' responsibilities running a limited company). If your company is simple and you'd rather file it yourself, take the 30-second check to see whether Taxley fits your company.

Frequently asked questions

How much are accountant fees for year-end accounts?

On 28 September 2026, seven UK firms' published one-off prices for a small trading company's year-end accounts and CT600 started at £300 to £595 plus VAT. Most rise with turnover, and small-company FRS 102 accounts started at £795 plus VAT at one practice.

What does an accountant charge for a company tax return only?

None of the 11 price lists we checked on 28 September 2026 showed a price for the CT600 alone. Each firm bundles it with the year-end accounts, from £300 to £595 plus VAT for a small trading company, because the return is built from those accounts.

Is a monthly package better value than a one-off fee?

A monthly package suits a company that wants bookkeeping, VAT returns or payroll done too; a one-off fee suits one that keeps its own books. Compare full years: £39.50 plus VAT a month is £474 plus VAT, more than several one-off fees we found.

Is an accountant or software cheaper for a limited company?

Software is cheaper in cash for a simple company: on 27 September 2026, published software prices for a micro-entity trading company ran from £15 to £166.80, against £300 plus VAT upwards for an accountant. The accountant's fee buys their time, judgement and dealings with HMRC.

Are accountancy fees an allowable expense for a limited company?

Yes, normally. HMRC's Business Income Manual allows the normal recurring costs of preparing a company's accounts and agreeing its tax liability (HMRC manual), so an accountant's fee or a software fee usually reduces the company's taxable profit.

Does Taxley file the confirmation statement?

No. Taxley files the CT600 with HMRC and the accounts at Companies House, but not the confirmation statement. You file that yourself online at Companies House, where it costs £50, or pay an accountant to file it for you.

General information, not personalised tax or accounting advice. Accountancy fees and software prices change: check each firm's own price list before you buy.