Tax & compliance
Do I need an accountant for self assessment?
By Pick My Accountant Editorial · Updated 8 July 2026
Situations where DIY is fine
Single employment plus a small side income, straightforward dividends within the allowance, or claiming simple reliefs — HMRC's return handles these well and pre-fills what it knows. If you kept decent records, budget an evening, not an accountant's invoice.
Where returns go wrong
The expensive mistakes cluster around rental property (what counts as repair vs improvement, mortgage interest relief rules), capital gains (share pools, the 60-day property CGT deadline), the high-income child benefit charge, and payments on account — the advance payments that catch first-time filers off guard every July. If any of these apply, professional review usually recovers more than it costs.
What an accountant actually does for the fee
A good firm doesn't just type your numbers in: they check for missed reliefs and allowances, calculate payments on account correctly, deal with HMRC as your authorised agent, and keep working papers that protect you if HMRC ever asks questions. For contractors and landlords the fee is routinely recovered in one properly-claimed relief.
People also ask
How late can I leave it?
Accountants get booked up from November onwards; many charge rush fees in January. Sending records by October or November gets the best rates and avoids the 31 January penalty risk.
What does an accountant need from me?
Typically: your UTR number, P60/P45s, bank interest and dividend statements, income and expense records for self-employment or rentals, pension contributions, and Gift Aid donations.
Will Making Tax Digital change self assessment?
Yes — from April 2026 the self-employed and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000 must keep digital records and file quarterly updates, with the threshold dropping to £30,000 in April 2027. Many people are appointing accountants ahead of that shift.
This article is general information for UK businesses, not tax, legal, or financial advice, and thresholds change — confirm current rules on GOV.UK or with a qualified accountant before acting. Fee figures are indicative benchmarks from ourmethodology.