Choosing an accountant
What does an accountant do for a small business?
By Pick My Accountant Editorial · Updated 8 July 2026
The compliance backbone
Every business has a fixed calendar of filings: self assessment or corporation tax, annual accounts, quarterly VAT if registered, monthly RTI payroll if employing, pension auto-enrolment duties, and the confirmation statement for companies. An accountant owns this calendar, files on time, and calculates what to pay and when — the unglamorous work that keeps penalties at zero.
The advisory layer
This is where fees turn into value: how to pay yourself tax-efficiently, whether to buy or lease equipment, when VAT registration or a scheme change helps, whether to incorporate, cash-flow forecasting before big commitments, and early warning when the numbers drift. A firm that only files and never advises is doing half the job.
What's usually not included
Check the engagement letter for the boundaries: HMRC enquiry defence (often an insurance add-on), R&D claims, business plans for funding, company secretarial changes, and personal tax for family members are commonly priced separately. 'Unlimited advice' usually means unlimited quick questions — not unlimited project work.
People also ask
How often will I hear from my accountant?
A good modern firm touches base at least quarterly, flags deadlines ahead of time, and reviews your year before it ends — when tax can still be planned. If contact is one email every January, you're buying filing, not accounting.
Do they do my bookkeeping too?
Packages vary: some include full transaction processing, others expect you to keep the books in software while they review. This is the single biggest driver of price difference between quotes — compare like for like.
Can an accountant help me get a mortgage or loan?
Yes — lenders routinely ask for an accountant's certificate or SA302s for the self-employed, and accountant-prepared figures carry weight with banks.
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.