SimpleReturns

When do you actually need an accountant for a limited company?

Reviewed by Lee Jones, Founder · Updated 17 July 2026
The short answer

Plenty of small limited companies can file their own tax return and accounts without an accountant, especially if the company is simple: one main way of earning money, a normal 12-month year, and no other companies tied to it. Some situations genuinely need an accountant, and this page tells you which ones so you do not have to guess.

Official source. This guide is a plain-English summary of official GOV.UK guidance, not advice. The authoritative source is Company Tax Returns on gov.uk. Always rely on that over our summary.

When an accountant is genuinely the right call

If any of these sound like your company, an accountant will usually pay for themselves. We would rather tell you that up front than sell you something that does not fit.

  • You own or control more than one company. When companies are linked (called "associated companies"), the point where your tax rate jumps from the lower rate to the higher one gets shared out between them, so the sums change. That is fiddly to get right, and worth an accountant's eye.
  • You want to make a research and development claim. There is a special Corporation Tax relief for companies doing genuine research and development work. It is a specialist claim with its own rules, and getting it right (and defendable) is a job for an accountant.
  • You are a contractor or subcontractor in construction. The Construction Industry Scheme means money is deducted from payments and passed to HMRC, and it runs alongside your company's own filings as a separate set of duties. If your trade touches it, get an accountant for that part.
  • You buy and sell property, or your company sold a big asset for a profit. Property deals and large one-off gains can pull in extra tax questions that a simple return does not cover. If this is your year, take advice before you file.
  • There is real doubt the company can keep trading. If money is tight enough that you are not sure the company can pay its bills for the next year, the accounts need to say so correctly. That judgement is one to make with an accountant, not alone.
  • HMRC has opened a compliance check on you. If HMRC decides to check your Company Tax Return or accounts, and you already have an accountant, HMRC will deal with them directly. A check is exactly the moment to have a professional in your corner.
  • Your income is mixed or unusual. If money comes in from several very different sources, or in ways you are not sure how to treat, an accountant can sort out what belongs where before it becomes a mistake on your return.
  • Your accounting year is longer than 12 months. A tax year for a company cannot be longer than 12 months, so if your accounts cover a longer stretch you actually have to file two returns to cover it. If your first year runs long, as many do, that is a good reason to get help.
  • You are simply not confident. This is a real reason, not a soft one. If the whole thing makes your stomach turn, paying someone to do it right is money well spent. A late return can cost you a £200 penalty from the very first day it is late, and that is before any other trouble.

When you can confidently file yourself

Most very small companies are simpler than they fear. You are in good shape to self-file if:

  • Your company is a micro-entity. In plain terms, it is small: broadly, turnover of £1m or less, a balance sheet of £500k or less, and 10 or fewer people, meeting at least two of those three. Most one-person and family companies sit comfortably inside this.
  • You earn money in one or a few straightforward ways. A single trade, a handful of clients, day rates or invoices that all look the same. Nothing exotic.
  • There is only your company. No group, no other companies you own or control, no associated companies sharing your tax band.
  • Your year is a normal 12 months and you kept your bank records. If your income and costs go through the business bank account, you already have most of what a return needs.

If that is you, filing your own return is genuinely doable, and our guide on filing your own Corporation Tax walks you through what it involves.

So which is it, for you?

Read the two lists above and be honest. If nothing in the first list applies, you are almost certainly a self-file company, and paying an accountant every year for a simple return is money you do not need to spend. If even one thing in the first list applies, get an accountant for that part at least. There is no prize for doing the hard version alone.

Common questions

Can a small limited company file without an accountant?

Yes. Plenty of small limited companies can file their own tax return and accounts without an accountant, especially if the company is simple: one main way of earning money, a normal 12-month year, and no other companies tied to it.

Do linked companies make my tax more complicated?

Yes. When companies are linked (called associated companies), the point where your tax rate jumps from the lower rate to the higher one gets shared out between them, so the sums change. That is fiddly to get right, and worth an accountant's eye.

What if my accounting year is longer than 12 months?

A tax year for a company cannot be longer than 12 months, so if your accounts cover a longer stretch you actually have to file two returns to cover it. If your first year runs long, as many do, that is a good reason to get help.

What happens if HMRC opens a compliance check?

If HMRC decides to check your Company Tax Return or accounts, and you already have an accountant, HMRC will deal with them directly. A check is exactly the moment to have a professional in your corner.

Is being unsure of myself a good enough reason to pay an accountant?

Yes, it is a real reason, not a soft one. If the whole thing makes your stomach turn, paying someone to do it right is money well spent. A late return can cost you a £200 penalty from the very first day it is late.

If you are one of the simple ones, we make it easy

We built this for the straightforward case: a small company, one bank account, a normal year. You upload a bank statement, answer a few plain-English questions, and we prepare both filings for you. That is the Company Tax Return to HMRC and the accounts to Companies House. You see and check every figure before anything is sent. It is free to start with no card needed, and filing costs £99 for both filings together.

Start your return

And if your company is one of the tricky ones above, we will not pretend otherwise. For groups, research and development claims, construction scheme duties, property gains, or an HMRC check, an accountant is the right call, and we would rather you got the right result than the cheap one.

General guidance, not advice. This guide explains how the rules generally work for small UK limited companies. It isn't tax advice for your specific situation, if you're unsure, check with us or an accountant.