Accountant for the self employed and sole traders

The power is in your data, and in reading it

Most accountants take your records, file your return, and move on. The numbers, which are full of information about how you are really doing, never get read back to you.

That is the whole difference. Your data holds real value, and the earlier and more often it is looked at, the more power you have to act on it. A number you see this month can still change what you do next month. A number you only see a year later can only be regretted.

Even your year end, properly analysed, tells you where things are impacting

The most power comes from recent, regular numbers, a simple monthly snapshot of where you stand. But even your year end accounts, read properly rather than just filed, show you where things are impacting. Where your margin is slipping. Where cash is getting tight. Where a cost has crept up without you noticing. We analyse them so you know, instead of finding out too late.

Most owners cannot answer the most basic question about their own business. Source: Xero, 2025.

What we do for the self employed

Fixed monthly fees, agreed up front, sized to how much you need.

• Bookkeeping, kept clean and current, and ready for Making Tax Digital.
• Self assessment, prepared, checked and filed on time, with the tax planned rather than just reported.
• A monthly snapshot and a cash view, so you always know where you stand and what is coming.
• Proper analysis of your numbers, so you see what is really happening and what to do next.

Making Tax Digital is coming, and it is close

From April 2026, sole traders and landlords with income over £50,000 must keep digital records and send HMRC quarterly updates through compatible software. It reaches income over £30,000 from April 2027, and over £20,000 from April 2028. Leave it late and it becomes a scramble of new software and new habits under a deadline.

We set the software and the routine up for you, calmly and early, and turn a compliance chore into real time numbers you can actually use.

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, phased in by income. Source: HMRC.

More than a tax return

A tax return keeps you legal. It does nothing to help you earn more, keep more, or plan ahead. We do the return, and Making Tax Digital, and then we go further, reading your numbers and telling you in plain English what they mean. That is what being self employed with a proper finance partner behind you feels like.

Common questions

When does Making Tax Digital start for the self employed? Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is mandatory from April 2026 for sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000, from April 2027 for income over £30,000, and from April 2028 for income over £20,000. You will need to keep digital records and send HMRC quarterly updates through compatible software. We set that up and run it with you, calmly, before the deadline.

Do I really need an accountant if I am a sole trader? You do not have to have one, but a good one does far more than file your return. We keep your records straight, handle your self assessment and Making Tax Digital, and read your numbers so you know where your money is really going and what to do about it.

What does Making Tax Digital actually mean I have to do? Keep your records digitally in compatible software and send HMRC a quarterly update, rather than one return a year. It sounds like more work, but done well it gives you real time numbers you can use. We handle the setup and the routine so it is not a burden.

How much does it cost? A fixed monthly fee agreed up front, sized to how much you need, with no hourly surprises. Ask for a free review and we will tell you honestly what would help.