Accountant or do it yourself? Choosing who does your tax return

The short answer

Doing it yourself is a real option for many people, not a shortcut. GOV.UK says you can send a tax return by submitting an online return or sending a paper return, and HMRC's online service is open to you if you are self-employed, or not self-employed but still send a tax return, for example because you receive income from renting out a property. Authorising an accountant or tax adviser is something GOV.UK presents as a choice you can make, not a requirement.

DIY suits a return that HMRC's online service covers, built from records you already keep, with time to read HMRC's guidance for your sections. It suits less well if your case is one that service does not cover, if you need provisional figures because your accounting period does not match the tax year, or if you must use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: from 6 April 2026 that applies to sole traders and landlords whose qualifying income from self-employment and property is over £50,000, and you, or your agent if you have one, then need software that works with it. Some people should not pay anyone: check first whether you need to send a return at all.

There is a middle route too. HMRC publishes help for each section of the return, and you can authorise a friend, relative or voluntary organisation to talk to HMRC and help you fill in forms, without paying an agent.

Last checked 23 October 2026 · GOV.UK sources

What to weigh

Do you need to send a return at all?

If you do not, there is nothing to pay anyone for. GOV.UK says you must send a return if, in the last tax year (6 April to 5 April), you were self-employed as a sole trader and earned more than £1,000 before taking off anything you can claim tax relief on, or you were a partner in a business partnership, among other reasons; and you may also need to if you have untaxed income such as rent, savings interest or dividends. HMRC's 'check if you need to send a tax return' tool answers this for the 2025 to 2026 tax year, and GOV.UK says it will not send your details to HMRC. If HMRC wrote to you asking for a return, you must send it by the deadline on the letter.

Does HMRC's online service cover your return?

GOV.UK says you cannot use HMRC's online service to file for a partnership; for a trust or for an estate; if you lived abroad as a non-resident; to report multiple 'chargeable event gains', for example from life insurance; or if you get income from a trust, you're a Lloyd's underwriter or a religious minister. It says to use commercial software or download or request other forms instead. If you are inside the service, you do not have to complete the return in one go: you can save your entry and go back to it later. Outside it, doing it yourself means choosing software or working through other forms on your own.

Do you have to use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax?

GOV.UK says you will need to use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax from 6 April 2026 if you are an individual registered for Self Assessment, you get income from self-employment or property, or both, and your qualifying income is more than £50,000; HMRC explains what counts as qualifying income. If it applies, GOV.UK says you, or your agent if you have one, will need to use software that works with it to create, store and correct digital records of your self-employment and property income and expenses, send your quarterly updates to HMRC, and submit your tax return and pay tax due by 31 January the following year. So DIY is still open to you, but it means picking and learning that software and sending updates through the year, not one return a year.

Can you put your year into figures yourself?

GOV.UK says that if you are a sole trader or a partner in a business partnership you must keep records of your business income and expenses for your Self Assessment tax return. From the 2024 to 2025 tax year, cash basis is the default method of accounting: you only record income or expenses when you receive money or pay a bill. GOV.UK also says it may be easier to complete your tax return if your accounting dates match the tax year. If they do not, or you are waiting for a valuation, you may not know your profit for the whole tax year in time, and you then include provisional figures, tell HMRC you have used them, and change your return when you know. Simple records that line up with the tax year are the clearest DIY case; provisional figures and a later amendment are where paid help is more likely to be worth it.

What happens if you get it wrong?

A mistake is fixable, but it is still yours. GOV.UK says you can correct a tax return within 12 months of the Self Assessment deadline, online or by sending another paper return, and that you must wait 3 days (72 hours) after filing before updating an online return. GOV.UK says your bill will be updated based on what you report, so you may have to pay more tax or be able to claim a refund. On penalties, GOV.UK lists 'you made a mistake on your tax return' and 'you found the HMRC online system too difficult to use' among the things that will not be accepted as a reasonable excuse. It lists 'you relied on someone else to send your return, and they did not' among the examples of what may count as one, and says you must send your return or payment as soon as you're able to.

What would an accountant cost you?

We do not state a price here: there is no GOV.UK source for accountancy fees, and we have no verified source for a typical UK rate. If you are weighing it, ask for a quote for your own return and say exactly which parts you want done: keeping the records, preparing and filing the return, or, if Making Tax Digital applies, the quarterly updates as well.

The options, and who each is not for

Doing it yourself through HMRC's online service

Suits:

Someone whose return HMRC's online service covers: self-employed, or not self-employed but sending a return, for example because of income from renting out a property.
A return built from records you already keep for the tax year, with no provisional figures to estimate and correct later.
Anyone prepared to use the help text in the online return and HMRC's section guidance, and to start early enough to save and come back to it.

Not for:

A partnership, a trust or an estate, a non-resident, or anyone else HMRC's online service does not cover.
Someone who must use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: GOV.UK says the quarterly updates and the return are sent with software that works with it.
Anyone counting on finding HMRC's online system too difficult, or on a mistake on the return, as an excuse for a penalty: GOV.UK says neither will be accepted as a reasonable excuse.

Doing it yourself with software you choose

Suits:

Someone who must use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax and is comfortable keeping digital records and sending quarterly updates themselves.
A case HMRC's online service does not cover, where GOV.UK says commercial software can be used, for example for a partnership or if you lived abroad as a non-resident.

Not for:

Anyone who would rather not choose, learn and keep up with software through the year. We make no claim about any particular product or its price.
Someone whose return HMRC's online service already covers and who is not in Making Tax Digital: the service may be all you need.

Help without paying an agent

Suits:

Someone who mainly needs to understand the return. GOV.UK says there is help text throughout the online return, guidance on sections such as self-employment, property and capital gains, HMRC email updates, videos and webinars, including for filling in a return for the first time, and HMRC's digital assistant.
Someone who wants a friend, relative or voluntary organisation alongside them. GOV.UK says you can authorise one as an 'intermediary' to talk to HMRC, answer questions on your behalf and help you fill in forms; you authorise one by writing to HMRC. For short-term help, you can call HMRC with the person helping you, who must be with you on the call.
Someone whose health condition or personal circumstances make it difficult to contact HMRC: GOV.UK says you can get help from HMRC's extra support team, or appoint someone to fill in and send your tax return, for example an accountant, friend or relative.

Not for:

Someone who wants their helper to file online for them through an intermediary arrangement: GOV.UK says an intermediary will not have access to your tax online.

Paying an accountant or tax adviser

Suits:

A partnership, or any return HMRC's online service does not cover.
A year with provisional figures, accounting dates that do not match the tax year, or income you are not sure how to report.
Someone in Making Tax Digital for Income Tax who would rather an agent handled the software and the quarterly updates: GOV.UK says you, or your agent if you have one, use the software.
Anyone who wants HMRC's letters to go to someone else: GOV.UK says that if you have to fill in a Self Assessment tax return, HMRC will send all correspondence to the person you've authorised, except tax bills or refunds.

Not for:

Someone who may not need to send a return at all: check with HMRC's tool first.
A simple return that HMRC's online service covers, that you have the records for, and that you are comfortable completing with its help text and guidance.
Anyone who will not keep records during the year, or pay someone to keep them: GOV.UK says you must keep records of your business income and expenses if you are a sole trader or a partner in a business partnership.

Frequently asked

Is it legal to do my own tax return without an accountant?

Yes. GOV.UK says you can send a tax return by submitting an online return or sending a paper return, and that you can file online if you are self-employed, or not self-employed but still send a tax return. Authorising an agent such as an accountant or tax adviser is an option GOV.UK describes, not a requirement. If you are filing for the first time, you must register for Self Assessment before using the online service.

If I file my own return and then find a mistake, can I fix it?

Yes, within limits. GOV.UK says you can correct a tax return within 12 months of the Self Assessment deadline, online or by sending another paper return; for an online return you must wait 3 days (72 hours) after filing before updating it. After that, you write to HMRC. Your bill is updated based on what you report, so you may have to pay more tax or be able to claim a refund.

Does Making Tax Digital mean I have to pay an accountant?

No. GOV.UK says you, or your agent if you have one, will need to use software that works with Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, so you can do it yourself with suitable software. It applies from 6 April 2026 to individuals registered for Self Assessment with income from self-employment or property, or both, and qualifying income of more than £50,000. What changes is the work: digital records and quarterly updates to HMRC, as well as the return.

Can an accountant sign everything for me?

Not everything. A paid agent you have authorised can deal with your tax affairs depending on what you've authorised them to do, for example submitting your Self Assessment tax return. But GOV.UK says that for a claim for overpayment relief made in writing to HMRC, the declaration must be signed by you if you are claiming for yourself, and no one else, including a tax agent, can sign on your behalf.

What does an accountant need before they can deal with HMRC for me?

GOV.UK says a paid agent can be a professional accountant or tax adviser, they must meet HMRC's standard for agents, and you must authorise your agent before they can deal with HMRC on your behalf — they will tell you how to do this.

Want someone to check this for you?

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Their standard published prices, monthly and excluding VAT, checked 2 November 2026. The discount above applies to these for your first 12 months:

Monthly price by annual turnover, excluding VAT
Turnover	Sole trader	Ltd / LLP
Up to £20,000	£24.50	£39.50
£20,001–£90,000	£29.50	£54.50
£90,001–£200,000	£44.50	£74.50
£200,001–£300,000	£59.50	£89.50
£300,001–£400,000	£74.50	£104.50
£400,001–£500,000	£89.50	£119.50

Above £500,000, add £15.00 a month per further £100,000. Charged separately, also monthly:

VAT returns £35.00
MTD Income Tax quarterly updates from £35.00
Bookkeeping £20.00 to 40 transactions, then 50p each
Payroll from £24.00 for up to four payslips
Self Assessment — included for a sole trader; £10.00 covers two directors (limited company or LLP) or one partner, then £10.00 each

So a business needing these pays more than the band price — get a quote for your own figure.

* The Accountancy Partnership’s own offer, taken off the standard monthly fee above, for readers arriving through this link. It is not on their public pricing pages. Checked 24 October 2026.

Worth saying: if your affairs are very simple, you may not need an accountant at all — this is for when you’d rather someone else handled it.

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Sources

Every deadline, penalty and rule on this page is taken from these GOV.UK pages, read on 23 October 2026.

This page is general information based on GOV.UK published guidance, not tax or legal advice. Your own position can differ. Check the GOV.UK sources above and speak to a qualified accountant before making decisions about your own tax affairs.