Do I need an accountant?
This article was updated in June 2024.
Whether you're a new freelancer or sole trader, or an established small business owner looking to expand and grow your company, the question of whether or not to spend money hiring an accountant is one you'll have to consider at some point.
For any small business owner, the thought of spending money on an accountant can seem like an unnecessary expense, especially when you could prepare and file your own tax returns.
In 2018, research by business ratings and review platform Clutch found that 45% of small businesses don't work with professional accountants at all, and only 12% of small businesses hire a full time accountant.
There are, however, several compelling reasons why investing in an accountant’s expertise could be one of the most sensible business decisions you’ll make as you attempt to grow your company.
Learn more about the factors to consider in making the choice about accountancy services for your business with our helpful guide:
Free up time to focus on your business
As any freelancer or entrepreneur will know, your time is precious and prioritising your own workload is vital. A survey of 300 small business owners by Local First Bank found that, on average, owners of small businesses spend five hours per week — more than half a working day — on accounting and invoicing.
Employing an accountant to file your self-assessment tax return, or to manage invoices, is not a legal requirement and there are plenty of sole traders and freelancers who prepare and file their own returns each year.
However, unless expertise in business tax happens to be part of your repertoire of additional skills, it’s likely that preparing your own return will take significantly longer than if it were done by a professional.
Paying an accountant a standard one-off fee of roughly £250 to prepare your taxes could save you days of lost working time which you can spend focusing on running the day-to-day affairs of your business.
An accountant can help you scale up your business
For entrepreneurially-minded business owners, the aim of the game is sustainable growth.
When it comes to expanding your business, from a sole trader to a limited company with employees or from one branch of your shop to several, an accountant can offer you valuable advice and assistance in a number of different areas, including:
- Writing loan applications
- Budgeting and managing cash flow effectively during an expansion
- Managing debt
- Setting up payroll for new staff
When you take on employees for the first time, you may be legally required to take out employers' liability insurance. An accountant can help you set up your policy to get the best deal for required insurance cover.
Do you need an accountant to file micro entity accounts?
The need to seek the help of a professional accountant will depend, in part, on the size of your business. If your business satisfies at least two out of the following three criteria, then you are classed as a micro entity — a very small business:
- A turnover of £632,000 or less
- £316,000 or less on your balance sheet
- 10 employees or fewer
Micro entities can prepare significantly shorter and less complex accounts and send balance sheets with less information to Companies House each year.
If your business fits into this category, then you are more likely to be able to prepare your own accounts without the help of an accountant.
How to find an accountant for your business
Like many professions in the UK, accountancy is regulated by an independent body, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC). The FRC boasts a number of professional membership bodies that help establish high professional standards within the industry, through qualifications and training.
Both the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) have useful tools on their websites that can help you find an accountant or accountancy firm that is local to you and appropriate to your business needs.
These industry bodies can help you ensure that the accountant you work with, either on a one-off basis, or regularly on retainer, has the qualifications and experience needed to reliably and effectively handle your company’s accounts.
All ACCA and ICAEW registered accountants must have professional indemnity insurance, which protects your business in the unlikely event of an accounting error.
One-off fee, on retainer or an employed accountant?
There are generally three ways in which to hire the services of an accountant:
1. A one-off
Accountants may charge a flat rate fee of between £75 and £350 for a sole trader, or up to £500 for a small company to prepare and file your tax return and Companies House accounts.
2. On retainer
You can hire an accountant or an accountancy firm’s services throughout the year on an ongoing basis from around £50+VAT per month for a sole trader or from roughly £150+VAT per month for a limited company.
3. Employee
For Limited companies with a large enough turnover to be financially justified, you may opt to employ a qualified accountant in-house, either full time or part time.
What about accounting software?
As the UK government moves towards its target of digitising the tax return process for businesses through the Making Tax Digital programme, accounting software has surged in popularity.
There are a huge variety of accounting apps available and while they can make the process of organising your own accounts faster and more efficient, most software products don't allow you to connect with a real-life accountant during the process.
Exceptions to this include Finmo and TaxScouts, both of which incorporate the option to connect online to a qualified accountant to help you through the self-assessment process.
Read more about the best self-assessment apps on the market
Save money in the long run
By being experts in the tax legislation, accountants can often end up saving you as much or more than the cost of their services by making efficient use of allowable expenses and tax relief opportunities.
In this sense, the one-off fee you might pay for the services of an accountant when it comes to preparing and filing your business’ tax return can be recouped almost immediately thanks to the professional know-how they bring to the process.
Other important steps
Hiring an accountant is one of several steps you can take to make you and your business more financially secure. Other important steps you can take as a small business to help keep you on the financial straight and narrow include working with a financial advisor and taking out industry specific business insurance.
The role of a financial advisor
Unlike an accountant, a financial advisor is in a position to offer you professional advice about how to invest your money as a business.
The UK government has some helpful guidance for when you come to choose a financial advisor, including details of the different kinds of advisor and how their professional industry body’s accreditation works.
The role of business insurance
When it comes to insuring the services, people and premises associated with your business, there are several types of business insurance that could be applicable to your company.
An accountant is ideally suited to helping you navigate the world of business insurance and advising you on the most efficient policies available.
At Superscript, we offer business insurance to cover 1000s of industries, with the most popular types of cover including:
- Public liability insurance — designed to cover claims made against you by members of the public for property damage and accidental bodily injury, illness, disease or even death as a result of your work.
- Product liability insurance — cover designed to protect against legal and compensation costs if someone is injured, or their property damaged, by your business' product.
- Employers' liability insurance — a legal requirement for most businesses with their own staff, employers’ liability insurance is designed to provide financial cover in case one of your employees is injured at work.
- Professional indemnity insurance — if a third party accuses you of professional negligence, having professional indemnity insurance may help to cover any associated legal costs.
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