How much does an accountant cost in the UK? A 2026 price breakdown

Accountancy pricing in the UK is driven by scope and complexity rather than by a national rate card. A sole trader with a handful of invoices a month and no VAT registration is a very different job to a VAT-registered limited company with staff, stock and a director's tax return.

As a broad guide, sole traders tend to pay £25–£90 a month for bookkeeping plus a self-assessment return; small limited companies commonly pay £79–£250 a month for annual accounts, corporation tax, confirmation statement, VAT returns and a small payroll. Specialist work — R&D claims, share schemes, complex property structures — is usually quoted separately.

Always check whether the quoted figure excludes VAT, whether software licences are included, and whether the first year carries an onboarding or catch-up fee.

Transaction volume is the biggest driver: the number of bank lines, invoices and receipts your accountant has to process each month. Second is VAT — registration, scheme choice and quarterly filing all add work.

Third is payroll, priced per payslip and per pay run. Fourth is who does the bookkeeping: if you keep clean records in accounting software, you should expect a lower fee than if you hand over a shoebox of receipts. Fifth is advisory depth — regular management accounts, forecasting and tax planning cost more than compliance-only support.

Write down a single scope and send the same brief to every firm: business type, turnover band, staff count, VAT status, software in use, and the services you need. Identical inputs make the numbers comparable.

Then check the exclusions. Ask what triggers an extra charge, how many included calls or meetings you get, the response time you can expect, and how fees change if turnover grows. Finally, confirm credentials and professional indemnity insurance before you sign an engagement letter.

The lowest quote often reflects a narrower scope rather than better efficiency. A firm that files on time, flags allowable costs you have missed and answers the phone in your busy season can be worth several times the difference in fee.

Use price as one input alongside credentials, relevant sector experience and responsiveness — and make sure the engagement letter records exactly what you are buying.