How much do accountants charge for Self Assessment in 2026?

What the market actually charges

In 2026, a straightforward Self Assessment — employment, a little interest, maybe one property with clean records — often sits in the low hundreds of pounds with a high-street or online firm. A sole trader with a full set of accounts, VAT and a company director’s pages is a different fee, often several hundred pounds more.

National chains advertise a starting price that applies only to the simplest file. Anything missing, late, or historically wrong is extra. That is reasonable: reconstructing two years of Amazon sales is not the same as importing a P60.

What should be in the fee

A proper fee should cover a review of your records, the tax computation, the online filing, a short explanation of the bill and payments on account, and correspondence on that return. It should not silently exclude ‘questions from HMRC’ if those questions are about the return the firm just filed.

Disclosures, enquiry defence, bookkeeping catch-up and Companies House accounts are separate jobs. Mixing them into a ‘cheap SA’ is how files get filed incomplete.

• Simple employment or pension return: often a few hundred pounds.
• Sole trader with decent records: typically a mid-hundreds fee.
• Director plus company plus property: quote the whole set, not one form.

How Solaratax quotes

We quote a fixed fee once we have seen the records, or a short scoping call if the history is messy. Undeclared income is quoted as disclosure work, not as a standard return. Request a quote with a one-page summary of your income sources — that is enough to price fairly.

The cheapest filing is rarely the cheapest outcome if it misses CIS, foreign income or capital gains. Pay for the return that matches your life.

Questions we are asked

Is Self Assessment free if I file it myself?

HMRC does not charge a filing fee for a normal online return. You still pay the tax. Software and accountant fees are optional costs for accuracy and time.

Why do some firms charge extra after January?

Late information compresses the work into penalty season. Many firms price that risk. Filing on time with complete records is the way to keep the fee at the quote.

Do you charge per client of another firm?

No. Solaratax is a practice serving its own clients. We quote the person or company in front of us.