Comparison

Accountant vs DIY: should a sole trader do their own tax return?

By Buzz Accounting · Updated 2026-07-13 · Sole Traders guide

Plenty of sole traders file their own return perfectly well. Others lose more in missed expenses and stress than an accountant costs. Here's how to tell which you are.

The short answer

DIY Self Assessment is fine if your affairs are simple and you're organised — it's free bar your time. An accountant usually pays for itself once you have real expenses, multiple income sources, or you'd otherwise miss reliefs — the tax saved and errors avoided often exceed the fee.

Side by side

Accountant vs doing it yourself

	DIY	Accountant
Cost	Free (your time)	From ~£19 + VAT/month
Time per year	Several hours+	Minimal
Missed-expense risk	Higher	Lower
Penalty risk	On you	Managed for you
MTD for Income Tax	Your problem	Handled
Best for	Simple, organised, single income	Real expenses or complexity

When DIY makes sense

If you have one income stream, few expenses, and you're the organised type who keeps records through the year, filing your own Self Assessment is entirely doable and costs nothing but time. HMRC's system walks you through it, and our free sole trader tax calculator helps you check the number.

When an accountant pays for itself

The moment you have real expenses, more than one income source, CIS deductions, approaching the VAT threshold, or simply value your evenings, the maths tips. A good accountant typically finds enough in missed expenses and reliefs — and avoids enough in penalties and payment-on-account errors — to more than cover a fixed fee that can start at £19 + VAT a month.

The hidden DIY cost It's not the filing — it's what you don't know to claim, and the payment-on-account surprise in July that a planned approach avoids. Most people who switch wish they had sooner.

And there's MTD

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax brings quarterly digital updates for many sole traders from April 2026 — more admin touchpoints, not fewer. Doing that well yourself is possible; having it handled is easier. See our MTD guide.

Our verdict

Simple and organised? DIY is fine — use our calculator to sanity-check the figure. Real expenses, multiple incomes, CIS, or MTD looming? An accountant usually saves more than it costs and hands you back the time. We price it fixed from £19 + VAT a month so the decision is easy to make.

Quick answers

About this comparison

Should I use an accountant for my Self Assessment?

If your affairs are simple and you're organised, DIY is fine. Once you have real expenses, multiple income sources, CIS or MTD obligations, an accountant usually saves more in tax and avoided penalties than it costs.

How much does an accountant cost for a sole trader?

Fixed-fee sole trader accounting starts around £19 + VAT a month with FreeAgent included — often less than the value of the expenses and reliefs a DIY return misses.

Is it hard to do my own tax return?

For simple affairs, no — HMRC's system guides you. The risk isn't the filing itself but missing allowable expenses, mishandling payments on account, or filing late and incurring penalties.

Will MTD for Income Tax affect me?

If your self-employment income is above the MTD threshold, you'll need to keep digital records and send quarterly updates from April 2026 onwards. An accountant with FreeAgent handles this for you.

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Accountant vs DIY: should a sole trader do their own tax return?

Accountant vs doing it yourself

When DIY makes sense

When an accountant pays for itself

And there's MTD

About this comparison

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