Every year, thousands of people search for what accountant fees for self assessment actually look like — and every year they find a wildly wide range of numbers. That’s not a conspiracy by accountants to stay mysterious. It’s because the work genuinely varies, and so does the market.

At Wings, our fixed fee for a self assessment tax return is £150. That covers sole traders, freelancers, landlords with straightforward rental income, and most directors with one company. We think that’s a fair price for a qualified service delivered properly. But we also think it’s worth explaining what sits behind that number — and what might push a fee higher with another firm, or indeed with us if your situation is more involved.

So here’s our honest breakdown of how accountant fees for self assessment are priced in 2026, what to watch for, and how to decide whether hiring someone is the right call for you.

Based on what we see quoted across the industry, accountant fees for a personal self assessment return currently range from around £150 to £500 or more for a one-off annual filing. A few data points worth knowing:

• A simple return for a sole trader with modest, clean income often sits at the lower end of that range.
• Returns involving multiple income streams — rental properties, investments, overseas income, share disposals — tend to attract higher fees to reflect the additional complexity.
• Some high-street practices and sole-practitioner accountants charge £350–£500 as a baseline, even for relatively straightforward cases.
• It’s also worth noting that most accountants charge ex-VAT, so a quoted £460 becomes £552 once VAT is added — a detail that catches people out when comparing prices.

The 2025/26 tax year has also introduced some additional reporting requirements for self assessment returns, which ICAEW has flagged may increase complexity — and by extension, fees — at firms that charge by the hour rather than a fixed rate.

Our view: the variation in the market is real, but it shouldn’t be as wide as it is. A straightforward return is a straightforward return, regardless of whether the firm is based in Mayfair or Manchester. The key question is whether you’re paying for complexity that actually exists in your affairs — or just for overhead.

Not all tax returns are created equal, and a good accountant will price accordingly. The factors that most commonly push fees higher are:

Complexity of income sources

A single employment income or a simple self-employed turnover with clean records is quick to process. Add rental income from multiple properties, capital gains from a share sale, foreign dividends, or income from a trust, and the work increases meaningfully. Each source requires its own pages on the SA100, and the tax calculations become more involved.

State of your records

If you arrive with a shoebox of receipts and a rough spreadsheet, expect to pay more — or to be charged separately for a bookkeeping tidy-up. If your records are organised and your income figures are reconciled, the job is faster and the fee should reflect that.

Whether you need advice, not just filing

Filing a return is one thing. Understanding your payments on account, planning around reliefs, or deciding how to handle a one-off capital event is something different. If you want your accountant to explain what’s happening and why, that’s time — and it’s reasonable for that to cost more.

Pricing model of the firm

Firms that charge hourly can have unpredictable bills. Fixed-fee pricing — like ours — means you know the cost upfront. That transparency matters when you’re budgeting.

This is the question people are really asking when they search for self assessment fees, and we’ll be direct about it: it depends on your situation, but for most self-employed people and landlords, yes — it’s worth it.

Here’s why. A decent accountant doesn’t just fill in a form. They check that you’re claiming every allowance you’re entitled to, make sure your return is consistent with previous years, and flag anything that could attract HMRC’s attention. Errors on self assessment returns — even innocent ones — can result in penalties and interest. The cost of getting it wrong tends to be higher than the cost of getting help.

There’s also a time argument. HMRC’s free online service works, and for someone with a single employment and a small side income, DIY filing is entirely manageable. But if you’re spending several hours researching what you can and can’t claim, second-guessing your figures, and filing with your fingers crossed — that’s not really free. At our rate of £150, most business owners find the peace of mind alone is worth it.

Using an accountant can also save more than the fee itself through legitimate tax planning — identifying allowable expenses you hadn’t considered, advising on pension contributions, or ensuring your payments on account are set correctly so you’re not overpaying HMRC in advance.

We’d rather be honest than just advocate for everyone hiring an accountant. If your tax affairs are genuinely simple — one employer, no self-employment income, no rental properties, no foreign income, no capital disposals — then HMRC’s online service is designed for you and it works fine.

The HMRC self assessment portal walks you through the relevant pages and calculates your liability automatically. For someone with only PAYE income who’s required to file (perhaps because they earn over £100,000 or received a one-off bonus), doing it yourself is reasonable.

Where we’d encourage you to reconsider DIY:

• You’re self-employed and not confident about which expenses are allowable
• You have rental income and aren’t sure how to treat mortgage interest, repairs, or furnishings
• You’ve sold an asset — a property, shares, or a business interest — during the year
• You have income from multiple sources or from abroad
• You’ve had a significant change in circumstances — divorce, inheritance, starting a business

In these situations, the risk of getting something wrong is higher, and the value of professional input is correspondingly greater. A £150 fixed fee is a modest outlay relative to an HMRC penalty or a missed relief worth multiples of that figure.