Contractor accountant fees / costs comparison table

With hundreds of prospective accountancy firms to choose from, we look at the monthly fees charged by some of the UK’s leading specialist accountants, and the services you should expect to receive in return.

The fees quoted were advertised online during mid-2017. We have included any additional costs where available (see notes and some useful tips beneath the table). Our long-term accounting partners are highlighted below.

Partner Firms	FEE	Notes
Aardvark Accounting	£69	All-inclusive tailored contractor accountancy service. Personal service, no tie in periods. View Further Details.
AccountsNet	£65	Complete Service. Includes registered office address, company formation. View 2 Price Plans.
Clever Accounts	£75	Complete Package. Registered office address. Free IR35 review. View 2 Price Plans.
Dolan Accountancy	£95	Complete Package. Free company formation, umbrella option if required, and money-back guarantee. View Further Details.
Intouch	£105	Full monthly service, free IR35 risk assessments, company formation, registered office address. View Further Details.
Qdos Accounting	£95	Complete accounting & unrivalled IR35 expertise. Cost effective & tax efficient accounting solution. View Further Details.
SG Accounting	£89	Full monthly service, free company incorporation, IR35 advice, business insurances included. View 3 Price Plans.

For more details on our partner contractor accountants, please visit our directory.

Other Firms	FEE	Notes
ADVANCE	£120	‘Premium’ package. Includes company insurances and company incorporation. Unlimited phone support and online portal access.
BI Accountancy	£90	‘Solo’ accounting package – includes company formation, and first month is currently free.
Clarity	£79	Fixed-fee, market-leading serviced based in Scotland. Vastly experienced team, with over 25 years working with contractors.
Clearsky Accounting	£120	‘Freedom’ accounting package. First month is free currently for all 3 available packages.
CEJ Contractor Accountants	£99	Complete solution including simple bookkeeping software, unlimited support, 24/7 help centre. Self-assessment, annual return and company formation included.
Elver Consultancy	£70	Package includes FreeAgent accounting software. Bookkeeping available for additional fee.
Exchequer Accountancy	£95	This is the ‘Personal’ package. £59/month ‘Online’ package also available with less support.
Freestyle Accounting	£210	Truly all-inclusive service includes unlimited IR35 contract reviews and tax advice. Online portal.
FW Accounting	£95	‘Standard’ Package. Fully automated invoicing and bank feeds. Registered Office Address.
HD Contractor Accountants	£82.50	‘All Inclusive’ Package, no hidden extras. Free Co. Formation and registered office service.
ICS	£125	‘Plus’ Package. Invoices raised and chased. Online portal. Co. Formation – £40 (one-off fee).
KPMG Small Business	£135	Includes quarterly consultation with dedicated KPMG accountant, payroll for up to 2 employees.
Meades Contractors	£90	‘Bronze’ package. More services available incl. bookkeeping and dividend calculations for £110/m.
Nixon Williams	£95	Vantage Gold package includes bespoke free online accounting portal and free company formation.
No Worries	£105	‘Club’ service. Includes free company formation, cloud-based software, unlimited meetings / phone support.
Pure Contractor Accountants	£100	The ‘Essentials’ package. Self-Assessment £100/year. Co. Formation – £100 (one-off fee).
Sail Business Solutions	£83	Full limited company solution. Free initial consultation, incl. company formation. Dedicated advisor
Simple Accounting	£70	The ‘Business Companion’ tariff – all inclusive fee – for businesses based in Yorkshire and Lancashire.
SJD Accountancy	£120	Essential package including face-to-face meetings at numerous venues across the UK.
Tax Compute	£80	Fully comprehensive service, includes tax returns for up to 2 directors. Free Co. Formation.

Notes

The table above compares ‘standard’ monthly accountancy packages which must include as a minimum: Preparation of your company’s Annual Accounts, filing of quarterly VAT returns, and payroll processing for the director. We’ve covered the typical duties of a contractor accountant here.
All companies must file an ‘Confirmation Statement’ each year to Companies House. This replaced the ‘Annual Return’ from June 2016 onwards. The standard submission fee is £13. You may have to pay this additional fee.
All the prices listed above are subject to VAT at 20%.
Please do email us if you’d like us to include your company here, or to change/update any of the costs displayed in the table.

Things to consider when comparing contractor accountants

Does your accountant charge to incorporate your company (and set you up as a client), or is this included in the monthly fee? Although the actual company formation costs a mere £13 (via software filing), you will also need to be registered for VAT, registered as an employer with HMRC, and have your payroll set up. Your accountant will also need to set up your share structure, and attend to further administrative tasks.
In some cases, particularly with ‘online’ accountants, you will be expected to do a fair amount of bookkeeping legwork yourself. Without a more complex table, it isn’t possible to show exactly which tasks each firm will carry out on your behalf, although for a number of providers, ‘bookkeeping’ (entering your transactions into an accounts system) is a chargeable extra.
A director’s self assessment return fee cannot be claimed against your company, as this is a personal cost. Some accountants will complete one director’s return for free, whereas others will charge a one-off fee.
IR35 contract reviews – some accountants provide a ‘free’ review service (subject to 1 or 2 reviews per year), whereas others charge a fixed-fee for an in-house or third-party review. However, you may prefer to pay an employment status specialist to undertake this service.
If you change accountants, you may incur additional costs to bring your accounts up-to-date.
Make sure you compare like for like when comparing the most popular monthly packages, as although the ‘core’ accounting requirements for all companies must be met, no two packages are exactly the same..
Price is just one factor you should consider when comparing contractor accountants. Customer service is arguably more important, given the similarity in fees charged by the leading accountants.