How much does an accountant cost in the UK? Fees run from around £150 for a self-assessment return to £3,500+ for limited company accounts and Corporation Tax. This guide sets out 2025/26 fee benchmarks service by service, shows why a £40,000 in-house hire costs closer to £51,450 fully loaded, and why outsourced capacity works out cheaper per FTE - plus how the Employer NI rise and Making Tax Digital are reshaping costs for UK firms through 2026.

What is Accounts Outsourcing & Automation? Account outsourcing refers to hiring third-party professionals from an offshore talent pool to manage finance-related tasks like bookkeeping, VAT preparation, payroll processing, accounts reconciliation, and others. These partners act as extensions of your in-house team and are typically more cost-effective and scalable. Automation in accounting , on the other hand, involves using tools such as Recruitment Process Automation (RPA),