Who we help
Freelance accounting, scaled to the size of the job.
Independent professionals rarely need a heavyweight arrangement. We keep the records straight, file your return early and help you plan around income that varies month to month.
- Simple record keeping that suits your volume
- Self Assessment prepared and filed early
- Practical help setting money aside for tax
Overview
What freelancers actually need
Most freelancers have a small number of clients, modest expenses and no employees. The accounting requirement is genuinely simple, and the fee should reflect that. What tends to cause difficulty is not complexity but irregularity: income arriving unevenly, work paid in arrears and a tax bill that lands in one lump.
We keep the compliance light and put the effort into the parts that make a practical difference, which are usually cash flow and knowing your tax figure early.
What you get
How we support freelancers
A proportionate arrangement, with room to grow if your work does.
Annual accounts
A straightforward summary of what you earned and spent, prepared from your records.
Self Assessment
Your return prepared and filed, with the tax due and the payment dates explained clearly.
Expenses guidance
What you can claim for equipment, software, home working, travel and professional subscriptions.
Simple record keeping
A method that matches your volume, whether that is a spreadsheet template or a light bookkeeping app.
Questions answered
Routine questions during the year are included, so you are not deterred from asking one.
More detail
Managing income that varies
A good month is not a reliable guide to the year, and a quiet month is not a crisis. The practical approach is to work out a realistic annual figure, set a percentage aside from everything you receive, and review the percentage when your income changes materially.
- Keep tax money in a separate account so it is not accidentally spent
- Invoice promptly and follow up late payments early rather than in the quarter after
- Record expenses as they happen, not in one session before the deadline
- Watch the VAT registration threshold on a rolling twelve-month basis if your work is growing
- Keep an eye on the trading allowance if some of your income is small and occasional
When freelancing becomes something bigger
Plenty of freelancers eventually reach a point where incorporating, registering for VAT or bringing in help changes the picture. There is no need to pre-empt any of that, but it is worth reviewing once your income becomes consistent.
We will raise it when your figures suggest it is worth a conversation, and we will be straightforward if the answer is that staying as you are still makes more sense.
Questions
Common questions
If something is not covered here, ask us directly and we will give you a straight answer.
Possibly not, and we will say so. If your affairs are simple and you are comfortable with the return, paying for help may not be a good use of your money. Where we add value is when income grows, sources multiply or you would simply rather not deal with it.
Your employment income and tax already deducted are reported on the same return as your freelance profit, and the two are brought together to work out your overall position. It is very common and adds little to the work involved.
The income is still reportable in the UK, converted at an appropriate rate. There can be VAT considerations for services supplied abroad, and occasionally foreign tax to consider. Tell us the countries involved and we will confirm what applies.
Generally yes, where they are used for the business. If there is private use, the claim is apportioned. Larger equipment may be treated differently from day-to-day costs, and we will apply whichever treatment is correct for the item.
A small business should not pay big-business fees.
See an indicative monthly figure for freelance accounts and Self Assessment in about two minutes.