Accountants for contractors and freelancers
We have worked with contractors online for more than ten years. The questions are consistent, and getting them right early is worth far more than getting them right at the year end.
AccountsHelp provides limited company accounting to contractors and freelancers throughout the United Kingdom, covering the off-payroll working rules, salary and dividend planning, VAT scheme selection and allowable expenses, on a fixed monthly fee.
Where contractors and freelancers need more than generic accounting
The off-payroll working rules
Whether an engagement falls inside or outside the rules changes your take-home materially. For public sector and medium or large private clients the client makes the determination. Where the client is a small private company, the responsibility sits with your company.
Salary and dividend planning
The efficient mix changed in April 2026. Dividend rates rose by two percentage points, and employer National Insurance is 15% above a £5,000 secondary threshold, so the familiar advice no longer lands where it did. This is worth revisiting annually rather than setting once.
Choosing a VAT scheme
Many contractors meet the limited cost business definition, which applies a higher flat rate and removes most of the benefit of the Flat Rate Scheme. Both positions should be calculated on your own figures before choosing.
Expenses that get challenged
Travel to a single long-term client site can be treated as an ordinary commute rather than business travel. Home working, equipment and subsistence all have boundaries worth knowing before you claim rather than after.
Closing the company down
When you go permanent or stop contracting, how retained profits come out of the company affects the tax you pay. Worth planning before you stop trading, not after.
The service that usually fits
Every package is an all-inclusive fixed monthly fee, agreed before we start, with no hidden charges at the year end. We work online with clients right across the UK.
Small limited companies and start-ups →
Starting a new business or running an existing one brings a filing calendar that does not forgive late entries.
From £60 per monthSole traders and partnerships →
A dental practice, a car mechanic, a repair shop, an off licence, a plumber or a freelance writer. Whatever the trade, the books are your responsibility.
From £20 per monthSelf Assessment and landlord accounts →
HMRC requires a Self Assessment return if you are a director, shareholder, sole trader, receive untaxed income, or pay tax at the higher rate.
From £125 per yearQuestions from contractors and freelancers
How do the off-payroll working rules affect me?
They decide whether an engagement is taxed like employment. For public sector clients and medium or large private sector clients, the client makes the determination and the fee payer operates PAYE where an engagement is inside. Where the end client is a small private company, the responsibility stays with your own company. The determination changes your take-home materially, so we review each contract with you.
What is the most tax efficient salary for a contractor?
There is no single figure, and the answer changed in April 2026. Employer National Insurance is now 15% above a £5,000 secondary threshold, so a salary at the personal allowance triggers employer NI on most of it, and the Employment Allowance does not help a company whose only employee is a single director. We work it out on your figures each year rather than applying a rule of thumb.
Should I use the VAT Flat Rate Scheme?
Only if the numbers support it. Many contractors fall within the limited cost business rules, which apply a higher flat rate and remove most of the benefit. We calculate both positions on your actual figures before recommending either.
How much do you charge contractors?
Our Essential contractor package is £70 a month, covering annual accounts, the corporation tax return, VAT, Companies House filing, payroll for one and your personal tax return, in one fixed fee with no year-end extra.
General information about how we work with this sector, not advice for your circumstances. Any tax figures mentioned were checked against gov.uk and are set out with their sources on our tax dates and rates page.
Talk to someone who already knows the sector
Tell us about the business and we will tell you what you actually need, and what you do not. The first consultation is free and carries no obligation.
Other sectors we work with
Dentists and dental practices →
Dentistry is one of the sectors where generic accounting genuinely falls short. The mix of NHS and private income, the way associates are engaged, and the scale of equipment spending all change how the numbers work.
Restaurants and hospitality →
Hospitality has thin margins and awkward tax rules, which is a difficult combination. Most of the problems we are asked to fix come from the same handful of areas.
Landlords and property →
Property is the area where the rules have changed most, and where we most often find relief that has been missed in earlier years. Two significant changes are landing now.