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Do I Need an Accountant to File Company Accounts?

Updated 10 Jun 2026

No — there's no legal requirement to use an accountant. A director can prepare and file the company's accounts and Company Tax Return themselves, and plenty do. The honest question isn't whether you're allowed to DIY; it's whether DIY is the best use of your time and risk for where your company is right now. Here's a straight look at both sides.

When DIY genuinely works

Self-filing tends to go fine when all of these are true:

  • The company is simple. One trade, no unusual transactions, a micro-entity or comfortably small company — or a dormant one, where the filings are short.
  • You're comfortable with software. The CT600 must be filed by commercial software anyway (HMRC's free route closed on 31 March 2026), and from April 2028 Companies House accounts become software-only too — so DIY now means choosing and running filing software, not filling in a web form.
  • You'll actually do it on time. The deadlines are mechanical: accounts 9 months after year end, tax paid at 9 months and 1 day, return at 12 months. Missed dates, not hard sums, are what generate most penalties.

If that's you, nothing on this site discourages you — the guides and the deadline checker exist to make self-filing safer.

When paying for help pays for itself

  • The first year. It's genuinely the trickiest: often two CT600s with split payment dates, a long first accounting period, and decisions (year-end date, salary/dividends) whose effects compound for years.
  • Anything beyond plain trading. Losses you want to use well, R&D, property in the company, money in and out of the director's loan account, VAT questions stacking on top — the cost of getting these wrong usually exceeds a year of fees.
  • Your time is the constraint. If an evening spent on iXBRL software beats an evening on the business, the maths favours DIY only on paper.
  • You want someone accountable. Mistakes in self-filed accounts are still the directors' responsibility; an accountant adds a professional layer of checking (and insurance) between you and an error.

A fair middle path many founders take: DIY the confirmation statement (it's a registry check, not accounts), and have the accounts and tax return prepared professionally.

What to look for if you do hire one

Whoever you choose — us or anyone else — three things worth checking: that they're clear about fixed fees up front; that they handle both filings (Companies House accounts and the HMRC return — two jobs, two bodies); and that they tell you your deadlines proactively rather than waiting to be asked.

If that sounds like the service you want, that's what we do. See how we work →

Frequently asked questions

Is it illegal to file my own company accounts? Not at all — directors can self-file. The accounts must still comply with the accounts rules, and responsibility for their accuracy sits with the directors either way.

Can I file the CT600 myself? Yes, with commercial software — there's no free HMRC route since 31 March 2026. The return is the CT600 plus accounts plus computations, so budget for software that produces all three.

Do I need an accountant for a dormant company? Rarely — dormant filings are short. See dormant company accounts; the bigger question is usually whether to keep the company at all.

I'm a sole trader — do I need an accountant? Same honest answer: no legal requirement, and many sole traders self-file. Sole trader accounts covers what your filings actually are.