One-off accounts fees versus ongoing support
Use this table as a transparent starting point. It uses our current published prices or an official government amount, not an unsupported market average. We confirm professional fees and responsibilities in writing after understanding the company, its records and its filing position.
| Service or example | Price or amount | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Trading limited company: one accounting year | From £450.40 + VAT | Year End Accounts + CT600; select turnover band, company and period online |
| CIC accounts | From £450.40 + VAT | CIC accounts, CT600 and CIC34; statutory CIC34 fee separate |
| LLP accounts | From £517.96 + VAT | LLP accounts + SA800; member personal returns are optional, separately priced |
| Dormant company: never traded | £100 + VAT | Fixed dormant accounts scope; confirmation statement separate |
| Dormant company: brought-forward balances | £200 + VAT | Fixed dormant accounts scope after checking historic balances |
| Essential/Compliance: ongoing package | Published starting fee £45.83 + VAT/month | Not an accounts-only order; your company and selected options determine the applicable sign-up fee |
| Core/Complete: ongoing package | Published starting fee £62.50 + VAT/month | Not an accounts-only order; your company and selected options determine the applicable sign-up fee |
| Growth: ongoing package | Published starting fee £75 + VAT/month | Not an accounts-only order; your company and selected options determine the applicable sign-up fee |
Professional fees exclude VAT unless stated. “From” prices require a confirmed scope. Tax examples are illustrative and are not a quote or personal tax calculation.
What changes the final cost?
Price follows the work required, not a keyword or postcode. A clean, reconciled record set generally takes less time than incomplete books. Before quoting, we identify the recurring filings, who keeps the records and whether earlier periods need attention. The main factors for this service are:
- company type, turnover band and eligible accounting framework
- number and length of accounting periods
- reconciliation quality and whether bookkeeping needs rebuilding
- assets, stock, leases, director loans and unusual transactions
- optional returns, government fees and extra services selected
A proposal then separates recurring compliance from optional advice and one-off correction work. That makes like-for-like comparison easier and reduces the chance of a cheap headline fee becoming an unexpected bill later.
What is included, and what is separate?
Normally included in scope
- Statutory accounts, CT600 and tax computation for a standard trading-company Year End Accounts order
- Director approval before submission and confirmation of agreed filings
- The selected accounting period—not unlimited historic years
Check or quote separately
- Confirmation statement filing and its Companies House fee
- Bookkeeping catch-up, VAT returns, payroll and personal returns unless selected
- Tax payable, late-filing penalties, statutory fees and specialist advisory work
The engagement letter is the definitive record of what we will do, what information the directors must provide and when. If your requirements change—for example, the company registers for VAT, hires staff or begins selling through additional platforms—we discuss the revised work before changing the fee.
How to compare accountant quotes properly
Put each quote beside the same list of deliverables: statutory accounts, CT600, confirmation statement, director Self Assessment, bookkeeping, VAT, payroll and scheduled advice. Check whether transaction limits, software, Companies House charges, catch-up work and HMRC correspondence are included. Also ask who reviews the work and how quickly questions are normally acknowledged.
For a UK limited company, the lowest figure is not necessarily the lowest total cost. Missing bookkeeping, payroll or director-tax work may be billed later, while poor records can obscure tax deadlines and cash requirements. Choose a scope that matches the company now and can be reviewed as it changes. Our full limited company fees and packages remain the central source for our current recurring prices.
What are you paying for when you buy year-end accounts?
An accounts-only headline can be misleading if the company also needs a tax computation and CT600. A full comparison lists who checks the books, makes year-end adjustments, prepares the financial statements, obtains approval and submits each filing. It should also say whether the figure covers one period or several.
Our standard trading-company one-off service combines accounts and CT600. It is not an ongoing bookkeeping subscription, an audit or a promise to handle every HMRC letter. The annual accounts service page explains the workflow and records in detail.
Illustrative invoice: professional fee, VAT and optional charges
Illustration for the lowest turnover band, a standard trading company and a single ended accounting year: professional fee £450.40; VAT at 20% £90.08; total £540.48. This is an illustration, not a quote for every company. It assumes no optional services, no advance-year discount and no statutory fee.
If you add a confirmation statement, both its professional fee and the separate Companies House charge are additional. Companies House fees are not included in our fees. The online Confirmation Statement fee is £50 from 1 February 2026 and may change again. Where a statutory fee applies (for example £50 for a Confirmation Statement or £15 for a CIC34 report), it is added separately at cost with no VAT.
An eligible future accounting year may receive the advance-year discount only when the order contains no ended year. Multi-service bundle discounts, where applicable, use professional fees only—not tax or statutory charges. Your selected order shows the actual discount and total before payment.
One-off accounts versus a monthly package
A one-off order suits a director who already maintains usable records and needs a defined year-end job. An ongoing package is an engagement covering the services at the chosen level: annual compliance, or compliance with bookkeeping, VAT and payroll. Do not multiply a headline monthly starting price and assume it is the price of any one-off order.
Check the company’s applicable sign-up price, selected periods, payment arrangement and scope. Separately quoted management accounts, KPI reporting, forecasts, pre-year-end planning meetings and specialist tax claims do not become included simply because the package is called Growth.
Why bookkeeping and unusual periods affect cost
Accounts cannot be reliable if opening balances do not agree to the prior year or bank balances cannot be reconciled. Missing invoices, payment-platform differences, unrecorded dividends and unexplained director loan entries create additional work. Send complete statements and tell us about unresolved balances early.
A first or extended period may involve two tax returns, while multiple overdue years require separate accounts and continuity of opening balances. An accounts filing fee does not include paying or appealing penalties. Agree the period coverage and any catch-up work before comparing prices.
2026 reporting requirements—not a reason to buy unnecessary work
For periods beginning on or after 6 April 2025, the micro limits are £1 million turnover, £500,000 balance-sheet total and 10 average employees; usually two conditions must be met, alongside eligibility and two-year rules. Small-company limits are £15 million, £7.5 million and 50. These are accounting eligibility limits, not our fee bands or a guarantee of audit exemption.
FRS 102 changes generally apply to periods beginning on or after 1 January 2026. HMRC’s joint filing service closed on 31 March 2026, but the wider Companies House accounts reforms are announced for April 2028. Avoid paying for services on the assumption that every future filing reform is already mandatory. The official sources below explain the distinction.
Accounts preparation and filing resources
Frequently asked questions
Questions about year end accounts cost
How much do one-off limited company accounts cost?
Our standard Year End Accounts + CT600 start from £450.40 plus VAT in the lowest turnover band. Use the company, turnover and period selections to see the applicable order price. Catch-up work and optional filings are separate.
Does the price include a Corporation Tax return?
For a standard trading-company Year End Accounts order, yes: statutory accounts, the computation and CT600 are combined. Dormant companies, LLPs and charities have different requirements and should use the correct option.
Is VAT included in the accounts fee?
The displayed professional fees exclude VAT unless explicitly stated. VAT is itemised at checkout; statutory disbursements passed on at cost are shown separately with no VAT.
What does it cost to file dormant company accounts?
The fixed professional fee is £100 plus VAT for a never-traded dormant company or £200 plus VAT for dormant accounts with brought-forward balances. Dormancy and the records must fit the selected scope.
Is there a Companies House fee for ordinary annual accounts?
Ordinary annual accounts filing does not carry the £50 confirmation statement fee. That fee relates to the separate online confirmation statement. Other company-specific statutory charges may apply, such as the CIC34 report fee.
Are the director’s personal tax return and confirmation statement included?
Not automatically in a one-off Year End Accounts order. Select the required add-ons. Ongoing packages have their own scope; the included director return is limited to salary and dividends from the same company.
Can I buy accounts online without changing accountant?
A one-off engagement can cover a defined period. Tell us if your current accountant is already engaged for that work, and agree responsibility and access to records before proceeding.
Will the fee increase just because I am based in London?
The one-off order is priced by the selected company type, turnover, periods and services, not by postcode alone. Office visits in Morden are by appointment, and the service can be delivered online UK-wide.
Evidence
Sources and review basis
Prices are taken from our live fees page. Tax and government-fee statements link to the relevant official guidance. Check official pages for later changes.
- GOV.UK: annual accounts and what they contain
- GOV.UK: micro-entity, small-company and dormant accounts
- Companies House: filing accounts, first periods and deadlines
- HMRC: Company Tax Returns and filing requirements
- Companies House: accounts reforms from April 2028
- FRC: FRS 102 changes for periods beginning from January 2026
- FRC: FRS 105 micro-entity accounting standard