Do you need an accountant for a limited company?

Does the law require an accountant?

No. There is no legal requirement for a UK limited company to use an accountant, and no qualification is needed to prepare a company’s accounts or tax return. Companies House’s guidance Using software to file your company’s information (updated 25 September 2026) includes a “file your own accounts” route for directors: choose the accounts type, find suitable software and have it in place before 1 April 2028.

What the law does require is that the accounts are right and on time. GOV.UK’s guide to running a limited company puts it plainly: directors may hire an accountant, but “you’re still legally responsible for your company’s accounts, records and performance”.

What does a small company have to file each year?

Dormant companies file accounts and a confirmation statement, and usually no tax return. The dormant company guide explains why.

When can a director do it themselves?

Self-filing works best when the company’s affairs are simple. Typical cases:

• A dormant company, which files a balance sheet that rarely changes from year to year;
• A micro-entity with a handful of transactions, such as a contractor or consultant company with one or two clients;
• A property holding company with rent in and mortgage interest out, and no staff;
• A company the director runs alone, with tidy bookkeeping in a spreadsheet or bookkeeping app.

The micro-entity thresholds guide explains which companies count as micro-entities.

When is an accountant worth paying for?

An accountant earns their fee when there is judgement involved, or when mistakes are expensive:

• employees on payroll, or directors paid through a mix of salary and dividends that needs planning;
• VAT registration and returns;
• R&D tax relief, losses carried back, group relief or overseas income;
• accounts that need an audit, or full small-company accounts;
• disputes or enquiries with HMRC.

Choosing one doesn’t move the responsibility. Companies House’s late filing penalties guidance lists “you relied on your accountant” among the reasons unlikely to succeed in an appeal.

What changes in April 2028?

From 1 April 2028 all accounts must be filed with commercial software in iXBRL, as described on the WebFiling closure page. Directors who type their accounts into the Companies House website today will need either software or an accountant who uses it. The change doesn’t add new accounts content for small companies: abridged accounts and the option to leave out the profit and loss account both remain.

What the cost difference looks like

The gap is wide. Accountants’ published fees for dormant accounts start around £80 plus VAT, and accounts with a CT600 for a micro company from around £299, based on fees shown in Google results for “file dormant company accounts” and “file company tax return” (DataForSEO SERP capture, 6 November 2026). Software for self-filers on HMRC’s supplier list starts at about £10 plus VAT a year for dormant companies (FileMyLtd research, November 2026).

UK searches for “do i need an accountant for a limited company” run at about 170 a month (DataForSEO, November 2026), with high advertiser bids, which says more about the value of the answer to accountants than to directors. For a dormant or simple micro company, the honest answer is usually no, as long as the deadlines are met.