Year-end accounts is a term that covers two separate obligations, and most business owners are paying for both without fully realising they are distinct pieces of work.

The first is your statutory accounts. These are the formal financial statements: a balance sheet, a profit and loss account, and the required notes. Every active limited company must prepare and file these with Companies House each year. They must comply with UK accounting standards. Filing them late triggers an automatic penalty. Getting them wrong can put your company at risk.

The second is your corporation tax return, also called the CT600. This goes to HMRC and sets out the tax your company owes on its profits. It is based on the same underlying numbers as your statutory accounts, but it is a separate document, filed separately, with its own deadline.

Both of these together are what people mean when they say “year-end accounts”. When you get a quote, always check that it covers both, as some firms price them separately.

The statutory accounts deadline is nine months after your company’s year-end. The CT600 must be filed within twelve months of your year-end, with corporation tax due nine months and one day after your year-end. HMRC charge automatic penalties for late filing, starting at £100 for the first day.

Here is the real reason year-end accounts costs vary. It is not just the number of transactions. It is the accounting standard that applies to your company.

In the UK, small limited companies file their accounts under one of two standards: FRS 105 (the micro-entity standard) or FRS 102 Section 1A (the small company standard). Understanding which one applies to your company is the most useful thing in this article, because it is the main factor that determines what the work involves and therefore what it costs.

FRS 105: the micro-entity standard

FRS 105 applies if your company meets at least two of three conditions: turnover not more than £632,000, a balance sheet total not more than £316,000, and not more than ten employees. If you qualify, your accounts can be shorter and simpler. The disclosure requirements are minimal. The work involved is lower. The cost is lower.

FRS 102 Section 1A: the small company standard

FRS 102 1A applies to small companies that do not qualify as micro-entities, or that choose not to use FRS 105. Some companies make that choice for credibility reasons, as a lender or investor may want fuller financial information. The accounts are more detailed, the disclosures are more extensive, and the work takes longer. Cost is higher.

Within FRS 102 1A, complexity varies significantly. A single-director consultancy with clean Xero records and no employees sits at the straightforward end. A company with directors’ loans, hire purchase agreements, intercompany transactions, or multiple directors with different shareholdings sits at the complex end. That difference can more than double the fee.

None of the generic “how much does an accountant cost” articles you will find online mention this distinction. But it is the main reason you can receive a quote of £600 from one firm and £1,800 from another for apparently the same job. Our next article explains FRS 105 vs FRS 102 1A in full.

We publish our prices. Here is what year-end accounts cost at Daykin Scott in 2026.

All prices exclude VAT. All prices assume records are reconciled and supporting documentation is available at year-end.

Every tier includes statutory accounts preparation, the CT600 corporation tax return, Companies House filing, and an annual review call. It is a complete service covering not just the accounts but the filing too.

The “from” pricing on FRS 105 and FRS 102 1A means the starting point for a straightforward engagement. If your records need additional work, if the structure is more complex than expected, or if you come to us with a backlog of unfiled bookkeeping, the price will be higher. We will always be upfront about that before work starts.

The UK market for year-end accounts is wide. Online-first firms target the volume end of the market with packages starting from around £499 for a simple limited company. Traditional high-street practices in larger cities can charge £2,000 to £3,500 for the same work.

Daykin Scott sits between those extremes: a qualified local practice charging transparent fixed fees. We are not the cheapest option in the market. We are not the most expensive. What we offer that the online-first firms do not is direct access to your accountant, a working knowledge of your business built over time, and someone who will deal with HMRC correspondence when it arrives.

The question to ask any firm is not only “how much?” but “what is included, what is not, and who will I actually be dealing with?” A low-priced online package that charges extra for amendments, HMRC queries, and every additional question can cost more over a year than a fixed-fee local service that covers all of those things. You can check Companies House late filing penalty rates on gov.uk to understand what is at stake if deadlines are missed.

Every year-end accounts service has a defined scope. Here is what is not included in Daykin Scott’s standard service, and what it costs to add each one.

Your personal tax return (SA100)

A director’s Self Assessment tax return is a separate engagement from the company accounts. It is excluded from all year-end packages by default and is available as an add-on from £150 plus VAT for a straightforward return. If you have dividend income, employment income, rental income, capital gains, or foreign income in addition to a director’s salary, the return will be more involved and priced accordingly.

Bookkeeping bolt-on

All prices assume your records are reconciled at year-end. If they are not, and there is a backlog of bank statements to categorise, invoices to match, or a VAT period that has not been filed, we quote separately for bookkeeping completion work. This starts from £295 plus VAT for up to two bank accounts, twelve months, and around one thousand transactions. Arriving at year-end with clean, reconciled records is the single most effective thing you can do to keep your bill at the lower end of the range.

CGT computations

If your company or you personally have disposed of an asset, such as property, shares or business goodwill, a capital gains computation is priced separately from £195 per disposal.

Audit

Audit is a distinct service from accounts preparation. It is required only by larger companies, or where lenders or investors specifically require an audited set. It is not included in any standard year-end package and is quoted separately.

HMRC enquiry support

If HMRC opens an enquiry into your company’s tax return or your personal return, that work falls outside the standard year-end service. We charge £95 per hour for enquiry support, or we can agree a fixed-fee quote depending on the nature of the enquiry.

Most of the variation in year-end accounts pricing comes down to five factors. Each one is at least partly within your control.

1. Messy or incomplete bookkeeping

This is the most common driver of higher costs. If your records are disorganised, incomplete, or cover more than one year of unfiled work, the time to put them right gets added to the bill. Reconciling your accounts monthly, or at minimum quarterly, keeps year-end costs predictable.

2. Late information

Accountants work to deadlines set by HMRC and Companies House. When documents arrive late, it compresses the available time, increases the risk of errors, and can result in additional correspondence. Most firms build a late-information supplement into their terms, and some will pass on HMRC penalties where a filing is missed as a direct result of late information from the client.

3. Company structure

Multi-director companies, directors’ loan accounts, hire purchase agreements, lease accounting under FRS 102, intercompany transactions, and mixed holding and trading structures all require more time and expertise. If your company has any of these, you will be at the mid to higher end of the pricing range regardless of which firm you use.

4. VAT registration

If your company is VAT-registered, that adds quarterly filing obligations on top of the year-end work. VAT returns are usually priced separately from the annual accounts, but they affect the total cost of running the books and should be factored into any like-for-like comparison.

5. Payroll

Payroll for directors and employees generates monthly RTI submissions, pension auto-enrolment, P60s at year-end, and a P11D cycle for benefits in kind. These are additional services to the accounts and add to the total cost of the overall package.

Most well-run practices now price year-end accounts on a fixed-fee basis. That means you know the cost before work starts, there are no time-based surprises, and the incentive is on the accountant to be efficient.

Hourly billing is still common at larger firms and some traditional high-street practices. Rates typically run from £50 to £250 per hour depending on the technicality and seniority of the person doing the work. For a straightforward small company, the hours involved can range from four to fifteen. For a complex engagement, considerably more.

Before you engage any firm for year-end work, ask these questions:

• Is this a fixed fee or an hourly rate?
• If fixed, what circumstances would trigger an additional charge?
• Is the director’s Self Assessment included, or is it separate?
• Is Companies House filing included, or billed separately?
• What happens if my records need additional work when you start?

The answers tell you more about the real cost of the service than the headline number alone.

The relationship between a business owner and their accountant works best when both sides do their part. Here is what we see from clients who get the most value from the service.

Keep your bookkeeping current. Monthly reconciliation means the year-end is a review, not a rescue mission. You spend less, your accounts are filed earlier, and you have a clearer picture of your tax position throughout the year.

Use cloud accounting software. FreeAgent, Xero, and QuickBooks all connect directly to bank feeds. Transactions categorise automatically. Your accountant can review your books in real time without waiting for documents to be sent across. It saves time on both sides and reduces the risk of things being missed.

Send information promptly when it is requested. When your accountant asks for bank statements, invoices, or details of a particular transaction, responding quickly means the work gets done within the normal workflow rather than as a pressured job against a Companies House deadline.

Ask questions throughout the year, not just at year-end. A fixed-fee accounts service is a relationship. If you are planning a significant asset purchase, a dividend payment, or a change to your company structure, ask before you do it. The advice is usually within the scope of the service. Acting without asking often creates additional work that is not.

Daykin Scott is based in Sutton Coldfield and works with limited companies, sole traders, and landlords across Birmingham, Solihull, Tamworth, Burton upon Trent, and throughout the West Midlands. We work with a wide range of clients, from single-director consultancies and tradespeople to growing businesses with employees and more complex structures.

If you are looking for a local accountant who will give you a clear, fixed price for year-end accounts, and who will be accessible to you throughout the year rather than just at filing time, we would be glad to talk.

There is no obligation in a first conversation, and we will give you a straightforward answer about whether we are the right fit for your business. Get in touch here or call us on 0121 339 5160.

How much do year-end accounts cost for a small limited company?

For a straightforward small limited company, year-end accounts including the CT600 and Companies House filing typically cost between £595 and £795 plus VAT at Daykin Scott. The price depends on which accounting standard applies, FRS 105 or FRS 102 1A, and the complexity of the company’s records and structure. Dormant companies are a flat £250 plus VAT.

Is my personal tax return included in year-end accounts?

No. A director’s Self Assessment tax return (SA100) is a separate piece of work and is not included in the standard year-end accounts service. It is available as an add-on from £150 plus VAT for a straightforward return. If you have multiple income sources, the cost will be higher.

What is the difference between FRS 105 and FRS 102 1A?

FRS 105 is the micro-entity standard for smaller limited companies: broadly, turnover under £632,000, balance sheet under £316,000, and fewer than ten employees. It requires less disclosure and is less involved to prepare. FRS 102 1A applies to small companies that do not qualify as micro-entities. The accounts are more detailed, which is why the cost is higher.

When are year-end accounts due?

Statutory accounts must be filed with Companies House within nine months of your company’s year-end. The CT600 must be filed with HMRC within twelve months of your year-end, with corporation tax due nine months and one day after your year-end. Automatic penalties apply for late filing: £100 immediately, rising with further delay.

Can I reduce the cost of my year-end accounts?

Yes. The most effective steps are keeping your bookkeeping reconciled throughout the year, using cloud accounting software with bank feeds, sending documents promptly when your accountant requests them, and planning ahead for any significant transactions. Arriving at year-end with clean, complete records consistently produces the lowest bill.

This is the first article in our year-end accounts series.

Coming next: Article 2 looks at the difference between FRS 105 and FRS 102 1A in plain English. It covers what each standard requires, how to tell which applies to your company, and why it matters for both your accounts and your bill.

Later in the series we cover what is and is not included in a standard year-end service, how to keep your accounting costs down, and a practical guide to choosing an accountant in the Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield area.

If you would like to talk about year-end accounts for your company, whether you are looking for a first quote, considering switching accountants, or simply want to understand the numbers better, get in touch. There is no obligation, and we will give you a straight answer.