Clearsight prepares and files self assessment tax returns for sole traders, landlords, company directors and contractors across the UK. A named chartered accountant checks the reliefs and allowances you're entitled to, calculates your bill, and files with HMRC before the deadline, for a fixed fee agreed up front.
Broadly: the self-employed, landlords, company directors taking dividends, higher earners with tax charges to report, and anyone with untaxed income like capital gains. HMRC's criteria have thresholds that change. If you're not sure whether you need to file, ask us and we'll confirm it for free. Here's who we help most:
Trading income, allowable expenses and the trading allowance handled properly.
Rental income, mortgage interest relief and property allowances, including Making Tax Digital.
Salary and dividends reported correctly, coordinated with your company's year-end.
CIS refunds, IR35 considerations and expenses claimed right.
Child benefit charges, pension tapering and reliefs that are easy to miss.
Share sales, crypto and property disposals reported with the right reliefs.
More than typing your numbers into HMRC's form. We register you (or act as agent on your existing record), build the return from your records, and check the things that actually change your bill: allowable expenses, capital allowances, pension and Gift Aid relief, the right treatment of dividends and rental income.
You approve the finished return, we file it with HMRC, and you get a plain-English summary of what you owe, when, and why, plus what to set aside for next year. If HMRC ever asks questions, we answer them.
Run a limited company as well? We coordinate your personal return with your year-end accounts so salary and dividends are reported consistently on both sides.
The key HMRC dates each year. Miss one and penalties start automatically, which is exactly what we're here to prevent.
| Date | Deadline | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 5 October | Register for self assessment | Deadline to tell HMRC you need to file for the previous tax year, if you haven't filed before. |
| 31 October | Paper tax returns | Deadline for HMRC to receive a paper return. |
| 31 January | Online returns & payment | Deadline to file online and pay the tax you owe (plus any first payment on account). |
| 31 July | Second payment on account | If you make payments on account, the second instalment is due. |
Deadlines per HMRC guidance; the online filing and payment deadline falls on 31 January after the end of the tax year. If you pay through your tax code, an earlier 30 December cut-off applies.
It depends on what goes into the return: a straightforward self-employment return costs less than one with rental properties, capital gains and foreign income. At Clearsight the fee is fixed and agreed before any work starts: no hourly surprises, and year-round questions don't cost extra.
For what typically drives accountancy pricing, see our guide: How much does a small business accountant cost?
Honestly? Not always. If your affairs are one employment and a bit of bank interest, HMRC's online service is designed for you to file yourself. We'd rather tell you that than sell you something you don't need.
An accountant earns their fee when there's judgement involved: self-employment expenses, property income, dividends alongside salary, capital gains, or reliefs you don't know exist. Errors in those areas cost more than the fee, in overpaid tax or in HMRC penalties. And from April 2026, Making Tax Digital adds quarterly digital reporting for many sole traders and landlords, which is far easier with an agent set up properly from day one.
If those quarterly rules apply to you, we run a dedicated service for sole traders and landlords: bookkeeping checked, every quarterly update submitted to HMRC, and your self assessment included, for £50 + VAT a month. See MTD for Income Tax, handled.
Want to see how we work first? Why Clearsight, or meet our accountants in Cardiff.
If your return is one employment and nothing else, you can usually file it yourself. It becomes worth paying an accountant when you're self-employed, have rental income, dividends or capital gains, or you simply don't want the risk and the admin. A good accountant checks the reliefs you're entitled to, gets the numbers right and takes the deadline off your mind.
Yes. As your registered agent with HMRC, we prepare the return, send it to you for approval, and file it directly with HMRC on your behalf. You stay in control: nothing is submitted until you've signed it off.
Broadly: your income records (invoices or accounts if self-employed, rental statements, P60/P45 and P11D if employed, dividend vouchers), records of expenses, and any pension contributions or Gift Aid donations. We send a simple checklist and chase the gaps, so you're not guessing.
Yes. We can bring late returns up to date, check whether you have grounds to appeal a penalty, and deal with HMRC on your behalf. The sooner it's dealt with, the less it grows. Get in touch and we'll take it from there.
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax requires sole traders and landlords to keep digital records and send HMRC quarterly updates. It applies from April 2026 for those with qualifying income over £50,000, extending to over £30,000 from April 2027 and over £20,000 from April 2028. If it applies to you, we set up the software and handle the updates as part of the service.
Usually, yes. Employment income is taxed through PAYE, but self-employed earnings above HMRC's reporting threshold need to go on a self assessment return alongside your employment income. We'll confirm whether you need to file and handle both sides correctly.
Book a free discovery call. We'll confirm whether you need to file, quote a fixed fee, and take it from there.