An accountant for contractors
We run the company year for contractors: annual accounts, the CT600, the confirmation statement, payroll and your own Self Assessment, plus the questions in between — an IR35 determination, whether an inside contract is worth taking, whether to keep the company open. Fixed fee agreed in writing after a free assessment.
A one-person company generates the same filing calendar as a fifty-person one. The work is not hard; it is relentless, and it arrives on four unrelated dates a year.
What we do
- Annual accounts and the CT600, filed to Companies House and HMRC, with the tax figure given to you in time to pay it.
- The confirmation statement, tracked and filed — the obligation with no natural trigger and the one most often missed.
- Payroll for your salary, and the dividend paperwork that makes a dividend a dividend.
- Your Self Assessment, because company and personal tax are one decision, not two.
- The salary and dividend split, modelled on your figures rather than a rule of thumb — see paying yourself.
- Straight answers on status — including when a determination is right and the contract is still worth taking.
For a one-person company with records in reasonable order. Where a backlog needs clearing we say so, and quote it, before starting.
The questions contractors actually ask us
"I've been determined inside. Should I close the company?"
Usually not on one contract. A company kept open — even dormant — preserves the option of outside work, and dormant filings are minimal. The calculator shows what the determination is actually costing, which is generally less than the reputation suggests.
"Is this umbrella rate better than my company rate?"
Only comparable once employer National Insurance is taken out of the umbrella figure — seeumbrella companies. Compared properly, the two are usually closer than the headline numbers imply.
"How much can I take out this year?"
The question behind most of our work with contractors. It depends on the company's profit, your other income, what you want left in the business, and whether a mortgage application is coming — because a tax-optimal split can be a mortgage-hostile one.
Start with a free assessment
Tell us the shape of it: day rate, how much of the year you contract, whether the company is up to date. We will tell you what needs doing, what it costs, and whether you need us at all.
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Free assessment first. If there is work to do, you get a fixed quote in writing before anything starts.
What we will not do
Put you into a scheme. Anything promising take-home above what income tax and National Insurance produce is a scheme, and HMRC pursues the contractor rather than the promoter — see umbrella companies for what to avoid. We also will not tell you an engagement is outside IR35 because you would prefer it to be; a determination that does not survive contact with the facts is worth nothing.
More on contracting and ir35
- IR35 explained — What the rules test, who makes the determination, what actually decides status, and how to dispute one.
- Inside or outside IR35? — The practical differences, what decides status, and whether an inside determination is worth changing anything over.
- IR35 calculator — Take-home inside versus outside at 2026/27 rates — and how small the gap has become.
- Umbrella companies — Why the assignment rate is not your salary, what legitimately comes out of it, and how to spot a scheme.
Questions people ask
What does a contractor accountant actually do?
Runs the company year: annual accounts, the CT600, the confirmation statement, payroll if you take a salary, your own Self Assessment, and the dividend paperwork. Plus the questions that come up in between — a determination, a rate, whether to keep the company open.
Do I need one if I use an umbrella?
Usually not for the umbrella income itself, since it is taxed through PAYE. You may still need a Self Assessment return, and if you have a company that is now dormant it still has filings — see closing it or keeping it dormant.
What does it cost?
A fixed fee agreed in writing after a free assessment, based on what the company actually needs rather than a package. What we will not do is quote by the hour.
Can you advise on IR35 status?
We can assess how an engagement looks against the status tests and help you dispute a determination you believe is wrong. We are accountants, not employment lawyers — where a case turns on contract law rather than tax we will say so and point you to someone who does that.
What if I only contract part of the year?
Common, and it does not change much: the company still files, and the planning question becomes when to draw dividends across a year with uneven income. That timing is worth more to a part-year contractor than to a full-year one.
I have several years of company filings outstanding.
Also common, and fixable. We deal with the backlog, the penalties and the position with HMRC — see late filing penalties for what the delay is costing while it waits.
Figures are for the tax year shown and change every April. They are general information, not advice — we check the current position for your circumstances before anything is filed.
Reviewed 19 October 2026.