HMRC Vs Tax Care Accountant Comparison

Should you file your Self Assessment tax return yourself through HMRC, or hand it off to an accountant? We’re obviously biased — we’re the accountants — but we’ll lay out both options honestly so you can decide what makes sense for you.

What is HMRC?

HMRC stands for His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. They’re the government department that collects taxes in the UK — Income Tax, National Insurance, VAT, Capital Gains Tax, and everything else. Every tax return, no matter who prepares it, ends up with HMRC.

They also run an online Self Assessment service where you can file your own return directly. It’s free to use, and in theory it covers everything you need. In practice, it can get confusing — more on that below.

What is Tax Care Accountants?

We’re a UK-based accountancy firm regulated by the Institute of Financial Accountants (IFA firm 270075). We prepare and file Self Assessment tax returns for sole traders, freelancers, landlords, contractors, and anyone else who needs one — for a fixed £175 fee, no surprises.

The short version: you send us your figures, we do the maths, you approve it, we file it with HMRC. You don’t have to log into the HMRC portal, work out which boxes to fill in, or wonder whether you’ve claimed everything you’re entitled to.

We’re also Xero Certified Advisors and QuickBooks Platinum Partners, so if you use either of those for your bookkeeping, we slot right in.

Who Actually Needs to File a Self Assessment?

Not everyone does. If you’re a regular employee on PAYE and don’t have any other income, your employer handles your tax automatically. But if any of the following apply to you, HMRC expects a Self Assessment return:

• Self-employed sole traders earning over £1,000 a year
• Freelancers and contractors invoicing for their own work
• Landlords earning rental income (including Airbnb hosts)
• Investors with capital gains from property, crypto, or stocks
• High earners making over £150,000 a year
• CIS workers in the construction industry
• Anyone claiming a tax refund for expenses, uniform allowance, etc.
• First-time filers who’ve just gone self-employed or picked up a side income

The general rule: if you’re earning untaxed income that HMRC doesn’t already know about, you need to tell them. If you don’t, they’ll find out eventually — and the fines aren’t pretty.

How Does Filing with HMRC Work?

Filing directly with HMRC is free, and that’s the main advantage. Here’s what the process looks like:

1. Create a Government Gateway account (if you don’t already have one)
2. Register for Self Assessment
3. Wait for your UTR (Unique Taxpayer Reference) number to arrive by post
4. Log into the HMRC Self Assessment portal
5. Work through the sections, entering your income, expenses, and other details
6. Review the calculation HMRC generates
7. Submit and pay any tax owed by 31 January

Sounds simple enough. But the reality is that HMRC’s portal wasn’t designed with first-timers in mind. The language is full of jargon, it’s not always clear which sections apply to you, and there’s very little guidance on what you can and can’t claim. If you make a mistake, you might not find out until HMRC sends it back — along with a penalty.

For people with a single income source and no complicated expenses, filing yourself is totally doable. But if your tax situation involves multiple income streams, rental property, capital gains, foreign income, or if you simply don’t have the time or confidence to get it right, that’s where an accountant earns their fee.

How Does Filing with Tax Care Work?

We’ve stripped out the stressful bits. Here’s the process:

1. Get in touch — call us, WhatsApp us, or fill in our instant quote form
2. Send your documents — income records, expense receipts, P60 if employed, and any other relevant paperwork
3. We prepare your return — your dedicated accountant works through everything, claims all allowable deductions, and calculates your bill
4. You review and approve — we send you the completed return to check before anything goes to HMRC
5. We file it — once you’re happy, we submit it directly to HMRC on your behalf

The whole thing is done within days, not weeks. You don’t need to understand tax bands, allowances, or which HMRC boxes to fill in. That’s our job.

HMRC vs Tax Care: The Key Differences

What Happens If You Make a Mistake?

With Tax Care, mistakes are caught before your return is filed. Your accountant prepares the return and sends it to you for approval first. You check the numbers match your records, confirm everything looks right, and only then do we submit it to HMRC. If something needs changing after filing, we handle the amendment for you.

If you file directly with HMRC and make an error — entering the wrong income figure, missing an expense claim, or ticking the wrong box — you might not realise until HMRC flags it. That can mean a correction notice, a recalculated bill, or in some cases a penalty. And working out what went wrong in HMRC’s portal isn’t always obvious.

Is It Worth Paying £175 for an Accountant?

It depends on your situation, and we’d be the first to say it’s not for everyone. If your tax return is genuinely simple — one income source, no expenses, nothing unusual — filing yourself through HMRC is perfectly fine.

But most of the sole traders and freelancers we work with find the £175 pays for itself. Our accountants regularly save clients more than that by claiming expenses and deductions they didn’t know they were entitled to. Then there’s the time saved — instead of spending hours navigating HMRC’s portal, you spend five minutes sending us your documents.

And there’s the peace of mind. Knowing a qualified professional has checked your numbers, claimed everything you’re due, and filed it correctly — that’s worth something, especially if tax isn’t your area.

When Is the Deadline?

The Self Assessment deadline is 31 January after the end of the tax year. For 2025/26, that means 31 January 2027. Miss it and there’s an automatic £100 penalty, even if you owe nothing. If you’re filing for the first time, you also need to register with HMRC by 5 October.

The earlier you start, the less stressful it is. We see a rush every January from people who’ve left it to the last minute — don’t be one of them.

Ready to Get Your Tax Return Sorted?

Common Questions

Can I switch from filing myself to using an accountant mid-year?

Yes, at any point. If you’ve already started your return on HMRC’s portal but got stuck or want a professional to take over, we can pick it up from where you left off. Just send us what you have and we’ll sort the rest.

Do I still need a UTR number if I use Tax Care?

Yes — your Unique Taxpayer Reference is linked to your Self Assessment record at HMRC. If you don’t have one yet, you’ll need to register for Self Assessment first. We can guide you through that process.

Will I still receive my tax refund directly?

Yes. Any refund owed comes directly from HMRC to your bank account. We don’t handle your money — we just make sure the return is filed correctly so you get back what you’re owed. Refunds typically take 8 to 12 weeks.

What documents do I need to send you?

It depends on your situation, but typically: your income records (invoices, bank statements), a list of business expenses, your P60 if you’re also employed, and any other relevant documents like rental income statements or investment records. We’ll tell you exactly what we need when you get in touch.