Accountants for the self-employed
Whether you're a freelance designer, an electrician, an Etsy seller or a side-hustler earning a second income, being self-employed in the UK means juggling three jobs at once: your actual work, the bookkeeping, and the tax. GoForma exists to take the second two off your plate. Our ACCA and AAT qualified accountants support sole traders and the self-employed, with fixed monthly fees, FreeAgent software included, and direct access to a named accountant.
Self-Assessment, sorted
Your annual SA100 is prepared, reviewed and filed direct with HMRC. We chase the records, calculate your tax bill, claim every allowable expense, and flag the 31 January and 31 July payment dates well in advance. No more dread, no more last-minute panic.
Ready for MTD for Income Tax
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax has applied since 6 April 2026 to self-employed people and landlords with qualifying income above £50,000. It applies from 6 April 2027 above £30,000 and from 6 April 2028 above £20,000. As well as your annual tax return, you'll send four quarterly digital updates, all from MTD-compatible software.
Every GoForma package includes FreeAgent, which is HMRC-recognised for MTD ITSA. On our Start Sole Trader + MTD package we handle the quarterly updates and your tax return. You keep your records digital as you go and we take care of the rest.
Sole trader or limited company?
One of the most common questions we get is whether to stay sole trader or set up a limited company. The honest answer: it depends on your profit level, your appetite for admin, and what you're trying to do with the business. Sole trader is simpler and cheaper to run. On 2026/27 tax rates, a limited company that pays out all its profit generally leaves you with less take-home pay than a sole trader, so the case for incorporating rests on flexibility: keeping profit in the company, timing dividends and making employer pension contributions.
Your accountant can run the numbers for your situation, and we can register the company if you decide to go.
What you can claim as a sole trader
HMRC's rule is simple: expenses must be wholly and exclusively for business. The interesting question is what counts. Common allowable expenses for the self-employed include:
- Home office costs (use of home as office, or simplified flat rate)
- Business mileage and vehicle running costs
- Tools, equipment, computers and software
- Training, courses and professional subscriptions
- Accountant, legal and consultancy fees
- Business insurance and bank charges
- A reasonable proportion of phone and broadband
- Marketing, advertising and website costs
What you can claim varies by trade. A photographer's gear is different from a tradesperson's tools, which is different from a consultant's training. As part of your package we walk through the categories specific to your work and the records HMRC expects you to keep.
What's not included by HMRC by default
Self-employment is the only working status where you genuinely have to manage your own tax position. There's no PAYE doing it for you, no employer pension contribution, no statutory sick pay, no employer NI top-up. That makes good support more valuable, not less. Your accountant can talk through pension contributions and the tax relief on them, and check you're claiming what you're entitled to.
Freelancers and creatives
