Online accountants for UK businesses

What an online accountant does

An online accountant does the same work as a high street accountant: your Self Assessment tax return, year-end accounts and Corporation Tax return, VAT returns, payroll and the advice that goes with them. The difference is how you work together. Instead of dropping off paperwork and booking meetings, you share your books through cloud accounting software and talk to your accountant by phone, video, email or WhatsApp.

GoForma is a UK online accountancy practice based at 40 Bowling Green Lane in London. We work with sole traders, freelancers and limited companies across the UK, and every client has a dedicated accountant who is ACCA or AAT qualified. We have filed more than 7,000 tax returns and delivered more than 4,000 free consultations, and we are rated 4.9 on Google from 72 reviews.

How working with an online accountant works

1. Book a free consultation. Tell us how your business is set up and what you need. There is no obligation, and you can book a free consultation here.
2. Choose a package. Packages have a fixed monthly price, so you know the cost before you start. You can compare them on our packages page.
3. Get set up in FreeAgent. FreeAgent accounting software is included in every package, worth £360 a year. Your accountant works from the same live figures you see.
4. Stay in touch however suits you. Send a quick question on WhatsApp, book a video call for bigger decisions, or email documents over. Your accountant prepares and files your returns.

What it costs

All prices are monthly, exclude VAT, roll monthly and can be cancelled at any time. Packages come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

If you only need your personal tax return done, a one-off Self Assessment tax return is £198. For a wider look at fees across the market, see how much accounting should cost.

Is an online accountant right for you?

An online accountant tends to suit you if you are comfortable using software to record income and expenses, you would rather send a message than wait for an appointment, and you do not need to meet in person. It also suits businesses that move around or work remotely, because nothing about the service depends on where you are in the UK.

It may suit you less if you want regular face-to-face meetings in your own town. GoForma has no local offices, so all of our work with clients happens online and by phone.

Online accounting and Making Tax Digital

HMRC is moving tax online. Making Tax Digital for VAT already requires all VAT-registered businesses to keep digital records and file VAT returns using software.

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax applies to sole traders and landlords. If your qualifying income, meaning your self-employment and property income before expenses, was over £50,000 for the 2024 to 2025 tax year, you should have started from 6 April 2026. The threshold falls to £30,000 from 6 April 2027 and £20,000 from 6 April 2028. You keep digital records and send HMRC quarterly updates as well as your tax return.

Because an online accountant already works in cloud software with you, these rules change very little about how you work. Read more on Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.

Switching to an online accountant

You can move to GoForma at any point in the year. If you already have an accountant, we contact them for the handover of your records and tax history, a step known as professional clearance, so you do not have to chase them yourself. If you are choosing between firms, our guide on how to find an accountant covers the questions worth asking.

Sole traders can find more on our accountants for the self-employed page, and company directors on our limited company accountants page.