What you should expect from your accountant is prompt answers to your questions, regular contact through the year and year end work turned round well before the deadline, not in the last days of January. In return, they need your records on time. If you handed everything over in April and heard nothing until your tax bill arrived in late January, that is not a reasonable service.
Watch Graham talk this through: see the video on LinkedIn
Everyone wants everything now
We have all got used to things arriving straight away: food delivered within the hour, a taxi at the tap of a button, answers to questions in seconds. Graham points out that this has changed what people expect from professional services too.
Accountancy does not work like ordering a takeaway. Some jobs take time to do properly. But that is not an excuse for leaving clients in the dark, and expectations on both sides need to be clear from the start.
What your accountant needs from you
At Wessex Commercial, the main thing we ask of clients is the information we need, when we ask for it. Late or incomplete records are the most common reason work is held up.
- Bank transactions and records kept up to date, ideally in Xero
- Receipts and invoices captured as you go
- Year end information sent soon after the year closes
- Quick answers to our questions, so we can finish the job
Our guides to good bookkeeping and getting the most out of Xero explain how to keep your records up to date without it taking over your week.
What you should expect from your accountant
- Regular contact through the year, not just at year end
- Prompt answers to your questions
- A clear timescale for each piece of work once you have sent everything
- No surprises: you should know your tax bill well before it is due
A good accountant should also tell you what is coming up. That includes deadlines, payments on account and any changes that affect you, such as Making Tax Digital.
The self-assessment dates that matter
For self-assessment, the tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April. The key dates that follow are:
- 5 October: register for self-assessment if you need to file for the first time
- 31 October: deadline for paper returns
- 31 January: deadline for online returns, and for paying the tax due for the year just ended plus any first payment on account for the next year
- 31 July: second payment on account
Payments on account catch many people out. HMRC asks for two advance payments towards next year’s bill, each half of the last year’s bill, unless that bill was under £1,000 or more than 80% of your tax was already taken at source. In your first year, that can mean paying the full bill for last year plus the first payment on account on the same day, one and a half times the bill in one go.
A warning sign worth knowing
Graham has heard from prospective clients who sent their self-assessment information to their accountant in April or May, then heard nothing until the return and the tax bill arrived on 30 January, the day before the deadline.
That leaves no time to plan for the payment, check the figures or ask questions. The 31 January deadline is for filing the return and paying the tax, often including a first payment on account for the following year. Finding out the day before is a risk, not a service.
Two things often make the bill bigger than expected: crypto gains that were not reported, and income that has crossed the £60,000 or £100,000 thresholds. Both are easier to plan for if the return is done early.
If your information went in by the summer, there is no reason the return cannot be finished in the autumn. You then have months to plan the payment rather than one day.
What affects how long the work takes
There is no single right turnaround for every job. A simple self-assessment return with complete records can be done quickly. Company accounts with missing paperwork, a new property or a change in how you trade take longer. What matters is that you are told how long it will take once your accountant has everything, and that they keep to it.
The most common causes of delay are missing bank statements, receipts that have not been matched to transactions and questions that go unanswered. Most of these sit with the client, which is why a clear list of what is needed, sent early, saves time on both sides.
If your accountant is not responding
- Put your question in writing and ask for a date by which you will hear back.
- Ask who else in the firm can help if your usual contact is busy or away.
- If a deadline is close, ask directly whether the work will be filed on time.
- If the pattern continues, you can move. A new accountant will contact your old one for the information they need to take over. See it’s not easy changing accountant and how to pick the right small business accountant.
Making Tax Digital changes the rhythm
From 6 April 2026, sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000 (their income from self-employment and property before expenses) have to use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. That means keeping digital records and sending HMRC an update every quarter, with the first due by 7 August 2026. The threshold falls to £30,000 from April 2027 and £20,000 from April 2028.
For anyone in the scheme, a once-a-year conversation with your accountant is no longer enough. Records need to be kept up to date through the year, which makes regular contact more important on both sides. Our Making Tax Digital guide explains what you need to do.
Questions to ask your accountant
- How quickly do you usually reply to emails and calls?
- If I send everything this month, when will I have my figures?
- Will I hear from you between year ends?
- Will you tell me about payments on account and other deadlines before they are due?
- Who do I contact if my usual person is away?
If the answers do not match what you get, it may be time to ask whether your accountant knows your goals at all.
Glossary
Self-assessment: The system for reporting income to HMRC that is not fully taxed at source, such as self-employed profits, rent or dividends.
Tax year: The period the return covers, from 6 April to the following 5 April.
Balancing payment: The tax still owed for a tax year after any payments on account. It is due on 31 January.
Payments on account: Two advance payments towards next year’s tax bill, each half of the last year’s bill, due on 31 January and 31 July.
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: HMRC’s scheme requiring digital records and quarterly updates for sole traders and landlords over the income limit.
Qualifying income: For Making Tax Digital, your income from self-employment and property before expenses are taken off.
Year end: The last day of the period your accounts or tax return cover.
Related reading
- Own Crypto? HMRC Knows. Here’s What You Need to Report
- The £60k and £100k Tax Traps: When Earning More Leaves You Worse Off
- Making Tax Digital: A Small Business Guide
- It’s Not Easy Changing Accountant
- Pick the Right Small Business Accountant
Want an accountant who keeps in touch?
We work with clients through the year, not just at year end. Book a free chat to see how we could work with you.