Before you pay an accountant: 10 things you can do yourself.

The ten steps

1. Check you've got the right tax year

   The return due on 31 January 2027 covers the tax year 6 April 2025 to 5 April 2026. If your business accounts run to 31 March, HMRC normally accepts them for that tax year, with no adjustment for the five-day difference. If your accounts end on another date, check how the dates work before you start.

   ☐ I know which dates I'm working with

2. Get every bank statement for those dates

   Every account the business money went through: business and personal accounts, credit cards, savings. Download them as PDF or spreadsheet from online banking.

   ☐ All statements, every month, every account

3. List all your income

   Sales, fees, rent, tips, and payouts from apps and platforms such as PayPal, SumUp, Stripe, eBay, Etsy, Vinted or Airbnb. Download each platform's yearly report.

   ☐ One list with every source of income

4. Gather your expense invoices and receipts

   Paper and email. If something is missing, ask the supplier for a copy now, before they get busy too. Keep a note of anything you genuinely can't get.

   ☐ Receipts gathered, missing ones requested

5. Write down your cash

   Cash you took and cash you spent on the business don't show on a bank statement. Write them down with dates and amounts, from your notebook, diary or invoice book.

   ☐ Cash in and cash out listed

6. Separate business from personal

   If you use one account for everything, mark each business item. Personal spending isn't a business expense, even if it's paid from the business account.

   ☐ Every transaction marked business or personal

7. Flag the unusual items

   Loans, money you put in or took out, equipment or vehicles bought or sold, grants, insurance pay-outs, refunds. These are treated differently, so list them separately.

   ☐ Unusual items listed with a short note

8. Match your records to your statements

   Does every payment in and out of the accounts appear in your lists? Does every item in your lists appear on a statement or have a receipt? Tick them off one by one.

   ☐ Records and statements match, or the gaps are noted

9. Make a list of questions and missing information

   Anything you're not sure about, anything you can't find, anything that doesn't add up. A clear list is far quicker for you, or anyone helping you, than guessing.

   ☐ Questions and gaps written down

10. Put it all in one labelled pack

    One folder, paper or digital, with clear names: "Bank statements", "Income", "Expenses", "Cash", "Unusual items", "Questions". Note your UTR (Unique Taxpayer Reference). If you'll file yourself, check you can sign in to your HMRC online account. Never give your HMRC password to anyone, including a bookkeeper or accountant: they should ask you to authorise them through HMRC's official process.

    ☐ One pack, clearly labelled, ready to use or hand over