Freelancers & contractors

One accountant for the whole of your working life, wherever it takes you.

Freelancers move: between clients, between contract and employment, and increasingly between countries. The tax position moves with them. We keep the company or sole-trade books, file the returns in whichever country applies, and plan the year while it can still be changed.

01Where it goes wrong

Four mistakes we fix in the first month.

01

IR35 assumed away

Working through a personal company does not settle status. The client decides, and an inside determination changes the whole economics.

02

Quarterly MTD arriving unnoticed

Sole traders over £50,000 file quarterly from April 2026. Those still on spreadsheets have a software decision to make now.

03

The move abroad handled badly

Leaving the UK for Dubai mid-year triggers split-year rules, residence tests and the question of where the company is now managed from.

04

Tax paid late because it was never estimated

Self Assessment payments on account in January and July catch first-year freelancers every time.

02What we do instead

Built for the sector, not adapted to it.

  • Company or sole-trade bookkeeping on a simple monthly plan
  • Self Assessment, corporation tax and the salary-dividend planning between them
  • IR35 status review on every contract, with the disagreement process where needed
  • MTD for Income Tax setup and quarterly updates
  • Residence and split-year advice when you move, and the return in the new country
  • US 1040 and Schedule C, or UAE freelance permit accounting, as applicable
04Questions
Sole trader or limited company?

Below roughly £30,000 of profit a sole trade is simpler and the tax difference is small. Above that, a company usually saves tax and limits liability, at the cost of more filings. The employer NI changes in 2025 narrowed the gap; we run your numbers.

I am moving to Dubai. Can I keep my UK company?

You can, but if you manage it from the UAE it may become UAE-resident for tax, and the UK will treat your departure as a possible exit event. Usually a clean close or a new UAE freelance permit or company is simpler. We plan the move before you book the flight.

Talk to someone who has done freelancers & contractors books before.

Thirty minutes, no pitch deck. Tell us the entities and the countries, and we will tell you honestly what applies and what it costs.