Sole traders get treated as an afterthought. Not here.
A lot of accountants build their whole practice around limited companies, and sole traders get squeezed into whatever's left over: a rushed call in December, a template return in January, an invoice for work that never really felt personal. That's not how I work. Sole traders make up a real part of my client base, not a category I tolerate until you're big enough to "graduate" to something else.
What you actually need
Most sole traders don't need a lot. You need your Self Assessment done properly and on time, you need to understand what you can and can't claim, and you need someone who'll pick up the phone when something changes, like a new client, a van, or a bad quarter. I handle all of that under one fixed fee, agreed with you up front, so there's no surprise invoice waiting at the end.
If you want the detail on what that covers, have a look at Self Assessment.
The £1,000 trading allowance
One thing worth knowing early: if your gross trading income is under £1,000 a year, you may not need to register for Self Assessment at all. And even above that, HMRC lets you claim a flat £1,000 trading allowance instead of itemising your actual expenses, whichever works out better for you. For some sole traders with low costs, the flat allowance beats totting up receipts. For others with real overheads, itemising wins by a distance. It depends on your numbers, and I'll tell you which applies rather than defaulting to whichever is easier for me. My expense checker is a quick way to get a feel for where you sit before we even talk.
Come and see me before January, not during it
The sole traders who get the most value from me are the ones I hear from in spring or summer, not the ones who ring in the second week of January with a shoebox of receipts and a deadline three weeks away. Good bookkeeping is a habit, not a scramble: a bit of time each month logging income and costs saves you hours and stress later, and it means I can actually help you plan rather than just file what already happened. Courage and discipline are two of the five principles behind how I work, and you can read about the full framework on my method page. Both matter here: the courage to look at your numbers honestly, and the discipline to do it regularly.
Should I incorporate?
I get asked this a lot, usually by sole traders whose income has crept up and who've heard incorporating saves tax. Sometimes it does. Sometimes the extra admin, the Companies House filings, and the change in how you draw money out mean it isn't worth it yet, or ever, depending on what you're building. I won't give you a stock answer either way. It depends on your income, your plans, and what you actually want your working life to look like, so talk to me and I'll walk through it honestly, including telling you if staying a sole trader is the right call.
Free, no pressure
Book a free discovery call and bring your questions. If you're already well served elsewhere, I'll tell you so. If not, we'll figure out what you actually need.
Book a call or email me at daneon@dfaccounting.co.uk.