Recruiting an accountant for your practice
Prepares accounts and returns for your review, working inside your systems as part of your team.
Typical weekly tasks
- Year-end accounts for sole traders, partnerships and limited companies
- Management accounts
- VAT returns, prepared for your review
- Payroll and RTI
- Corporation tax computation preparation
- Self-assessment preparation
- Keeping Making Tax Digital records up to date in your software
- Clearing review points raised by your team
Compare our two ways to hire to see which fits your practice, or step up to a senior accountant who reviews junior work.
Software
Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, FreeAgent, Dext / Hubdoc, IRIS / CCH / Taxfiler where available. They work in your systems through a named user account.
Who it suits
Practices that need more accounts-production capacity through the year and at the January and year-end peaks.
A good fit for UK accounting, bookkeeping and tax practices with roughly 2 to 50 staff, and for UK businesses with an in-house finance lead who needs more capacity.
What we test
Every accountant sits a practical test set at accountant level. Every technical test is reviewed by a qualified accountant. You see a scorecard for every candidate, not just a CV.
- UK bookkeeping
- Reconciliations
- VAT
- Software (Xero)
A recruiter screens experience, UK client exposure and motivation first, and a communication check covers written and spoken English. Then you interview the shortlist and choose. How our recruitment process works.
Candidate scorecard: Accountant
Illustrative example, not a real person
- Recruiter screening
- Passed
- UK bookkeeping
- 22 / 25
- Reconciliations
- 21 / 25
- VAT
- 22 / 25
- Software (Xero)
- 21 / 25
- Technical test total
- 86 / 100
- Communication check
- Passed
Test reviewed by a qualified accountant. Screening by an experienced recruiter.
Specialisms we recruit at this level
Who you get
ACCA part-qualified or equivalent, with several years of UK practice work and strong written and spoken English.
Example profile: Accountant
Illustrative example, not a real person
- Qualification
- ACCA part-qualified
- UK work
- 4 years of UK practice work
- Software
- Xero, IRIS, QuickBooks
- Technical test
- 86 / 100
- Availability
- Two weeks’ notice
What an accountant costs
Prices exclude VAT. UK business clients account for VAT under the reverse charge.
DigiHyre Dedicated
from£1,100/month
Typical range £1,100–£1,350 a month. We recruit, employ, pay and manage. 3-month minimum, then 30 days’ notice.
Find my accountantDigiHyre Direct
£1,750one-time fee
We recruit and vet; you employ the accountant yourself. No fee until you hire: the one-time fee is invoiced when your chosen candidate accepts your offer. Free replacement within 90 days of their start date.
Find my accountantYear one compared with a UK hire
- UK hire, year one£37,000 salary, employer NIC, 3% pension, £3,000 overheads and a 20% agency fee
- £53,310
- DigiHyre Dedicated accountant, year one£1,100 a month × 12, excluding VAT
- £13,200
- Difference in year one
- £40,110
Illustrative, using the same assumptions as our home page cost card. Employer NIC at 15% above £5,000 (2026 to 2027). Your own figures will differ.
What they can’t do
An accountant prepares the work; your team reviews it and signs it off. They can’t act as your HMRC agent, sign off accounts or take on your professional responsibility. Final review, sign-off and HMRC submissions stay with your firm’s qualified professionals.
That keeps the arrangement simple: you stay in control of quality, and your client relationships stay with your firm.
Bookkeeper, accountant or senior accountant?
| Level | Typical profile | Dedicated from | Direct fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bookkeeper | 1–3 years UK bookkeeping | £750 a month | £1,250 |
| Accountant | Experienced, strong communication, UK practice work | £1,100 a month | £1,750 |
| Senior Accountant | ACCA qualified, 4+ years UK work | £1,500 a month | £2,250 |
A bookkeeper suits day-to-day processing, an accountant suits year-end, VAT and payroll work, and a senior accountant suits full year-end packs and review of junior work. Prices exclude VAT.
Questions about hiring an accountant
How much does an offshore accountant cost?
Through DigiHyre Dedicated, from £1,100 a month (typically £1,100–£1,350), all-in and excluding VAT. Through Direct, a one-time fee of £1,750, invoiced only when you hire, and you pay the salary yourself. See full pricing and terms.
What hours does an accountant work?
Your accountant works 9:00am to 5:30pm UK time, Monday to Friday. In Lahore that’s an afternoon and evening shift, so your working days line up fully, all year round.
Is our client data secure?
Every accountant signs an NDA and works inside your cloud software through a named user account with role-based access, with no local storage of client data. We support you with an International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) and a transfer risk assessment. Read about security and compliance.
What if the accountant doesn’t work out?
Free replacement within 90 days of their start date. The replacement goes through the same screening and technical test as the first hire. How the replacement guarantee works.