Does my wife NEED an accountant?

tyllwyd

Well, if she is confident to fill in the self-assessment form herself, there is no reason why she shouldn't. I'm a sole trader and I've always done my self-assessment myself for much the same reasons as your wife - my turnover is so small that there wasn't any scope for an accountant to save me tax. I think HMRC usually run a workshop for newly self-employed people, so maybe she could phone and ask if there is something similar in your area.

There is lots of time at the moment - perhaps if she gets herself registered to do online self-assessment, she can take her figures and start filling them in to the form (it isn't final until you hit the 'submit' button at the end!) If she makes a start but finds it all too confusing, she's got plenty of time to find an accountant instead.