IT and Computer Consultants
IT / Computer consultants and freelance contractors
Many computer consultants and IT support consultants operate as independent sole traders. Before you begin your own business journey, it is worth taking advice about your options before you start, including options for tax planning and whether you are likely to have IR35 status.
Contracting and freelancing through your own company can offer attractive benefits: flexibility, independence and tax planning advantages but there are also downsides, including administration, paperwork, the lack of holiday or sick pay and reduced security.
At Cartwrights we provide proactive tax advice and accountancy services for computer and other freelance contractors and those who choose to work through their own limited company. This includes initial advice about your options.
We will offer you a free initial consultation to get you off to the right start, taking you through everything you need to know about running your own business – including managing your accounts, taxation, and the advantages and disadvantages of operating as a limited company and how these issues can affect and improve your personal finances.
If you then decide you go ahead, we can also assist you with the formation of your limited company. For the ongoing administration of your company we offer a fixed monthly fee which includes the following:
• Year-end accounts
• Corporation tax return
• Payroll
• Completion of VAT returns
• Completion of Annual Return
• Personal taxation
• Dealing with HMRC and Companies House
• General advice and assistance
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Latest news from [Company name]
UK businesses are facing a “cost of business crisis”, according to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). Its new cost-stack calculator shows government policy alone has pushed up an average firm's expenses by 70% over the past decade, adding roughly £827,000 a year in costs for a typical mid-sized business. About a quarter of the rise stems from the increase in employer National Insurance contributions, with the higher minimum wage and mandatory pension auto-enrolment also major contributors.
Under Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax, sole traders and landlords with income of more than £50,000 have been required to keep digital records and send quarterly updates to HMRC since 6 April 2026.
The UK jobs market showed fresh signs of strain in the latest labour market figures, published by the Office for National Statistics on 18 August 2026.
Those who have turned their hobby into a side hustle are being reminded by HMRC that their income from these activities may be taxable.