Having your tax return done as a freelancer: costs and what you get

What does an outsourced return cost?

For a standalone income tax return most firms charge a freelancer between 150 and 400 euros, depending on complexity and the state of your records. Provide neat, complete records and you are at the lower end of that range. If the bookkeeper first has to process a year of receipts, it goes up.

If you have an ongoing bookkeeper with a fixed monthly rate, the return is often already included. That is the biggest price difference to watch: a standalone fee of a few hundred euros per year can turn out more expensive than a monthly package that also covers your VAT returns and continuous processing.

What do you get in return?

A professional return is more than filling in the form. A good tax advisor checks whether you meet the hours criterion for the self-employed deduction, correctly applies the starter deduction and SME profit exemption, reviews your depreciation and investment deduction and looks at private deductions such as healthcare costs or gifts. Each of those items can save hundreds to thousands of euros.

Just as important: your return is correct. A faulty return can still lead to corrections, additional assessments and tax interest years later. The certainty that it is right is the main reason many entrepreneurs outsource it.

When can you do it yourself?

If your situation is simple, with one income source, few costs and no investments, doing the return yourself is manageable: the pre-filled return gets you far and you add your business profit from your records. The condition is that those records are correct, because the return is never better than the numbers beneath it.

There are also borderline cases: a broken financial year, a home, employment income alongside your business, or a partner with whom you can divide deductions. Precisely in those situations a professional return often saves more than it costs.

Standalone return or ongoing bookkeeper?

A standalone return is a snapshot: the advisor works with a year that has already passed and can only optimise within the facts. An ongoing bookkeeper looks ahead: they spot during the year that an investment can be timed smartly, that your provisional assessment needs adjusting or that you should reserve more. Tax advantage is mainly gained before 31 December, not after.

Rule of thumb: if you do everything yourself and only want certainty on the final piece, a standalone return is fine. If you want year-round insight, no more deadlines and tax opportunities used on time, a fixed monthly package with the return included is almost always the better deal.

What determines the price?

The price mainly depends on the state of your records and the complexity of your situation. A return based on up-to-date books is done quickly; one that first requires processing a year of receipts is not.

• Just an income tax return on delivered figures is cheapest; expect a fixed fee of roughly 150 to 400 euros.
• If annual accounts or a profit calculation must be drawn up too, that adds work.
• A tax partner, an owner-occupied home or multiple income sources make the return more involved.
• With a bookkeeping subscription, the return is often already included in the monthly fee. Check before paying separately.

Frequently asked questions