[JonoBB]

You don't need an accountant to sign off your books at this level. Its totally legal to do them yourself, and submit them directly the Companies House and HMRC. Micro-entity accounts should take a few hours a year if you use any of the decent online accounting packages.

[simontrl]

Can you recommend any packages here? I'm considering VAT registration too. I think for the sake for ~£1K/year that can be expensed, having an accountant deal with it and advise here is a no-brainer in terms of time saving and having it done right.

[Nextgrid]

FreeAgent - it handles both CT, VAT, payroll and self-assessment filing for you. Most importantly, it provides you a real-time figure of "how much $$$ can I take out of my company as dividends?" which accounts for all company taxes and liabilities. Pair it with Starling Bank and you have a modern business stack that just works and gets out of your way.

I'd still recommend getting an accountant at least during the first year just so you can learn everything and have an authoritative resource for tax-related questions; you can drop them when you feel confident doing it all yourself.