GoSimpleTax vs Accounted: Self Assessment Compared

When it comes to filing your self-assessment tax return, two platforms regularly come up in conversation: GoSimpleTax and Accounted. Both help UK taxpayers file their returns correctly and on time, but they take fundamentally different approaches to the problem. GoSimpleTax is a tax filing tool. Accounted is a complete accounting platform with an AI bookkeeper called Penny.

In this comparison, we examine both platforms in detail to help you decide which one is right for your situation.

What GoSimpleTax Does

GoSimpleTax is designed to do one thing well: guide you through your self-assessment tax return. The platform walks you through each section of the return, asking questions in plain language and calculating your tax liability as you go. It supports self-employment income, rental income, capital gains, foreign income, and most other supplementary pages.

The interface is clean and focused. You enter your figures, GoSimpleTax calculates your tax, and you submit directly to HMRC. It is HMRC-recognised and has been helping people file returns for several years.

GoSimpleTax is particularly popular with people who have relatively simple tax affairs but do not feel confident filling in the HMRC forms directly. The guided approach reduces the risk of errors and missed sections.

Pricing is based on the tax year and the supplementary pages you need, typically ranging from £40 to £85 for a complete return. This is a one-off annual cost rather than a monthly subscription.

What Accounted Does

Accounted is a full accounting and tax platform designed for sole traders and freelancers. It handles day-to-day bookkeeping, expense tracking, receipt scanning, VAT, MTD quarterly submissions, and self-assessment filing — all through Penny, the AI bookkeeper who works via WhatsApp.

Unlike GoSimpleTax, Accounted is not just active at tax return time. It works throughout the year, categorising your transactions, tracking your income and expenses, and calculating your tax liability in real time. When January arrives, your self-assessment return is largely already done because Accounted has been preparing it all year.

Accounted's pricing is a monthly subscription that includes everything. There are no per-return charges or supplementary page fees. Visit our pricing page for current rates.

Feature Comparison

Day-to-Day Bookkeeping

GoSimpleTax: Does not offer bookkeeping. It is a filing tool, not an accounting platform. You need to track your income and expenses separately (in a spreadsheet, another app, or manually) and then enter the totals into GoSimpleTax at year end.

Accounted: Handles bookkeeping throughout the year. Bank feeds import your transactions automatically, Penny categorises them, and receipt scanning captures expenses as they happen. By the time you need to file, your records are complete.

For sole traders who want ongoing financial management, this is a significant difference. GoSimpleTax requires you to do the bookkeeping work elsewhere; Accounted does it for you.

Receipt Scanning

GoSimpleTax: Does not include receipt scanning. You need a separate tool or method to capture and store receipts.

Accounted: Penny scans receipts via WhatsApp, extracting the date, amount, supplier, and VAT automatically. Receipt images are stored digitally, meeting HMRC's record-keeping requirements.

Tax Calculations

GoSimpleTax: Calculates your tax liability as you enter figures into your return. The real-time calculation is helpful and shows exactly what you will owe. However, this calculation only happens when you sit down to do your return.

Accounted: Provides real-time tax estimates throughout the year. At any point, you can ask Penny how much tax you are likely to owe, and she will give you a current figure based on your year-to-date income and expenses.

This year-round visibility is crucial for financial planning. Knowing in October that you will owe £5,000 in January is far better than discovering it in January when you sit down to file.

MTD Compliance

GoSimpleTax: Has been developing MTD features, but its core strength remains annual self-assessment filing. The platform is adapting to the quarterly submission requirements, though it was not originally designed for ongoing record-keeping.

Accounted: Is built for MTD from the ground up. Quarterly submissions, digital record-keeping, and End of Period Statements are all handled natively.

According to HMRC's MTD overview, sole traders earning above £50,000 must submit quarterly updates from April 2026. This fundamentally changes the requirements for tax software.

For more on how MTD works, see our Making Tax Digital complete guide.

Supplementary Pages

GoSimpleTax: Excels here. It supports virtually every supplementary page on the self-assessment return, including SA102 (employment), SA103 (self-employment), SA105 (property), SA106 (foreign), SA108 (capital gains), and more. If you have complex tax affairs with multiple income sources, GoSimpleTax handles them comprehensively.

Accounted: Focuses on the most common scenarios for sole traders: self-employment income, expenses, and basic property income. It does not currently cover the full range of supplementary pages that GoSimpleTax does.

For taxpayers with straightforward self-employment income, Accounted covers everything needed. For those with complex returns involving foreign income, capital gains, and employment alongside self-employment, GoSimpleTax offers broader coverage.

Support

GoSimpleTax: Offers email support and has a knowledge base. There is no live chat or phone support on the basic plan. Tax experts are available for an additional fee.

Accounted: Penny provides instant answers to tax questions via WhatsApp. For complex issues, the human support team is available. The combination of AI and human support means you get quick answers for routine questions and expert help when needed.

Pricing Analysis

The cost comparison is not straightforward because the pricing models differ:

GoSimpleTax charges a one-off annual fee (typically £40-85 depending on complexity). If you only need to file a self-assessment return once a year and you handle your bookkeeping separately, this is very affordable.

Accounted charges a monthly subscription that covers everything: bookkeeping, receipt scanning, tax estimates, MTD submissions, and self-assessment filing. The annual cost is higher than GoSimpleTax alone, but you are getting significantly more.

The real comparison is: GoSimpleTax plus whatever you spend on bookkeeping, receipt management, and tax planning tools versus Accounted, which includes everything. When you factor in the time saved by not doing manual bookkeeping, Accounted often works out cheaper on an effective hourly rate.

Who Should Choose GoSimpleTax

GoSimpleTax is the better choice if:

• You have a complex tax return with multiple supplementary pages (capital gains, foreign income, employment alongside self-employment)
• You already have a bookkeeping system you are happy with
• You prefer to pay once per year rather than monthly
• You do not need ongoing tax estimates or receipt scanning
• Your self-employment income is below the MTD threshold and you only need to file annually

Who Should Choose Accounted

Accounted is the better choice if:

• You are a sole trader or freelancer who wants one tool for everything
• You want AI-powered bookkeeping that works throughout the year
• You need MTD-compliant quarterly submissions
• You want real-time tax estimates, not just year-end calculations
• You prefer WhatsApp-based interaction over traditional software interfaces
• You want receipt scanning included without a separate tool

For a broader look at how Accounted compares to other platforms, see our FreeAgent vs Xero vs Accounted and best accounting software for sole traders 2026 guides.

The Verdict

GoSimpleTax and Accounted serve different needs. GoSimpleTax is an excellent filing tool for people who already manage their records and just need help with the return itself. It is affordable, accurate, and covers a wide range of tax scenarios.

Accounted is a complete financial management platform that happens to include self-assessment filing. It is designed for sole traders who want to automate their entire accounting workflow, from daily bookkeeping to annual tax filing.

As the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group notes, many self-employed people overpay tax because they miss allowable expenses. A year-round accounting tool like Accounted captures deductions that a once-a-year filing tool cannot.

If you are ready to move beyond annual filing to year-round financial clarity, sign up for Accounted and let Penny take the stress out of your tax.

See how Accounted compares to Xero, Sage, QuickBooks and more — and why sole traders are switching. See the full comparison →