In-house vs outsourced accounting
Hiring an accountant or outsourcing the work? Here's how the two compare for a UK practice.
What's included
Deciding between employing another accountant and outsourcing the work? Both add capacity, but they differ sharply on cost, flexibility, cover and risk. Here's an honest comparison to help you choose — or combine both.
Cost
In-house: salary £35k–£55k plus employer NI, pension, desk and software. Outsourced: pay per job or per resource, with no on-costs or idle time.
Flexibility
In-house: fixed cost through quiet months. Outsourced: scale up in peaks and down in lulls.
Cover
In-house: holidays, sickness and turnover leave gaps. Outsourced: cover is built in and the work keeps moving.
Control & quality
In-house: you supervise directly. Outsourced: a dedicated manager supervises and every job is reviewed before it reaches you.
Risk
In-house: recruitment, HR and employment liability. Outsourced: no contracts, HR or tribunal risk.
Ramp-up
In-house: weeks to hire and train. Outsourced: start in days.
Why practices hand this to us
You keep the client and the relationship. We do the production work — inside your software, reviewed before it reaches you.
The upside
- Outsourcing wins for variable workloads, seasonal peaks and fast scaling.
- In-house can suit steady, high-volume work you want fully under one roof.
- Many practices do both — a core team plus outsourced overflow.
- Job-based, hourly or a dedicated resource — you choose.
Related outsourcing services
In-house vs outsourced — your questions answered
Is outsourcing cheaper than hiring?
Do we lose control by outsourcing?
Can we combine in-house and outsourcing?
Add qualified capacity — without hiring
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