A factual look at how the two firms work: who each is built for, who looks after you, the software, what happens between year ends and how you get a price. Checked on their website on 4 September 2026. If something has changed, email hello@buzzaccounting.co.uk and we will correct it.
TaxAssist Accountants is a franchise network. Each office is a separately owned business trading under the TaxAssist brand, and their site says there are several hundred of them, so the experience depends on the owner of the office near you. Their site leads with face-to-face meetings, a free consultation followed by a fixed-fee quote, and a wide menu that runs from bookkeeping and payroll to personal financial services through a sister company.
Buzz is one firm. The same people, the same software and the same promise whichever office you deal with, and the fee is on the screen before anyone has met you. Both firms will meet you in person; the difference is what sits behind the meeting.
| Buzz Accounting | TaxAssist Accountants | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Owner-managed businesses that want an accountant through the year: sole traders, companies, landlords and partnerships, from the first year to a finance function. | Small businesses, the self-employed, landlords and individuals who want a local accountant to meet in person, according to their site. |
| Who looks after you | A named accountant with a small pod behind them. The same people every time. | The owner and staff of your local franchised office. Their site says each accountant runs their own business under the brand. |
| Where they are | Offices in London, Hertford, Salford, Leigh and Ballymena, with a production team in Pretoria. Meetings in person, by phone, video call or WhatsApp. | A network of local shopfront offices across the UK, with video and phone meetings also offered, according to their site. |
| Software | FreeAgent included, or Xero. Plus the Buzz portal and app, built in-house on Buzz OS. See it. | Their site mentions Xero and QuickBooks, and their own mobile apps. |
| Bookkeeping | Included in the monthly fee, with receipts captured through the app and reviewed by a person. | Offered as a service by the local office, according to their site. |
| Management accounts and advisory | Business Pulse: a budget, a rolling cashflow forecast, management accounts and a meeting every month or quarter. Details. | Their site lists business plans, cash flow management and business insights among the services offered. |
| Coaching | Buzz Coaching, run by the same team, for the owner as well as the business. | Not offered on their site. |
| Other services | Payroll and pensions, CIS, company secretarial, legal support through Buzz Legal, financial planning through our regulated partner, funding introductions. | Payroll, VAT, R&D tax credits, tax investigation cover, auto-enrolment, and personal services including pensions, mortgages and insurance through a sister company, all described on their site. |
| How you get a price | An instant quote on the site that shows the monthly fee and emails the full proposal, which you can accept online. | A free consultation, after which the local office gives a proposal and a fixed-fee quote. Their site does not publish prices. |
| Switching | We write to your old accountant, collect the records and sort HMRC. How it works. | Their site describes switching as simple and handled with the local office's help. |
| Service promise | Most queries answered within one working day, written down on our promise page. | Their site describes free consultations and local service rather than a written response-time commitment. |
Sources: taxassist.co.uk and buzzaccounting.co.uk, read 4 September 2026.
It is written by Buzz, so read it as our view. Every statement about TaxAssist Accountants comes from their own website, read on 4 September 2026, and where they do something we do not, the page says so. If we have got something wrong, tell us and we will correct it.
Both firms publish how their pricing works, and the numbers change. We would rather you saw our fee for your actual business, which the instant quote does in a few minutes, than compare a headline "from" price that may not apply to you.
Yes, at any time of year. We write to them for your records, sort the HMRC authorisation and set you up. The switch is free. How switching works.
