Steady support through uneven income
Ongoing bookkeeping and organisation that keeps up, whether it's a busy quarter or a quiet one.
Professional Services & Freelance Creatives
Accounting for professional services & freelance creatives.
Designers, writers, marketers and other freelance creatives usually didn't get into the work for the paperwork. Income that swings month to month, expenses that need tracking properly, and a Self Assessment return that has to be right — it all takes time away from the work itself. Buzz gives freelance creatives straightforward, fixed-fee support so tax stops being something to dread.
Irregular income shouldn't mean irregular admin
Freelance work rarely arrives in neat, even instalments. A few big months can be followed by quiet ones, and it's exactly that unevenness that makes it easy to fall behind on bookkeeping, lose track of expenses, or get caught out by a tax bill you weren't expecting. Proper, ongoing support keeps things organised whatever the workload looks like.
What freelance creatives need
Support built around how freelance work actually pays
Self Assessment sorted properly
Your tax return prepared and filed correctly, so you know what's owed well before it's due.
Expenses claimed properly
Kit, software subscriptions, workspace costs and client expenses tracked and claimed correctly.
Explained in plain English
No jargon, no assuming you already know how tax works — just clear answers when you need them.
A dedicated accountant
Someone who gets to know your freelance business rather than treating it as a one-off return each year.
One fixed monthly fee
No hidden extras and no surprise charges every time you have a question — support included as standard.
Who this is for
Built for freelance creatives who want it off their plate
- Designers, writers, marketers and other freelance creatives
- Anyone whose income varies significantly month to month
- Freelancers who want expenses and tax explained clearly, not left to guesswork
- Anyone who wants a fixed monthly fee instead of a surprise bill
- Freelancers who want an accountant they can actually reach when they need to
Frequently asked questions
Common questions from freelancers
How much does it cost?
A fixed monthly figure agreed in writing after a 30-minute discovery call. For most freelance creatives the engagement is straightforward — bookkeeping, the self assessment return, VAT if you are registered — so the quote is simple and the drivers are transaction volume and whether you operate as a sole trader or through a company. FreeAgent is included, worth up to £330 a year, which for a freelancer is a meaningful chunk of the fee back. Questions carry no hourly charge.
How do I handle income that swings wildly month to month?
With a reserve rather than a forecast. Move a fixed percentage of every payment received into a separate tax account on the day it lands — not at the month end, when it has usually been spent — and hold a buffer of two to three months of personal costs on top. The uneven months are not the problem; the problem is that tax, VAT and rent arrive on a schedule that ignores them. That single habit prevents most freelance cash crises, and it needs no software or advice to start.
Why was my first tax bill so much bigger than expected?
Because payments on account land at the same time. In your first full year you pay the tax for that year by 31 January plus a first payment on account for the next year — commonly half the bill again — on the same date, then a second on 31 July. A £6,000 liability can therefore mean £9,000 leaving the account in January. It is timing rather than a penalty, and it is brutal if nobody warned you. If income has genuinely fallen you can apply to reduce the payments, within limits.
What can I claim for kit, software and workspace?
Equipment such as cameras, computers and instruments, software subscriptions, professional insurance, portfolio and website costs, and the business proportion of home working. Where kit is used privately as well, claim the business proportion on a defensible basis rather than a round number. Co-working memberships and studio hire are allowable. Everyday clothing is not, even for on-camera work. Training that maintains an existing skill is generally allowable; training that qualifies you in something new is often treated as capital and disallowed.
Who owns the copyright in work I deliver?
You do, by default, unless you have assigned it in writing — which is the opposite of what most clients assume, and the source of a great many awkward conversations. A licence and an assignment are different things: a licence lets the client use the work on agreed terms, an assignment hands ownership over permanently. Decide deliberately which you are selling and price accordingly, because a full assignment is worth more than a limited licence. Get it in your terms rather than arguing about it after delivery. See legal services.
What do I do about clients who pay late?
Put terms in writing before you start, invoice the day the work is delivered, and chase on a schedule rather than when you notice. You are entitled to statutory interest and fixed compensation on late commercial payments, and simply stating that on the invoice changes behaviour more often than people expect. For persistent offenders, a deposit up front or staged payments is a better answer than a stricter chasing process. A client who reliably pays 70 days late is effectively borrowing from you at your expense.
Accreditations & Partnerships
