All businesses / Accountancy practice

Fingerprint: capital · hours · speed to income · margin · ceiling. The dashed line is mid-scale.

Start a accountancy practice: the real numbers

Returns, accounts and advice. Below is what it actually costs, how long before money arrives, and the part most guides leave out.

Startup capital

€3,000–€20,000

Hours / week

25–50

First income

~12 wks

Net margin

70%

Saturation

medium

Realistic ceiling

€2,000–€9,000+

This ceiling is not a wall

The figure above is what this earns in the shape described — you, running it. Past that it keeps going, but by hiring people or adding units, not by you working more hours. That is a different job from the one you would be starting, and worth knowing before you start it.

What nobody usually tells you

Client blocks are bought and sold at one to one-and-a-half times annual fees, so you are building a saleable asset, not just income. It is gated behind a long qualification, and deadline season is genuinely punishing.

The route, in five steps

  1. The qualification and practice licence come first — years, not weeks
  2. Buy a small block of clients if one comes up for sale
  3. Monthly fees, not annual bills, for everything
  4. Specialise in one trade and price on value, not hours
  5. Hire a junior to do compliance so you can do advice

What you'll need to buy

These are the categories every accountancy practice pays for in the first month. We break down what each one actually costs at this size on the tools page.

professional qualificationpractice licencesoftware licencesindemnity insurance

Does it hold up for you?

These numbers are the average case. Whether this business clears your target depends on your capital, your hours and how long you can wait — put them in and see.

Run my numbers → See the tool stack