ac-co vs TaxScouts — which Self Assessment route fits you?
TaxScouts built its name on pairing you with a real accountant who prepares and files for you — it has since rebranded to Taxfix, same service. ac-co takes a different route: software that drafts your return from your bank, accounts and HMRC's own pre-population, which you check once and approve yourself.
TaxScouts has rebranded. As of this page's research date, taxscouts.com redirects to taxfix.com/en-uk, which reads: “TaxScouts is now Taxfix. New name, same trusted service.” The facts below are from the current Taxfix site.
ac-co vs TaxScouts, row by row.
Where we're weaker, we say so. Every ac-co fact comes from our own product pages; every competitor fact comes from their public site, cited below.
| What you get | ac-coSA100 | TaxScouts / Taxfixfrom £99 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £29–£65 per return (50% off until 14 January 2027; full price £59–£129) | From £99 (new-customer rate; full price £169) |
| Free to start | Start free, no card — you pay only when you file | Not stated |
| Files direct to HMRC | Yes | Yes |
| Who reviews before filingThis is Taxfix's core pitch and its main strength over ac-co: a human accountant does the work, not just a review. | You review and approve — not an accountant | A UK-accredited accountant prepares and files it for you |
| Supplementary pages | 11 supported — SA102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 108 (shares & crypto), 109 + more | Not stated |
| MTD Income Tax quarterly updates | Beta — quarterly updates drafted from your ledger, on the waitlist | Separate MTD product for landlords/sole traders, from £4.99/month |
| File it from ChatGPT or Claude | Yes — file from ChatGPT, Claude or Codex (MCP) | Not offered |
| Bookkeeping included | Available — ac-co.books (beta), from £9/month | No |
| Mobile app | No — web app only (works fine in a mobile browser) | Yes — iOS and Android |
| Best for | You want it filed by HMRC-recognised software, drafted from your real accounts, that you check once and approve. | You want a named accountant to do it for you, and don't mind paying more for that. |
Competitor details for TaxScouts are from taxscouts.com (redirects to taxfix.com/en-uk) (opens in a new tab) and taxfix.com/en-uk — homepage & pricing (opens in a new tab), checked on 2026-09-10 — check their site for anything that may have changed since. TaxScouts is a trademark of its owner; ac-co.ai is not affiliated.
Neither is wrong — it depends what you need.
Pick ac-co if you're comfortable connecting your bank, accounts or broker and reviewing a return that's already drafted for you — you stay in control, file the moment you approve it, and pay from £29 rather than £99+.
Pick TaxScouts/Taxfix if you'd rather hand the whole thing to a person: you send over your documents, an accredited accountant prepares and files your return, and you never have to look at a tax form yourself.
No sign-up — see what you'd owe.
The same income tax engine that drafts your SA100 runs here. Nothing is saved unless you start a return.
An estimate from the figures you enter — not a tax calculation or advice. Your final figure comes from your filed Self Assessment return.
What moves across, and what it costs.
From Accountant
- ✓Prior-year return figures, if you send them across
- ✓Your UTR and HMRC login details
ac-co vs TaxScouts — why would I move?
I like having a real accountant do it, not software.
That's Taxfix's core strength, and if you'd rather hand it to a person entirely, it's the right choice. ac-co drafts the return from your real accounts and shows you where every figure came from, but you review and approve it yourself — it's software, not a person.
What if ac-co gets a figure wrong that an accountant would have caught?
Every figure is traceable to its source — your bank feed, your accounts or HMRC's own pre-population — so you can check it before you approve. It's a different safety net to a named accountant reviewing on your behalf, not a replacement for one if that's what you value.
Am I downgrading by moving off an accountant-prepared service?
Not necessarily — you're trading a person filing for you for software that drafts the return and lets you see and check every number yourself, at a lower price. Whether that's a downgrade depends on how much you want someone else to own the decision.
Will I still get help if I'm stuck?
Yes — support is available if something looks wrong, though it isn't an accountant preparing your whole return the way Taxfix's is.
Is £29–£65 really cheaper once everything's included?
Yes on list price — Taxfix's cheapest plan is £99 (new-customer rate) against ac-co's £29–£65 pay-per-file. Taxfix costs more because a person, not just software, does the work.