How do I pay myself?

[Maslins]

But how can you get that from an accountant to whom you just rock up with 50 quid and ask him a question and off you go?

I do think you've got the wrong idea about what accountants do for a contractor, what's available and so on... but.. if that works for you then go for it.

I'm inclined to agree with this...even if the second half of it could possibly be interpreted in a less than positive light towards accountants. The reality is contractor needs aren't typically that complex...but even though it's normally a one person business, it still typically makes sense to register as an employer, for VAT, plus the individual has to do personal tax returns along with the company's accounts/corporation tax/confirmation statement. This is what contractor firms are geared towards, helping you comply with what in reality is a lot of (digital) paperwork, as easily as possible. Hopefully of course they should be able to offer some decent advice/answer your queries along the way as well, rather than it being purely processing.