Is a subject ive never really understood the accountant I use wants £350:to do my return in april
It it difficult to do yourself in laymens terms all it really is is earnings minus expenses then you have to give away 20 % of whats left
Is it a minefield or is it a easy process to do yourself
It is fairly easy to do yourself, especially if you keep meticulous records of your expenses (and earnings) each month. However, you need also to keep a handle on your capital expenditure e.g. van, wfp equipment etc so you can use the appropriate capital allowances to write off against tax.
An accountant is useful not only in doing your tax returns but also preparing your annual accounts (profit & loss and balance sheet). The latter are useful to establish a financial record for if and when you need to prove your earnings etc for a mortgage, loan, credit card application etc etc.
£350 sounds a bit pricey to me, although when I was looking for an accountant I was being quoted anything from £250-£400 until I found a guy who'd do it for £120 inc VAT. But for that they need your books to be up to date and probably available electronically, say on Excel spreadsheets...