Insight Report
What 904 answers told us about the state of UK accountancy.
Most surveys ask five questions. We collected 904 from 48 UK firms at Accountex London, May 2026 — then went deeper to find what most miss.
16 pages. 904 answers. Zero fluff.
Every headline below came straight from the data. We've opened a few up — unlock the full guide to read the rest.
The top 37 problems UK firms are worried about.
Ranked by how many firms flagged each — from AI paralysis at the top to cross-border clients at the tail.
Two-thirds of firms don't know where to start with AI.
The single most-picked problem at the show — and it's the smallest firms feeling most lost, not the biggest.
Hiring one person halves your worry list.
Sole practitioners listed 11.1 worries on average. Firms with 2–10 staff averaged 5.9.
Founders carry the biggest burden — and are eyeing the door.
They flag more problems than any other role, and 43% are already thinking about an exit.
Burnout isn't a long-hours problem.
It travels with month-end (1.92×), not with the longest weeks (1.06×). The cause isn't what most assume.
In advisory? You're far likelier to have cashflow problems.
Chase advisory revenue and cashflow worry follows. It doesn't bill like compliance work.
11–50 staff firms are the most operationally broken.
Too big for the founder to hold it all, too small for real systems — they flag more operational pain than anyone.
The messier your data, the harder it is to prove AI paid off.
53% worried about data mess blocking AI were also the most worried about proving its ROI.
6 top worries are fixed by 1 tool: document management.
Chasing records, disconnected stacks, document chaos, slow onboarding — one capability quietly sits under all of them.
Two-thirds don't know where to start with AI.
It was the most-picked problem at the show. And counter to every assumption, it's the smallest firms who feel most lost — not the biggest.
A designed report you'll actually want to read.
Six of the top worries. One root cause.
Look closely and a single capability sits under six of the most-flagged problems — where client documents live, and who can find them.
Read all 904 answers in full.
The complete 16-page report — every ranking, every cut by firm size and role, and the four moves to make in the next 90 days. Free, instant, yours to share.
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