Can you remember

Can you remember that series of adverts that the Institute of chartered Accountants made some while back? How you can always trust Chartered Accountants to get it right and that you should never trust any other accountant when it comes to your business? (not those exact words, but that was pretty much the gist of it).

Well I didn't agree with it then and I do even less now. looking through the records of a new client I've discovered that the high priced Chartered Accountants she used previously had completed the partnership accounts, completed the partnership tax return and then made no mention of a partnership on the clients personal tax return! submitting an incorrect return on the clients behalf.

I've always been at odds with the institute, ever since qualifying over 25 years ago, and this is just one of a very long list of mistakes that I've come across - most made by qualified accountants who should know better.

When it comes to choosing an accountant just remember these points:-

1  A big office only guarantees you a big bill.

2  You need to check out who you'll be working with - You should never have to pay for meeting with a prospective accountant.

3  There is no excuse these days for any 'surprise' bills - any decent accountant will be able to give you a fixed fee within certain parameters.

4  Every business needs help/advice from time to time - So its reasonable to expect an amount of support from your accountant without being charged. The more free support you can get, the better that accountant is going to be for your business.

5  Ask the accountant for the name/phone/email of someone who also uses them and will recommend them. If you're a big company then it wants to be another big company, if you're self employed then it wants to be another small business (the accountancy requirements of big and small businesses are very different).

6  Ask the prospective accountant what size of businesses they will deal with - if they mention medium/large businesses then their services will probably not suit you if you have a small business (you end up as the 'poor cousin') - on the other hand, if you have a larger business then an accountant that deals mainly with small businesses will probably not have the services/support that you need.

I could go on and on, but you have probably got the gist by now - in short, an accountant should be willing to fit into what YOU want and need, they shouldn't expect you to work to suit them.

As an example, if you're a plumber, don't use a computer very much and they try to get you to use Sage Line 50… then they're not even considering your needs - if on the other hand they suggest a very simple spreadsheet or similar, then they are likely to be attuned to your needs.

Les Robinson