Accountants

alm721

I am thinking of parting company with our accountant for a number of reasons but am unsure what to look for in finding another. My hubby works as a sole trader and is in retail. Currently our accountant does the year end stuff plus self asessments but I feel they are charging quite a lot for not a great service. etc So how do you find a good one, or if anyone has any recommendations in the Hull area I'd be grateful.

Thanks

TM1976

You might find his thread useful:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=2147185

nickj_2

i am in the process of changing my accountants who are very expensive and charge by the hour
the accountants i'm changing to charge a set monthly fee no matter what they have to do , they are £400 cheaper than my present accountant , www.yorkshireaccountancy.co.uk/#

alm721

Thanks for the replies, going to read the other thread now and can I ask what they charge the monthly fee for? I only get them to do the year end accounts and self assessment so only use them once a year so not sure how this would work?

TM1976

alm721 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies, going to read the other thread now and can I ask what they charge the monthly fee for? I only get them to do the year end accounts and self assessment so only use them once a year so not sure how this would work?

Just looking at the link above I would say they are bookkeepers rather than accountants which is why they charge a monthly fee for doing your accounts. What is means is they charge you a fee for doing your books every month.

Also they aren't linked to any professional body like ICAEW or ACCA so you aren't getting the services of a qualified accountant.

nickj_2

i think yorkshire accountancy have a set fee for their services
if you fill in this quote , they will give you a set price for their services http://www.yorkshireaccountancy.co.uk/quote.php

dharm999

alm721

Speak to other people that use accountants to get a recommendation, as that is usually the best way. Make sure when you meet these accountants that you are clear as to what you will do and what you want them to do, as that will make it easy for you to compare the charges you get quoted. Also, in my view, go with one you feel comfortable with, even if they cost slightly more than others, as you are hoping that this will be a long term business relationship, and its important that you get on with them.

HTH
dharm999

pitkin2020

As above really, you need to find someone you feel comfortable with and you can put some trust into, generally those accountants are worth paying a little extra for.

pastmybest

I am not an expert but have used many different accountants over the years and will say this.

1) Meet several before making a decision.

2) Insist of getting an idea of what will be covered and what will be charged. I have found most will try and skirt around this aspect.

3) Only ever use one with who you can speak to a few of their happy clients.

And finally bear in mind the charges, for exactly the same work, can be double or even more from the cheap to the dearest. And it is not a case of you get what you pay for it is more a case of some (not all) accountants will get as high a fee as they can.