Hands up all accountants -vent

chrismac1

Here is a tip:

In November I sent out a note to all clients whose tax return had not been submitted. It simply said that as a Contract Variation anyone who brought their books in to me after 15 December would have a temporary 20% price increase. The result of this is that all of the outstanding sets of books showed up before 15 December so all of my existing clients had their tax returns done and dusted before 2011.

The good thing about this is that I've been able to take on as many new clients in January as I can handle. Even though a couple of them only came to me last week I've still submitted the last tax return today. So Monday will be a day in the Lake District high fells for me and not a day of stress.

Cat1

I know the feeling from an HMRC employee perspective..

Them: "I've had this reminder about my tax return"
Me: "Yes, has to be in by 31st Oct on paper or 31st January online"
Them: "I don't know how to use a computer..."
*Bangs head against desk*

Gers

Not an accountant - but I rang the HRMC SA helpline yesterday morning and got a really helpful and chatty woman who sorted me out very quickly even though I hadn't submitted yet.

I suspect that as it was early she would 'weary down' by the end of the day.

Turned out that I had been given an increased tax allowance, based on last years' figures, which I no longer needed. Confusion ended.

Sorry accountants....

Gas_Powered_Toothbrush

That's good advice - always phone as early in the day as possible. Mainly because:
a) If you need to go and do something and call back, you'll have a greater window in which to do it, and
b) There's the possibility you'll get someone on the phone who's not a morning person. But if you phone late afternoon / evening, you WILL get someone who's been suffering the avalanche of calls for multiple hours. And despite efforts, it will wear them down.

laura8417

Surely it's the taxpayer's responsibility to get it in on time, not yours? You can do the work for them but if they are not prepared to bring you the information with ample time, that's not your fault...

Pennywise

Just had my quietest and most stress-free January in 30 years of being an accountant. At first, as a wage slave, I had no choice - the bosses would just pressurise you to do evenings and weekends approaching the tax return deadlines. When I first started my own practice, I took on all comers just to survive financially and ended up working through the night sometimes to meet the deadlines.

For the past few years, I've been getting stricter. I would write at least 3 reminders during the year to remind clients of the deadline and give dates by which I needed their books. Most clients take it on board and brought their books in sooner. Some didn't. At first, I still did their tax returns but noted them for more harsh reminders next year. Next year, some of the late ones brought their stuff in sooner, some didn't but I still bent over backwards for them. a couple of years ago, I beefed up my reminders and said that their tax return "WOULDN'T" be submitted in time if they didn't bring their books to me by a certain date - previously letters had said "MAY NOT BE". I backed this up by telling the late clients when they arrived with their books that the deadline wouldn't be met and giving them a choice of leaving the books and paying HMRC fine or taking them away to give to someone else. No-one left to another firm, they just paid the fines. This year, I've done the same, funny thing is most of the late ones brought their books in sooner and avoided the fine. The last few stragglers have again been told they'll miss the deadline and will pay the HMRC fine - they really don't seem to be bothered and seem to accept it!

I wish I'd been a lot stricter a lot sooner. I've been nearly killing myself every January for years only to find out, by experience, that instead of using kid-gloves, if I'd been stricter with clients from the start, they'd have dealt with their end of things a lot quicker. By bending over backwards for them, they got the impression that it didn't matter and that I'd always sort them out however late they were. The other thing I do is not accept any excuses at all - whatever the reasons for being late, genuine or not, I stick to my guns. If the client has proper "reasonable excuse" then they can appeal against HMRC late submission fines.

chrismac1

Well done Pennywise for pro-actively managing your way out of this hole. Also, no accountant can tell me they do their best possible accounts and tax return with a gun to their head, working late hours to beat the deadline. Not only that, it is statistically more likely that persistent late filers and persistent "just in time" filers get an enquiry.

I think you could get your late filers sorted by writing to them next year saying they'll get a 20% price rise if they don't show up before 15 December. This worked a treat for me. I have several clients I've won off other local accountants who have had their tax return filed on time for the FIRST ever time. The £100 fine was in all cases going to cost them less than the 20% price hike so it quite simply made financial sense for them to sort things out in November and call round with the books. I doubt if I'll even come close with them this year as they've all said how the whole process was much less stressed for them to. It's a win-win.

inkslinger

You all need me as a client. Mine go to the accountant May at the latest. All filed, Petty cash all logged for him, All income logged onto sheets. My accountant really does think Im a very good customer. I repay him by doing this to make his life stress free from me because he really is an outstanding accountant!

Pennywise

Just had an email from someone at 9.15 this morning asking me to do her SA tax return and mentioning that she's only available this morning to lunchtime as she's going out for the afternoon.

So, basically, she expects me to drop everything and burst a gut to do her tax return in just 3 hours.

Does she really think that I don't have any appointments this morning and that I don't have plans and promises to do other work? She's only had 10 months to get it sorted out but leaves it to the last 3 hours!!!!

Needless to say, I emailed back to say no.

liam8282

Just a thought about this thread, quite a few accountants complaining they don't have enough time to do tax returns etc.

Yet, they do have time to go on the internet and post comments on here!

I too am an accountant, but luckily enough everything I needed to do is now done!