in need of an accountant - suggestions please!!

t1nkerbell_2

Hi,

I have a small business and i need an accountant to help me with tax returns, payroll, book keeping and such like, does anyone know of a good accountancy firm that i could try?? The business is only small and i am not sure whether all accountants will even take me on. I have been told about one company called TaxAssist but i've never heard of them and i know nothing about them so i really don't know what to do. Has anyone got any advice for me??

Thanks,

BlondeHeadOn

There are several things you could try:

1. Ask friends/other small business owners that you know for recommendations of their accountants

2. Contact BusinessLink:
http://www.businesslink.gov.uk
or the Small Business Network:
http://www.smallbusiness.co.uk/
as they have lots of advice on financial issues - and they are free!

3. Look in the Yellow Pages, and ring around some accountants that look possibles - and get them to meet with you and give you a quote for the work you want doing. Or type 'find an accountant' into Google, and you will get loads of links!

Whichever method you choose I should meet and get quotes from at least 3 accountants/comopanies, because the fees can vary a lot - I have just switched accountants for my small business because I doscovered I could get the same service for nearly half price! So do shop around.

Hope this helps.

fengirl_2

To add to the above, choose a local accountant - one that you can easily go and see if you have a problem.

talkinpeace

OP
In the backwater called eBay you will find my user name with a "me" page next to it.
There is a section in there about how to choose an account

basic = local and somebody who you feel you can trust.

Lavendyr

We hired an accountant back when the business only had two full-time employees (myself and the MD).

To find a chartered accountant, look in the local Yellow Pages or ask friends/nearby businesses who they use, and simply contact them direct. Most will offer a free meeting to begin with to assess your needs and see if they can help you, so take advantage of this and meet as many as you can to get an idea of who's the best fit for you - some accountants will be better suited than others. In our experience a small local accountancy firm has been far better suited to our business than a large one.

Find out how much their bookkeeping services are, since it might be more cost-effective for you to also look into hiring someone part-time to fulfil these roles, who will then liaise with the accountant on, say, a six-monthly basis to tie up any loose ends.

Cook_County

I have written extensively on this subject for several publications:

1. Recommendations from friends are usually best (eg people you know via your local business networking efforts)

2. Ask (do not be shy!) what professional qualifications each person has who will be looking after you (since none are legally required, but most of us would prefer someone who is a member of a professional body so we know they are licenced, insured, undertake continuing education and indeed have not been thrown out of a professional body!).

3. Ask if they specialise in your kind of business.

4. Ask how long they have been in business.

5. Ask if fees are fixed or based on time.

6. Above all, decide if you get on with them!

Good luck

hotlotz

Do not under any circumstances use Tax Assist. I had the unfortunate experince of being with them for a year, it would take me too long to fully explain how bad they are.

I was repeatedly (and I mean every time) lied to about when things would be done by.
The work was often inacurate and not what I asked for (one employee got a pay slip saying they were paid £200 an hour, i asked if they thought this was likely!)
There were fines from the Inland Revenue (incorrectly applied) that Tax Assist just ignored until I chase them, had I not I would just have been fined and they done nothing.
They over charged and then did not refund what was due to be returned, until I pointed out I had an invoice for work they had just not done, and would take them to court.
This is the best bit (and I have massively shortened the explanation of how bad they are, you could write a book) when I did get a partial refund, the cheque they sent me BOUNCED! Not once but twice. Which for an accountancy firm is incredible.

I will happily say they are incompetant, lying, con artists who knowingly over charge and will do everything possible to rip you off. I would be very happy for them to try to sue me for slander as in a court I would prove that they are and win, i still have the bounced chq returned from my bank.

TaxAssist_Accountants

Hi Hotlotz,

This sounds very much like an isolated case. Please contact us and we can review this for you. For some reason if I post contact details on here is rejects my post so please visit the site for contact info.

Many thanks

James Mattam

Savvy_Sue

James, you need to familiarise yourself with the site's policy on

ADVERTISING

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: Sorry, this site is free of advertising and we ask people not to advertise their own services/websites/ebay sales (please see this rule). I have asked Board Guides to move any they see. If you have any questions about this policy please email [Removed by Forum Team]

evelyn-b_2

But was James actually advertising? I was under the impression he was responding to negative comments about his organisation and offering to help sort out hotlotz's problem. I have an idea that Taxassist is a franchised operation (I'm sure I did some temp work for one of their offices some years ago but I'm not an accountant just a clerical/teamaking drone!) so one office may have an entirely different ethos - is that the right word? -from another. I know I worked for a lovely couple of people but they were approaching retirement then so I'm afraid I can't help the OP with a recommendation.

Savvy_Sue

His previous posts were removed because he was advertising in them. That's why I suggested familiarising himself with the site's policy. He can also, of course, contact [Removed by Forum Team] to clarify what is and is not acceptable.