What do you want from your accountant/bookkeeper?

Hi Emma

What a great question! Short answer, blood 

Having been burned over the years by a variety of bookkeepers and accountants, I've become quite cynical to claims and abilities.

A lot of accountants will offer (and charge more) for business advice, useful when you are in the early learning days. But from our experience, advice was inconsistent, poor or incorrect. Bookkeepers have also varied in quality, albeit supplied by whatever accountants we used, and a lot seemed to be young trainees or apprentices, so more prone to mistakes and human error.

Our current bookkeeper/accountant is a breath of fresh air, and is everything we want (and expect).

• Regular and consistent onsite book keeping. He could be virtual in theory, but it's nice being able to ask any questions or go through any issues face to face.
• Proactive financial related business advice, eg claiming R&D, making sure we are tax efficient.
• Keeping current on all the latest regulations and walking us through anything that impacts us, such as the recent pensions changes.
• Giving us the confidence we are squeaky clean with HMRC and have no unexpected surprises or worries.
• Last one is cost, because whoever can deliver and give confidence, probably won't be the cheapest.

Does that help?

Hi Steve,

Thanks for taking the time to reply, great feed back thank you.

Apart from the blood bit !  

I'm on a mission for the sole trader, many think they need an accountant to prepare annual accounts and file the tax return for them, however if it's a sole trader (not Ltd), then some bookkeepers offer the very same service and the client could save a few quick! 

It would be interesting to know how much people (sole traders) are paying to have annual accounts/tax returns done for them.

This is all valuable information, as it allows people like me to be able to continue on my mission for flexibility for sole traders!

Thanks 

Hi Steve

Does it depend on if your face fits? I hear so many different good and bad comments from friends, they either say, 'get 1 whos known by a friend or word of mouth, i have had 1 friend say he does it himself because he cant find a decent one. Another said after 4 tries i got a decent one.

At the moment i do the VAT returns myself {god help me}. Friends say Arthur Daly, but i have learnt a great deal, i had to quickly

I Think Consistency might be the word, Sorry if that's blunt but i will be looking for 1 soon will let you know more then.

Hope that helps?

John