whoopsie Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Hi all-knowing people I need to complete my tax return and after getting hopelessly confused doing the last one I have decided to visit an accountant this time. Can anyone advise me what I should look for in an accountant, or what questions I should ask please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan08 Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 My best advice would be to ask for a recommendation from someone you know. I used our company accountant, mainly because the company paid, (they charged £250) They were useless, had my car in as the wrong value in for a couple of years, included expenses as taxable benefits in fact I got that good after checking their mistakes I now do my own! My husband uses a great guy who only charges £150 and is great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welovemarmite Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I agree, do you know anyone who has their own business who can recommend one? I would suggest one that specialises in tax if not. You could look on the Chartered Institute of Taxation and look to see if they have any members in your local area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stehaggan Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 First thing I would check is if they have any qualifications and what they are. You don't actually need any qualifications to call yourself an accountant so unfortunately you can get people who just start to be an accountant. A chartered accountant is the best and ACCA qualified but are usually more expensive but you know that they will do they job right and have the relevant qualifications. What exactly was it that was getting you in a pickle last year? If you aren't VAT registered you will want to check if they are or not. If you aren't then ideally you want one that isn't VAT registered otherwise it will cost you more as you can't get the VAT back. The questions you should ask are what types of clients they have, i.e. are they all small like you or large firms. If you are small you want one whose client base is small as they will have a greater understanding of the work needed. With regard to fees this is always a hard one as each individual has different requirements. Speaking from experience the prices can range from £150 - upto £400ish obviously the higher end are those businesses who have lots of records and have done no bookkeeping at all so it takes longer to do the work. If you have good bookkeeping, preferably on excel and all of your records are in order this should keep your costs down. I think what small businesses like, is the relationship they can build with their accountant. In summary, weigh up what it is you want, cost vs quality and what level of service and contact do you want. I.e a huge shiney office full of accountants or a small one who will give you a good level of service and support. Hope that helps, sorry I don't know any in Kent. ste Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I think Stehaggan has put it perfectly ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoopsie Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 Thank you all so much. I'm not a business but I have a flat that I rent out, so I have to sort out the nitty gritty. I think I did ok with the return last year but I didn't understand some of the jargon, so I just want someone to go through it with me and make sure I declare all the right stuff in the right places. If anything I diddled MYSELF out of money with the last one, but that's a lot better than a nasty letter from the Inland Revenue! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 If it's about being a landlord and making sure you claim enough/pay enough, it may be better to go to a specialist. I belong to a really useful website called Landlordlaw and it has a link to specialist tax advisors. I also get all my tenancy agreements etc from them and have saved mega bucks in avoiding letting agents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadietoo Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Thank you all so much. I'm not a business but I have a flat that I rent out, so I have to sort out the nitty gritty. I think I did ok with the return last year but I didn't understand some of the jargon, so I just want someone to go through it with me and make sure I declare all the right stuff in the right places. The Revenue should offer that service to you free of charge at any of their Enquiry offices...I'm just not sure that I trust them to make sure you are claiming for everything you are entitled to. But if you don't need a set of accounts a tax advisor (rather than ACCA) is all you need to see. The relevant qualifications are ATT and CTA. What you are asking for is routine for most accountants offices and shouldn't cost the earth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoopsie Posted April 14, 2012 Author Share Posted April 14, 2012 Thank you x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
