How do I make sure I choose the right accountant?

Choosing the right accountant is critical for your business.  So here’s a list of 10 questions you should ask before you appoint any accountant:

  1. Ask prospective accountants for client testimonials or for the names of reference contacts.
  2. Check the accountant’s qualifications.
  3. Please find out about their relevant experience.
  4. Ask how many clients they have like you.
  5. Ask for a full breakdown of their charges – is their fee fixed or will you be expected to pay any ‘extras’?
  6. How will they ensure your deadlines will be met and that you won’t have to pay fines?
  7. Does a professional body regulate them?
  8. Do they have professional indemnity insurance?
  9. What is their complaints procedure?
  10. Have they had any complaints or been sued in the last 10 years?

Can I work with you no matter where my business is based?

Absolutely.

We’re an online practice so we will work with you using Skype, phone, and email. So you can work with us wherever you are.

What happens to outstanding accounts?

We’re happy to produce any accounts for you which are outstanding when you join us. The maximum we’ll charge will be 12 times the appropriate monthly fee – and often it’s nowhere near as expensive as you think.

If you have a set of accounts outstanding, then we will charge you a maximum of our annual fee (12 x the appropriate monthly fee). We will agree on an affordable payment plan with you for this charge so that your cash flow doesn’t take a battering.

And often the catch-up fee will be less than our annual fee – so drop us an email for a quote.

As an example:

If you join us in September 2014 and have a year-end of March, your March 2014 accounts may need completing. We would charge you a maximum of 12 x the appropriate monthly fee to terminate those accounts – and we will agree on a payment plan with you for this fee. So as an example, we may ask you to pay this fee over the next 3 months ie October, November, and December.

Changing bookkeeping systems is really difficult?

We can’t promise you that the transition to our system will be completely painless. However in the long run you will save hours, days, weeks, months, and years even that you would have otherwise wasted struggling with paperwork.

We also promise to ensure you’re using the easiest bookkeeping system for your business needs. And we will also give you simple step-by-step instructions showing you how to use the system.

And if at the end of your 90-day trial you still decide ‘WorkSmart’ is not for you – you just walk away and we’ll refund every penny you’ve spent with us.

I’m too busy to think about this right now

We totally understand how you feel. A lot of people are under pressure and when you’re trying to run a business it can often seem like there aren’t enough hours in the day.

This is precisely why you need our ‘WorkSmart’ system to help free up more of your valuable time and regain control of your business.

There are cheaper online providers I could choose.

Our fees are about average in our marketplace – we’re cheaper than some firms but more expensive than others.

We can’t compete with the lower end of the market (and neither do we want to). Our fees reflect the knowledge, experience, and expertise of our qualified staff who belong to the gold standard accountancy and tax professional bodies.

So we won’t promise to be the cheapest accountant you’ll find…but we will promise to be the best value.

That’s our promise to you…

And our favorite quote?

The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten (Benjamin Franklin)

My accountant is my brother-in-law.

OK – you’ve got us!

If your accountant is a family member then we can’t compete with that!

Get a personal consultation.

We will take care of your accounting and administrative services.

Free Consultation
+44 757 7415650