28 Feb Choosing an accountant – What you need to know

Choosing an accountant – What you need to know

Looking for and choosing an accountant is not a decision that can be taken lightly and in a rush – the accountant you choose will play a very important part in your company and in its growth.

Some of the key criteria you should look in an accountant are:

• Do they have a professional qualification – It is important that you choose an accountant who is qualified (e.g. ACA, ACCA, FCA etc.) and they are a member of a professional body. This will ensure good standards and protection of your company.
• The Accountant should be capable of working efficiently in the software package that your company uses.
• An Accountant will need to understand your business goals and should help you in achieving these goals. They should go extra miles to assist you in your growth rather than merely a processing centre where they just file your tax returns each year.
• Do they offer various services? It will be ideal for you to have one accountancy firm who does everything you need rather than having separate accountancy firms for each job that you need completing. This will be cost effective for you and you will have less hassle.
• The price of an accountant varies from practice to practice. You should shop around but be caution, cheap accountants with extremely low costs may be less than satisfactory. “ As you know, You get what you pay for”
• Experience in your industry – The accountant you choose should have working experience in the industry that you are in so that they can understand your needs and handle your company work efficiently.