Frequently Asked Questions
Not all accountants are the same and for many businesses finding an accountant can be tricky. While choosing an accountant can be a difficult process, especially if you are a new business startup, it’s much simpler if you approach it systematically and ask the right questions. As a guide below are a few of the more common questions we get asked by prospective clients considering using our services…
Q: How easy is it to change accountants and why should I change?
A: If your existing accountant is offering you an excellent pro-active service at a fair fee and is available for you then stick with them. However, different accountants will save you different amounts of tax and provide different levels of business advice depending on if there qualified to do so, – Yes some are not.
If your present accountant doesn’t offer the type of service you expect and that we do offer, then changing over to us is relatively easy. It involves just one letter from you and we take care of everything else for you. Your existing accountant is not usually allowed to charge you for providing the normal handover information.
Q: You seem to offer a lot. Are your fees expensive?
A: Good Question ! Traditionally we offer fixed fees linked to the value of what we provide. our fee’s in the beginning can see expensive if you’ve never used a chartered accountant before, you’re paying us for our experience, training and qualifications to know what do to for you and your business, not the time it takes us to do to ( which is what most people think ). Most importantly we never undertake work without agreeing the fee arrangements in advance so you always know where you stand.
Q: I’ve just had my accounts done and don’t need an accountant until next year, so is there any need to contact you now?
A: We can’t over emphasise the importance of tax planning at an early stage, not crisis driven advice. Ideally you do tax planning before the year even starts but after that, the earlier the better. The same is applicable to all areas of advice and we are about helping you change the future, not just reporting what has already happened.
Q: Will you come to visit us for an initial consultation?
A: Yes. It often helps to see your business, books and records, etc at first hand and we are always happy to invest our time without charge to show you what we can do. Of course, if you prefer to visit us, that’s fine too.
Q: When and how soon can you come to see us?
A: When’s good for you? Let us know and we’ll do our utmost to help. If you need to see somebody urgently, we’re always out and about and can arrange to see you very quickly.
Q: Is your fixed quote guaranteed for more than one year?
A: We’re not in the business of providing low quotes just to get your business for the first year and then raising the fees. We want you as a long term client who trusts us to do what we say we will do. We quote what we anticipate to be a fair fee for the value provided and would only anticipate normal inflationary increases if the work stays the same. Very occasionally there may be reasons why the amount of work involved exceeded what was expected but we would sit down and discuss these with you. In some cases, where it is clear exactly what work is involved we can guarantee the fee for more than one year.
Q: You seem to be offering so much that I’m just not used to from my present accountant. How do I know you will deliver?
A: All we can say is that as accountants, you’d expect us to be a bit analytical, which is true. but with over 25 years collective experience in the business, ’00’s of clients just like you, we are specialist in success.. come join us !
Next Step:
Please contact us if you need further advice, have any questions about our services, or would like a free consultation.