Firstly, I have been reading the accounting forums for a couple of days now so I hope I am not duplicating. I can so far summarise my research as follows : -
There appear to be two main categories of (on-line or non-local) accountants
1.) Established "local" companies that have specialised in Contractor accounting (NW ans SJD being the 2 main ones that are active on the forums)
2.) Online accounting firms who have developed web based software who generally rely on moderate to highly experienced contractors who want a mostly self service approach (Crunch, Intouch and Clever Accountants being the main and active ones on the forums).
The pro's and cons' of these two categories as I have understood them from the forum postings are as follows :-
1.) You get face time or talk time with an "actual" accountant, they are (generally) pro-active and appear to provide a better quality of advice. They have less fancy software and rely more on spreadsheet based book keeping. Though they will happily interface with 3rd party online software (freeagent / xero)
2.) You get access to competent online web based software, that is intuitive and graphically rich with a real-time view of your accounts. You have to keep the software up to date to get most of the benefits. You may have to research the answers supplied by non-accountants and this appears to suit more experienced or pro-active business owners.
I am a new business starter (first month of trading) and although I am capable of researching and understanding the various tax positions I do not want or have the time to do so as I am busy earning a living (sound familiar). I am leaning towards NW or SJD as a new business starter and will want a greater degree of assistance in the early years.
And now finally to the question.
Ideally I would like the Crunch web based software with the NW/SJD reputation for solid accounting. I see that NW have launched "Vantage" as their on-line web base offering. It is clearly new and so I would welcome reviews from anyone who has used Vantage, especially if they are able to compare against Crunch et al or Freeagent et al?
I will just add that I applaud the account companies that have an active presence on the forums this has been factored into my decision as they at least care enough to monitor what the great unwashed think of their services. Keep up te good work!
Thanks in advance
There appear to be two main categories of (on-line or non-local) accountants
1.) Established "local" companies that have specialised in Contractor accounting (NW ans SJD being the 2 main ones that are active on the forums)
2.) Online accounting firms who have developed web based software who generally rely on moderate to highly experienced contractors who want a mostly self service approach (Crunch, Intouch and Clever Accountants being the main and active ones on the forums).
The pro's and cons' of these two categories as I have understood them from the forum postings are as follows :-
1.) You get face time or talk time with an "actual" accountant, they are (generally) pro-active and appear to provide a better quality of advice. They have less fancy software and rely more on spreadsheet based book keeping. Though they will happily interface with 3rd party online software (freeagent / xero)
2.) You get access to competent online web based software, that is intuitive and graphically rich with a real-time view of your accounts. You have to keep the software up to date to get most of the benefits. You may have to research the answers supplied by non-accountants and this appears to suit more experienced or pro-active business owners.
I am a new business starter (first month of trading) and although I am capable of researching and understanding the various tax positions I do not want or have the time to do so as I am busy earning a living (sound familiar). I am leaning towards NW or SJD as a new business starter and will want a greater degree of assistance in the early years.
And now finally to the question.
Ideally I would like the Crunch web based software with the NW/SJD reputation for solid accounting. I see that NW have launched "Vantage" as their on-line web base offering. It is clearly new and so I would welcome reviews from anyone who has used Vantage, especially if they are able to compare against Crunch et al or Freeagent et al?
I will just add that I applaud the account companies that have an active presence on the forums this has been factored into my decision as they at least care enough to monitor what the great unwashed think of their services. Keep up te good work!
Thanks in advance
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