Has anyone experienced problems when switching to Crunch Accountancy?

[houmie]

Hi,

I am thinking about switching to Crunch. Has anyone experienced any problems or hidden fees when switching to crunch after the company year end?

Something that worries me a bit is this 'Past Account' service they are offering:

Www .crunch.co.uk/crunch-products

Past Accounts

Last accountant left things in a bit of a state? We'll whip your accounts into shape and help keep them that way

Well, I have no problem with the year end state of my current accountant. I just wonder if they could enforce this on my once I switched?

I thought I better check here first, thanks.

[northernladuk]

You could have tried a search first. 20 odd threads on them...

crunch site:forums.contractoruk.com/accounting-legal - Google Search

Also below is a list of accountants recommended by others on the boards.....

http://forums.contractoruk.com/accou...-requests.html

[houmie]

Hey,

Thanks for your reply. Yes I did a search but what I found were threads like this:
http://forums.contractoruk.com/accou...-crunch-3.html

Some contractors with 1 or 3 posts came along and said how great the service is. I was hoping to see that from a real user.

But that was back in 2010. Maybe now there are some real users who had some real experiences with Crunch and would like to talk about in this thread.

Thanks

[Yehudi]

Hey,

Thanks for your reply. Yes I did a search but what I found were threads like this:
http://forums.contractoruk.com/accou...-crunch-3.html

Some contractors with 1 or 3 posts came along and said how great the service is. I was hoping to see that from a real user.

But that was back in 2010. Maybe now there are some real users who had some real experiences with Crunch and would like to talk about in this thread.

Thanks

I am a real user (albeit a recent convert to Crunch). I have been contracting for a while and so I don't have many questions to ask, so I think of it more like a book-keeping system with unlimited support. I'm sure I could save a few more pounds by buying Quickbooks or something, but I've been there before and I can tell you that the Crunch system is much more straightforward. And logging on every few days to catch up (even at work, during a break) I have removed any need to "do the paperwork" at weekends.

As I said I have previously tried doing my own books (with Simply Books) with a local accountant for year-end. I have also tried a full-service accountant to do the lot. Crunch is somewhere in between - if that's what you want then why not?

Regarding them "forcing" their past-year service on you, why would they? Have you closed the year, or are you expecting them to finish it off for you? I'm guessing the latter - if so then why not speak to them and get an agreed approach before you commit?

[houmie]

I am a real user (albeit a recent convert to Crunch). I have been contracting for a while and so I don't have many questions to ask, so I think of it more like a book-keeping system with unlimited support. I'm sure I could save a few more pounds by buying Quickbooks or something, but I've been there before and I can tell you that the Crunch system is much more straightforward. And logging on every few days to catch up (even at work, during a break) I have removed any need to "do the paperwork" at weekends.

As I said I have previously tried doing my own books (with Simply Books) with a local accountant for year-end. I have also tried a full-service accountant to do the lot. Crunch is somewhere in between - if that's what you want then why not?

Regarding them "forcing" their past-year service on you, why would they? Have you closed the year, or are you expecting them to finish it off for you? I'm guessing the latter - if so then why not speak to them and get an agreed approach before you commit?

Hi Thanks for sharing.

Sounds fine to me. To be honest I have just finished my first year and have done everything once and don't expect big surprises, so I recon I wont need too much attention of an accountant as in the first year.

How is the service? If you asked them questions about e.g. which VAT type would suit your type of business better etc, would they be able to give a professional answer? Or is teh support only regarding how to use the app?

Regarding your last question, no its not that, its just that I generally am a bit cautious with new accountants and double check everything if there is any hidden fees and traps.

Thats also something I wasn't sure of, since you are more experienced maybe you would know the answer to this question?

[Yehudi]

How is the service? If you asked them questions about e.g. which VAT type would suit your type of business better etc, would they be able to give a professional answer? Or is teh support only regarding how to use the app?

The account manager is not an accountant, and that is fairly obvious after a few conversations. I rely on her only as a call handler really, but she has been able to seek her own advice and answer all of my questions so far (Crunch-specific and related to HMRC). I haven't spoken to any actual accountant there so I can't comment on their service.

Thats also something I wasn't sure of, since you are more experienced maybe you would know the answer to this question?

"Doing a runner" from your current accountant is likely to elicit less willingness from them in terms of finishing outstanding work. If I were in your position I'd let them know your plans and agree up front what they will cover and when you will stop paying.

[IR35 Avoider]

As this is the most recent Crunch thread, I'm just posting some general news here, in my capacity as a satisfied customer.

Crunch have split into four services this week, the £60+VAT per month one is still optimal for contractors. There is a more expensive one for companies with up to 10 employess, but there are also free and £10+VAT a month options that essentially allow you to use their accounting software without any access to human support. You also don't get the online filing of VAT returns, Corporation tax returns, etc. For people who want to see what the software looks like it might be worth signing up so you can get a feel for it, then upgrade later if you like it.

I've recently authorised Cater Allen to supply information to Crunch. This means my bank transactions should start being pulled in automatically on a weekly basis, and I will no longer have to go the "trouble" of downloading CSV statements from the bank and uploading them into Crunch.

Once the bank transactions are there it takes not much more than a few mouse clicks to create the various accounts entries that correspond to them, and your accounts are up-to-date. On any given weekend (that I have nothing better to do) it should take no more than a few minutes from logging in to generating interim accounts that are completely up-to-date.

I have a paper receipt from a childcare provider, so I'm going to try the iphone app that automatically creates an expense entry in the accounts from a photo of a paper receipt, also storing the photo as a tax record, though I still suspect this is going to be a gimmick rather than something that's actually worth the effort.

[eek]

Looking at the £9.50 a month service I'm trying to work out what I get for the additional £50 a month that I actually need. There doesn't seem to be much there that I couldn't do myself in a few hours so unless I'm missing something I know what service I'm going to go for,

[IR35 Avoider]

The main difference is you'd have no human accountant to turn to, just some software to use. (I did use the human in the past year when I needed to revise salary.)

I would miss the automatic on-line filing of everything, but it's hard to argue that's worth £50 a month. The only thing I would have to learn is the Corporation tax calculation. I only recently realised (despite having contracted for 20 years) that profits as shown in the accounts is not the same thing as profits for Corporation tax purposes.

I'm feeling rich, I'll stick with the £60 option, it makes life so simple.