Accountant just quit! What do I do?

**northernladuk** · 17 March 2015, 13:14

It doesn't really matter what laws or rights you have the bottom line is you aint gonna get anymore done so only option is to find a new one. It's pretty painless and if you get a reputable firm they should be able to get you up to speed. They should also liaise with your old accountant to get your details from him and they will know what laws they can use to force him in to complying.... Saying that I was in a similar situation with an absent/lazy accountant and SJD did everything they could and he wouldn't play ball so they just started again. Really helpful.

Don't fret. Pick a good accountant, IMO one from our recommended list or that posts here regularly so you can be confident you'll get a good service. My personal thoughts would be Nixon Williams or InTouch as they have been posting good quality stuff here for a long time but there are quite a few other quality guys here to chose from.

Pick one, ring them, explain the situation and I am sure this will get resolved fairly quickly.

Maybe just to easy your thoughts as long as the paperwork is correct I don't think when the actual money is withdrawn is a killer and the directors loan can help here. Also you year end stuff is due 9 month after the end of your companies accounting period so time isn't the issue you think it is. Don't fret... it's not the end of the world.

**Lewis** · 17 March 2015, 13:17

I can second Nixon Williams, they are really very good indeed.

**kim222** · 17 March 2015, 13:21

Thank you for replying - very relieved to hear I don't need to panic about the end of year return yet. Will definitely try a reputable accountant this time round, thank you very much for your suggestions, I will get on the phone!

**Maslins** · 17 March 2015, 13:33

Basically what NLUK said.

I would add that perhaps count your blessings they're refunding you £300...and whilst I appreciate that's less than you've paid to date, presumably you'll have had quite a bit of help with various queries, and potentially VAT/PAYE to date. Appreciate it's unfortunate for you, but seems like they're trying to be fair, and deal with it as best they can based on whatever problems they've had their end.

Not that rare we hear of new accountants starting up, taking their monthly payments for a while then disappearing off the face of the earth. Typically they wouldn't have set out to be fraudulent in anyway, they just hoped they'd get far more clients than they did, with the small number they did get it wasn't a viable business, so they went back to permie accountant employment and buried their head in sand about cash they'd taken to date.

**northernladuk** · 17 March 2015, 13:35

Let's hope they don't then charge him £200 to leave Lol

**TheFaQQer** · 17 March 2015, 17:07

Originally posted by northernladuk View Post

Also you year end stuff is due 9 month after the end of your companies accounting period so time isn't the issue you think it is. Don't fret... it's not the end of the world.

The issue with time is that there's not long before the end of the tax year, so trying to optimise withdrawing cash at this stage becomes pressing.

**northernladuk** · 17 March 2015, 17:10

Originally posted by TheFaQQer View Post

The issue with time is that there's not long before the end of the tax year, so trying to optimise withdrawing cash at this stage becomes pressing.

Quite. I though there was plenty of jiggery pokery accounts could do such as DL and dare I say it, back dating divi vouchers and so on. Anyway.. Hope he gets it sorted. Still time left.

**TheFaQQer** · 17 March 2015, 17:13

Originally posted by northernladuk View Post

Quite. I though there was plenty of jiggery pokery accounts could do such as DL and dare I say it, back dating divi vouchers and so on. Anyway.. Hope he gets it sorted. Still time left.

DL isn't going to help because it needs to be repaid.

The only thing that might help would be to work out the balances etc. and then back date the dividend vouchers but that's not a path I would want to embark upon.

**northernladuk** · 17 March 2015, 17:14

Amen to that!!!

Accountant just quit! What do I do?