rant about my accountant

[bobssss]

HI everyone

I'm a new member here. Having been doing contractor for a few years now.
I'm paying 114 pounds a month to my accountant. He doesn't provide any tax advice.
Each year he asks me how much salary I'd like to pay myself and he only works from there.

Is this the norm?

[SueEllen]

If he asks what monthly salary you want he should at least make suggestions of what may suit you. If he hasn't change accountants. There are plenty of accountants who post on here who provide more detailed information just to random posters.

[Jeremiah@RHJAccountants]

This is not the norm

I would expect most accountancy firms, my firm included to give to give tax planning advice and how to extract funds from your company in the most tax efficient way would be very high on the list!

As you are unhappy with your current accountant perhaps it is the time to look for a new one?

Speak to a few and see who you get on with best.

[northernladuk]

A few years??? He must be laughing his socks off.

You'll get a tax plan filled with your Freeagent account so you know exactly what the best salary is, your dividend breaks for the year and all the functionality of Freeagent. They will also review your account every three months to make sure you aren't getting anything wrong or could be claiming something you aren't.

All that for around half the price of your old setup.

[SueEllen]

This is not the norm

I would expect most accountancy firms, my firm included to give to give tax planning advice and how to extract funds from your company in the most tax efficient way would be very high on the list!

As you are unhappy with your current accountant perhaps it is the time to look for a new one?

Speak to a few and see who you get on with best.

This is just one example - maybe Bobssss you should give RHJ Accountants a call?

[Michael at BI Accountancy]

Each year he asks me how much salary I'd like to pay myself and he only works from there.

Is this the norm?

Warning bells should be going off here!!!

Your paying your accountant to advise you on how to be more tax efficient etc, the only way he should be asking you what to run is if he has given you a couple of options to choose from.

Can't help but thinking if this is the approach on salary what else might be going wrong!

[Alan @ BroomeAffinity]

rant about my accountant

While the price isn't overly expensive, the service level sounds worrying. Maybe have a chat with him/her and explain your expectations are different from reality. If you don't get satisfaction, then look at changing.

Edit: just noticed the "a few years now". You should have had this conversation already.

How did you select the current accountant initially?

[pr1]

All that for around half the price of your old setup.

Unless you're getting a deal with gorilla that I'm not, its £102 (instead of £114) - I wouldn't call that around half the price :/

[northernladuk]

Unless you're getting a deal with gorilla that I'm not, its £102 (instead of £114) - I wouldn't call that around half the price :/

For once you actually make a fairly decent point.

[Darren at Fox-Bartfield]

Accountants

Would agree with Alan, fee level seems not overly expensive and about the norm. Would expect quarterly file reviews and a decent service at that level rather than the "sausage factory" mentality that some have adopted.