Accountant Reccomendation

[Troll]

Never used NW or SJD so cannot comment but have been with quite a few accountants over the years- some good some bad - I found the bigger the company the less service I recieved

Currently using CKS (CKS Accountancy Limited - Chartered Accountants, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex) who seem quite clued up, have chartered status and appear willing to push the envelope i.e. minimise what hector gets

As I have over 17 years of contracting exp, I pretty well know what's expected and needed; so they may not be suitable for bed wetting noobs who any need hand holding.
But that's a purely a personal thaaang & I may be wrong & would be interested in hearing any noobs experience with them

HTH

[Alan @ BroomeAffinity]

From the other side of the coin: I've been running accountancy practices for about 20 years and currently 90% of my clients are contractors. Generally, what I would say you concentrate on when selecting an accountant is the personality and the relationship you are going to have with them. You need to be able to speak with someone when you have important issues and you need to be able to feel comfortable doing so. Most (not all) accountants are clued up and able to deliver the same services as the next so thats not as important as how they deliver them. From what I can tell, the big boys aren't able to provide the personal touch but a lot of the High Street guys lack the specialist knowledge. Sure, they'll be able to prepared your accounts and tax return but the advice may be lacking.

Importantly, seek recommendations from colleagues (about 90% of my business comes from this) and ask them about how things work. Speak to two or three accountants to find someone you are comfortable dealing with.

Don't get too hung up on price or location. None of them matter too much: a good accountant will save you thousands a year so cribbing about £10 a month is pointless. Most accountants can deliver services online and by email so location is unimportant. If the can't do that, then maybe they aren't the guys for you.

Like I say, just my opinion. Feel free to ignore it.

[dweezil]

I did the small local accountant and failed badly. He got too busy, wasn't proactive etc etc so ended up swapping to SJD and I can't fault them.

I've been with SJD for about 3 years, and unfortunately for the last year or so I've had mistake after mistake from them. I've ended up checking everything they do: I want to move as soon as possible, but I just wanted to get third year's accounts out of the way.

They were very good when I started, and I seemed to get more attention from apparently qualified people: I suspect it's all just juniors following instruction sheets now.

D

[Old Greg]

I've been with SJD for about 3 years, and unfortunately for the last year or so I've had mistake after mistake from them. I've ended up checking everything they do: I want to move as soon as possible, but I just wanted to get third year's accounts out of the way.

They were very good when I started, and I seemed to get more attention from apparently qualified people: I suspect it's all just juniors following instruction sheets now.

D

That sounds most peculiar. I have been using the Birmingham branch of SJD for 3+ years and they are excellent. They are always responsive, never get anything wrong, and save me more than their fees each year with sound advice.

[Alan @ BroomeAffinity]

I get the impression that with SJD quality varies greatly from office-to-office. Possibly because they are independently owned and operated businesses. They do seem to have a good rep overall though.

[Epiphone]

I've been with SJD for about 3 years, and unfortunately for the last year or so I've had mistake after mistake from them. I've ended up checking everything they do: I want to move as soon as possible, but I just wanted to get third year's accounts out of the way.

They were very good when I started, and I seemed to get more attention from apparently qualified people: I suspect it's all just juniors following instruction sheets now.

D

Why not drop Simon Dolan a note. Never worked with SJD but if you've exhausted their complaints procedure I'm sure he'll be delighted to pick up any worries you have.