Accountant recommendation threads inc local requests

[m00]

FreeAgent accountants?

Looking to switch from SJD, and have been reading a lot of threads on this forum. Seems that using FreeAgent has a lot of benefits, so looking for an accountant who works with that.

Anyone currently with, or have anything to say about any of the following:

[All prices are month, inc VAT]
1st Online £58.80
KPF Accountancy £66
Exchequer Accountancy £70.80
Williams May £70.80
Fusion £82.80
Boox £82.80
Elver Consultancy £84
BI Accountancy £90 (if paid yearly)
Gorilla Accounting £102
Orange Genie £118.80

Other, non-FreeAgent accountancies that seemed good were:
Crunch £77.40
InniAccounts £94.80
InTouch £117.60

Also aware you get what you pay for, and you will probably get better advise/support with some of the pricier names. Having said that, I feel like I'm not really getting/needing much from SJD these days, hence the change.

Appreciate any replies, thanks.

[ContrataxLtd]

Hi m00

I'll throw some comments in even though we aren't mentioned on your list as we've recently taken on a few clients from SJD and do support Freeagent for a cost that is just above average from below (£102 per month inc VAT).

Rather than specifically looking at cost you need to speak to a few accountants and make sure you are comfortable with both the advice they give you and the feeling you get from them as you have to be able to trust the advice they give you.

You also need to look at catch up fees and whether you will be charged for the months since your last year end that you weren't a client - some charge, some don't depending on how long has passed since your year end.

Up to a point you are probably right that you will get better support (and possibly advice) from a more pricey firm as I struggle to see how you can make any money charging rock bottom prices considering Freeagent fees are a reasonable proportion of the monthly cost. But on the other hand, when you start paying in excess of maybe £110/£120 per month can the extra fees be justified for anything extra?

Hope this helps.

Martin
Contratax Ltd

[northernladuk]

I really need to edit the first post and update it. Just can't seem to find the time. We've had a couple of new guys providing some very good advice over a long period of time that are not being mentioned.

BTW I'm with Gorilla and can't fault them.

[TheFaQQer]

InTouch £117.60

Also aware you get what you pay for, and you will probably get better advise/support with some of the pricier names. Having said that, I feel like I'm not really getting/needing much from SJD these days, hence the change.

Appreciate any replies, thanks.

I've been with InTouch for (I guess) 6 years or so now - they cleaned up the mess my last accountant made (local, big name, big bill), they are on hand for answering questions, and I've had few issues with them.

I looked at SJD years back and I looked at Nixon Williams when I moved to InTouch, but they didn't cut it (this was pre-NW portal). Now that they are the same company, I'm less inclined. I looked at Crunch more recently and liked their portal - but I couldn't get it to do what I wanted it to do, so I stayed with InTouch.

IIRC, InTouch also gives you IR35 investigation protection up to £50k (I may have the limit wrong) included in the price, plus discounted IPSE membership in your first year if you join through them.

Tell Louisa I sent you their way

[DallasDad]

NLUK started this thread in 2011
Is the situation re the 'spreadsheet' versus FreeAgent etc still the same now.
i.e what's so bad about using a spreadsheet compared to tools like FreeAgent?

If tools like FreeAgent are the better option then if I understand some of the comments correctly, some companies use FreeAgent instead of a spreadsheet and the cost of the Freeagent tool is included in the monthly charges, yes?

I am just considering who to use when I jump ship from Umbrella to PSC, and need to clarify when is the right time for that matter but I will ask that in another thread.

Cheers

[Fred Bloggs]

For sure, make FreeAgent a priority.

[Wijay@WISAccountancy]

If you comparing Prices - check the small prints on T&C

Looking to switch from SJD, and have been reading a lot of threads on this forum. Seems that using FreeAgent has a lot of benefits, so looking for an accountant who works with that.

Anyone currently with, or have anything to say about any of the following:

[All prices are month, inc VAT]
1st Online £58.80
KPF Accountancy £66
Exchequer Accountancy £70.80
Williams May £70.80
Fusion £82.80
Boox £82.80
Elver Consultancy £84
BI Accountancy £90 (if paid yearly)
Gorilla Accounting £102
Orange Genie £118.80

Other, non-FreeAgent accountancies that seemed good were:
Crunch £77.40
InniAccounts £94.80
InTouch £117.60

Also aware you get what you pay for, and you will probably get better advise/support with some of the pricier names. Having said that, I feel like I'm not really getting/needing much from SJD these days, hence the change.

Appreciate any replies, thanks.

Hi m00,
If you are choosing an accountant based on price, you need to ask few more questions, such as Do they charge extra for Self Assessment returns?, Do they charge extra for issuing refference letters, Do they charge extra if you decide to switch?.
I know lot of contractor here in support of free agent, we use our own online portal and feedback from users is that ours much simpler to understand and use.
Thanks

[m00]

Hi m00,
If you are choosing an accountant based on price, you need to ask few more questions, such as Do they charge extra for Self Assessment returns?, Do they charge extra for issuing refference letters, Do they charge extra if you decide to switch?.
I know lot of contractor here in support of free agent, we use our own online portal and feedback from users is that ours much simpler to understand and use.
Thanks

To my knowledge, all those listed include self-assessment returns (this was something I was looking out for when researching, but may have made a mistake). Good point on the switch charge (I've never needed a reference letter from accountant, so this wasn't on my list).

I was mostly compiling this as a rough list to assist with my choice, and will investigate more when I shortlist. I also didn't add any accountants that didn't clearly display their monthly price on their site.

[Waldorf]

Thank you for this Would like to hear more of your thought's as they seem to be offer quite a few service levels..

The different service levels are a bit of marketing crap really.

When presented with 3 choices most people go for the mid range service/product.

They offer the low price service so that they can advertise as being cheap, most go mid range, and the mugs who go for the top of the range provide some extra profit for doing, in reality, nothing extra.

[kaiser78]

Looking to switch from SJD, and have been reading a lot of threads on this forum. Seems that using FreeAgent has a lot of benefits, so looking for an accountant who works with that.

Anyone currently with, or have anything to say about any of the following:

[All prices are month, inc VAT]
1st Online £58.80
KPF Accountancy £66
Exchequer Accountancy £70.80
Williams May £70.80
Fusion £82.80
Boox £82.80
Elver Consultancy £84
BI Accountancy £90 (if paid yearly)
Gorilla Accounting £102
Orange Genie £118.80

Other, non-FreeAgent accountancies that seemed good were:
Crunch £77.40
InniAccounts £94.80
InTouch £117.60

Also aware you get what you pay for, and you will probably get better advise/support with some of the pricier names. Having said that, I feel like I'm not really getting/needing much from SJD these days, hence the change.

Appreciate any replies, thanks.

Are there any accountants who do not use Freeagent or an online equivalent portal as an alternative ?