Accountant recommendation threads inc local requests

[cheesedoffcontractor]

@EinsteinTax. Thanks for taking the time to show that VAT example, very helpful

[EinsteinTax]

@EinsteinTax. Thanks for taking the time to show that VAT example, very helpful

No problem - glad it helped

[lants]

SJD - Total waste of time and don't bother using them.

Loads of mistakes and they continually pass you from one accountant to another...High churn rate in accountants.

Very expensive and poor value.

In in the London area.....any recommendations ?

Would Gorilla be a good bet ?

[babybel]

my experience.

I was with SJD for 12 years. They were great for many years. The advice was good, I liked physically meeting up with them once a year or so but they got expensive & only had a crappy spreadsheet when I left to try somewhere more up to date. They might be better now but they should have tried harder earlier to stay up to date tech wise.

Then I went to Nixon Williams for a year and they have been dire. They just kept sending me stock, new starter emails, never properly read or answered my emails, took weeks to respond when they did, made payroll, tax and dividend mistakes and consistently messed up our direct debit. I complained a couple of times but they didn't really give a tulip. My impression is that they have unqualified, overworked accountants who have so much to deal with they can't provide good service.

Didn't get a good impression of intouch on the phone.

Went with Crunch. It's early days ... I'm hoping they will be good as I just want a quiet life accountancy wise.

[dippy]

Big vs small

I have recently started contracting and now researching accountants – this thread is very useful!

I work away Monday to Friday so not bothered about where they are based, but interested people’s experiences as to whether I am best with one of the bigger more established firms or someone smaller.

Normally when looking for a product/service that I know very little about, I go for the biggest name asI figure that they must know what they’re doing to get to where they are. However, this thread (and some of the others that I’ve read on this forum) really give me the impression that bigger isn’t always better when it comes to accountancy.

Does the history/experience of the larger firms justify the higher prices that they seem to charge? I can see some people from smaller firms posting on here, Are the smaller firms as keen to impress as their representatives on the forum once they’ve signed you up? Is there a happy medium that ticks both boxes?

There are a couple here that I will call and speak to in any case..

[Fred Bloggs]

dippy, in my experience there are a couple of factors to bear in mind. In this game there is very little (if any) correlation between what you pay and the quality of the service you get. Indeed, empirically, it is the most expensive options that often turn out to be the worst choice of all. Likewise, there is little evidence that the big "specialist" firms are providing anything really that specialist at all. A good starter for 10 is- Are they a FreeAgent accountant? If they aren't, think about moving on to the next candidate. Next question is, are they here on CUK and offering help and support whether you are a client or not? If they are, they have a reputation on the line. That is a pretty strong indicator to me and there are a few candidates to choose from. My preferred option is mentioned elsewhere on here and if you are curious, then take a look. They might not be for you. But I'm sure that one of the regular accountancy firms on here will be OK for you.

[Scratch It]

Shout out to Gorilla Accounting. Very efficient in the setup process, and qualified advice on hand to make the process as seamless as possible.

Though I should say I dont have anyone to compare them against. Nevertheless, happy!

[jaydub]

Recommendation for BI Accounting

Thanks to the recommendations on this thread, I ended up contacting Michael at BI Accounting.

As others have commented, he is willing to spend as much time as required with you both before bringing you on board and more importantly once you are a client of his.

I'm only on my first three month contract and have gone down the Ltd company route and part of the initial attraction was that BI are very competitive if you have to make the company dormant or close the company down.

Having spoken to a number of other accountants, I just felt more comfortable with what BI were offering and liked the fact they were using FreeAgent, as heavily recommended here.

InTouch impressed me and I liked the simplicity of their portal, but just felt Michael offered better value and a more personal service and was more comfortable with the going with a FreeAgent provider.

[Laxmi]

Sairides - AVOID THEM - DO NOT APPROACH WITH BARGE POLE!

sairides accountancy services london

I was using them - they make a lot of mistakes, they're also extremely rude and inefficient.

I am leaving the UK and asked them to complete all the formalities & shut my company down etc.
Their old owner said he couldn't do it. So I moved to Lubbock Fine, who charged me without telling me an extortionate amount. So I moved back to Sairides for the short term as they were cheaper, until I found someone honest about their fees. Siarides have a new partner, who agreed to do the emigration work for me. 3 Months later - one month before my move, I confirmed the work, he didn't understand, nor had he read my notes. Then basically last minute he refuses to do my accounts, even though I paid them and he refused to do my company accounts, and my personal tax return is half complete!
Do not use them as they are also very incompetent - they forgot to stop my PAYE when I went permi!

[cde]

Can anyone recommend an accountant in Gloucestershire or Central London that can cater for both a bog standard Ltd contractor but also more complex matters like SPVs for property letting and other business activities that might lead to using a group structure etc?

Using one of the bog standard cheap FreeAgent firms at the moment for my contracting co. but they're not going to be able to provide anything more advanced (and are pretty terrible anyway, but then they are cheap)