Do I expect too much of my Accountant?

[DirtyDog]

• No recommendation on investments/pensions

An accountant isn't a financial advisor - mine offered to put me in touch with one, but I declined as I have someone that I use already. In the same way I don't expect him to advise me on what expenses to claim.

• No audit of my expenses/telling me about things I could be claiming for but am not

Have you asked them to do this? I don't want my accountant to run my business for me. If I have a question about what I can claim, then I ask them - they used to send me advice newsletters on things, but don't any more, not hat I miss them. Read the guides on what you can claim, and ask if you have any questions

• No encouragement nor interest from Accountant in Business Plan or Forecasts

They are not there to advise your business on planning and forecasting - some accountants might ask or take an interest (my previous one did) but that was more of a chat rather than part of the service. Join a business group like FSB or something, maybe?

• Emails often unanswered for a week

That's not good enough. If you aren't getting a response, then tell them you are unhappy. If it continues, then change accountants.

• Lots of googling in my own time to get familiar with CA2006/ITEPA

Good that you are interested in how to run your business and the law impacting the business

• £85 a month for basically access to a Cloud tool, a VAT return that's so easy I could do it myself and one month cumulative of stuff which in all honestly I'm happy paying someone to sort out

Do they not do anything else for that money? End of year accounts? Personal tax return? Provide advice if you ask them a question (time delays excepted)? You aren't just paying them to do the bookkeeping.

Are my expectations unreasonable?

Mostly, yes.

Save for the CTax and PAYE paperwork, I think I could replace them and their web tool with a ruddy spreadsheet and a reminder set on my mobile...

So do that then - if you aren't happy with the service, and are expecting more, then change / leave / do it yourself - many people do.

[northernladuk]

Lot's of stuff

OP don't forget that £85 includes your accountant posting on forums all day as well

[Clare@InTouch]

OP don't forget that £85 includes your accountant posting on forums all day as well

I also drink lots of tea, play Angry Birds and annoy Craig

[Craig@Clarity]

I also drink lots of tea, play Angry Birds and annoy Craig

It's only annoying when you distract me from staring out the window all day!!! On the plus side, you have a daily responsibility to make me tea

[Maslins]

...A quick email saying "can I claim this?" can often be answered quickly and easily (not always, but often!)...

Quite often the shorter the question, the longer the required answer. Eg "Can I put my car through the company?"

[northernladuk]

There's not a massive amount I can add

but still managed to write 365 words on it

It's only annoying when you distract me from staring out the window all day!!! On the plus side, you have a daily responsibility to make me tea

Why do I have this feeling that this daily responsibility usually gets delegated to you Craig

[northernladuk]

Quite often the shorter the question, the longer the required answer. Eg "Can I put my car through the company?"

Or when the mail starts 'My mate/guy in pub says I can.....'

[Clare@InTouch]

In my experience, the shorter the question, the longer the required answer. Eg "Can I put my car through the company?"

Very true! Sometimes the value is not in the question itself either, but in where it digresses to. Can I claim my car? can expand into discussions about cars, leases, travel, food, hotels, 24 month rule etc. We can pre-empt some of these, but sometimes a question is so left field it's impossible to predict.

" Why didn't you tell me I could......." is often difficult because there are so many possible things it could apply to that we'd need to teach clients every bit of tax law in order to cover every possibility.

Right, tea.

[LisaContractorUmbrella]

Thanks for your comments.

With regards to the management of expenses, it helps to frame my ideas.

Whilst I agree an accountant doesn't have a crystal ball then I wonder if I'm being too harsh if I *expect* them to give a glance to what I am claiming from time to time and get in touch if they spot large, typial absences, such as "he doesn't claim lunch" or "it's winter, did you know you can claim a Flu jab? Just a thought".

It would be interesting if any accountants chipped in to say "well actually yes, as a practice, we do that" or any clients can state "my accountant does those things for me". I wonder if I'm paying Premier League prices but getting League 2 service.

I guess I am trying to work out in my head where that line is... where you pay someone and pass over full care and attention to them and you concentrate on your business

Expenses are an absolute mine field and no accountant is going to 'recommend' that you claim something without being fully appraised of your circumstances in case it would not actually be allowable. To give you an idea - rules regarding subsistence are here Travel expenses: general: accommodation and subsistence: include associated subsistence and here BIM47705 - Measuring the profits (specific rules and practices) - receipts and deductions: specific deductions - travel and subsistence: expenditure on meals and accommodation and here EIM05231 - Employment income: scale rate expenses: subsistence expenses: table of benchmark scale rates and here Travel expenses: general: accommodation and subsistence: subsistence costs that are not attributable to the travel: examples and here HM Revenue & Customs: Revenue & Customs Brief 24/09 etc. etc. etc.

One of the things you pay your accountant for is to know all this stuff so that they can advise you when you have a question but you cannot expect them to impart their knowledge to you, in its entirety, in an email

[Clare@InTouch]

but still managed to write 365 words on it



Why do I have this feeling that this daily responsibility usually gets delegated to you Craig

On both counts!