What's a reasonable cost for an accountant?

[2BA]

A couple of people have raised their eyebrows at how much I'm paying my accountant but after checking with another, it doesn't seem excessively high.

My accountant does:
Company return
Statutory accounts
Company accounts
& answers very occasional innane questions.

For my accounts, I keep a spreadsheet detailling every transaction I make, nicely categorised so it picks up on a "Company Return" tab so all he needs to do is add an accrual for his fees & any equipment write down, run his eye down the expenses to check I haven't put in anything dodgy (I'd usually have asked if it was an unusual expense anyway), then fill in the returns on his system with the nicely calculated figures.

Approx how much would you pay an accountant for only that?

Having just researched what an annual return is, I've noticed he's got me down as accounting & auditor services.
That is very definitely not what I do, I've spent my career staying as far away from that sort of work as possible.
It's only just been submitted for the year though so can I get him to change it?
Is there a list of options anywhere I can look at to find the most suitable one for me too?

Thanks all

[Clare@InTouch]

Just a set of annual accounts? Around £500 to £750 a year I'd say. Much less if non-trading.

Add in your tax return, RTI, VAT etc and it starts to get a bit more expensive - which is what makes Monthly Fixed Price services more attractive for many people.

The annual return issue you should be able to correct easily enough when you file the next one. Have a look on the Companies House website for SIC codes.

[2BA]

That's why I run those bits myself!!
Flat rate VAT is very easy, fill in 3 numbers & remember to pay (although I did forget the paying bit once & HMRC have never mentioned it. Obviously I did pay them, just a quarter late...)

[Maslins]

This kind of thing crops up a lot. Most "contractor" accountants will fall within the £60-120/month range (ie ~£750-1,500/year). All except the smallest will be adding VAT to their prices.

Sometimes you'll be getting slightly different things (eg some will include personal tax, some won't). A lot of the time on paper you're getting the same thing, but then some would argue the more expensive firms might offer a better service, more personalised advice.

[Ticktock]

Most "contractor" accountants will fall within the £60-120/month range (ie ~£750-1,500/year). All except the smallest will be adding VAT to their prices.

It depends on what you want / need. We called some of the specialists who post on this forum - the only reason we didn't go with one of them is because they'd do too much for us! They make it very easy for people who don't neccessarily know much about accounting practice to run the finance side of their business.
My wife is an ex accountant (AAT path) so does all of the book-keeping in Sage. We have an accountant as she's out of the loop, and was focussed on management accounts in the past. Our accountant does bugger all now, and charges us bugger all too. I think we've paid a couple of hundred quid over the past 18 months, for which he advises on dividend levels, sends us dividend vouchers to sign, sorts RTI and does year end accounts. I don't think he does anything else.
Still going to dump him as he's a useless lazy bastard who needs constant kicking to get anything done, however. I'll pay more for someone who picks up the phone and answers their emails.

[TheCyclingProgrammer]

I used to pay £550 for end of year accounts and CT return along with occasional ad-hoc advice.

I currently pay £60 + VAT p/m for much the same although I can email my accountant at any time with queries (subject to fair use) and he's also happy to help with some personal taxation matters. I'm currently paying a discounted rate which goes up to £75 after 6 months.

[Zero Liability]

Mine is £840 (incl VAT) and is usually available by phone, bit slower by email.