How much do you pay your accountant...?

[psychocandy]

£90 +VAT a month with Nixon Williams. Well worth the money and that includes any extra stuff like this.

Yours does sound a bit expensive and £500 to add your mrs seems a bit of a pisstake to be honest....

[psychocandy]

£75 a month plus Vat and that includes the Missus being a Class B shareholder and them preparing SATR for both of us.
£500 to cover off a form registering your missus at Companies house - sounds like about 5000% profit.

Class B? Are you Class A?

I could be wrong but doesn't having different classes of shareholders cause problems with income shifting? Could be wrong :-)

[psychocandy]

£250 a year.

Divis, payroll and end of year accounts plus all companies house stuff for a 3 shareholder company(2 man band). I do the expenses, invoicing, VAT and reconciliation using Xero.

Got my personal tax return FOC as well

Bloody hell thats cheap. Been tying to get an accountant to do simple end of return stuff plus SA for my Mrs sole trader company (which only makes about £5K a year) and they want > £300 for that.

[psychocandy]

Those you who say your accountant is rubbish and you have to prompt them?

**** that - get a new accountant.

I pay an accountant to prompt me not the other way around. Ain't got time to chase them to do the job I'm paying them for.

Of course, Danny at Nixon Williams is excellent for me. Been with a few accountants over the years ranging from completely useless to outstanding and I'd say Danny is the outstanding one.

Not interested in saving £20/£30 a month and then have to waste time with bellends who forget to do things.

[psychocandy]

Hi all,

I am to hire my first accountant. Just met with him F2F. The guy drove for 1h 10 min to meet me near my town. And spend 1h 20 min answering questions (and I had many).

What he offers is:

PAYE set up and run for me and my wife (both of us are my ltd's employees)
Ltd accounts + Corp Tax Return
Personal tax return for both
Companies house AReturn

for £~700 + VAT

Is this OK in terms of price and the range of services he offers?

Well cheap that is. Hope hes good though :-)

VAT returns also?

[garnet]

Well cheap that is. Hope hes good though :-)

VAT returns also?

I will be doing my VAT. But from what I was told by him the service he offers should be sufficient for the ltd's smooth run.
Anyone else with input on price and extent, please?

[stek]

Sounds like he's do-minimum operation, you get what you pay for. Will he be keeping up on legislation surrounding IR35 etc and issues affecting how we operate and advising you. Or you will do doing that and advising him which is a bit arse about face.

[garnet]

Sounds like he's do-minimum operation, you get what you pay for. Will he be keeping up on legislation surrounding IR35 etc and issues affecting how we operate and advising you. Or you will do doing that and advising him which is a bit arse about face.

I am pretty sure my contract is outside ir35, and there might be a second client, which puts me completely outside.
What else do I need from him in terms of 'jsut enough operation'?

[speling bee]

I am pretty sure my contract is outside ir35, and there might be a second client, which puts me completely outside.
What else do I need from him in terms of 'jsut enough operation'?

No it doesn't. You need an accountant or other adviser who understands IR35.

[stek]

I am pretty sure my contract is outside ir35, and there might be a second client, which puts me completely outside.
What else do I need from him in terms of 'jsut enough operation'?

I don't know - I use Nixon Williams as others do, they often email and even call telling me about certain legislative changes and how I will be affected and options as to what to do and what not to do. Proactive rather than reactive.

I good rule for me (as an ex-account myself!) is a good one should save his costs over the year by little advises and better ways to treat things tax-wise, you have to ask will your do that?

£700 a year is what, 10 hours of his time? Hour a month? You can bet the trainee on reception will be doing most of it and thats true with NW and others I'm sure but for me it's the proactiveness, and that NW, SJD etc are contractor-friendly and know the rules.

Only time will tell, why not give him a go?