What is a typical turnaround for end of year accounts preparation?

[Maslins]

The paying 12 months fees and then another 9 before you get them is in your head. You've paid for them, you'll get them. The extra 9 months is irrelvant....

This certainly should be the case. Ie if your year end is 31 March 2020, and you pay up to 31 March 2020, then that accountant should do that work. Potentially they may take multiple months to do it, so they may be finishing off work after you've left them.

From the perspective of the "new" accountant, it is a pain if they take you onboard in (say) April 2020, and have to wait until ~December 2020 to get signed off accounts. Where that's the case, they're playing a bit of guesswork for ~8 months, trying to advise without knowing the full picture.

More generally though, doing accounts/CT return is typically the least urgent thing we as accountants have to do. Ie other things are given priority. If the firm is well enough staffed, that should be fine, and whilst during peak times you might wait maybe a month or two to get the figures, it shouldn't be much more than that. If you need them urgently for some reason, highlight it, and as long as you're not always demanding everything urgently, the firm should be able to prioritise your request.

If you're consistently waiting 8 & 1/2 months, that's not good.

[ladymuck]

I would be a bit grumpy if my accountant took an age to turn around my y/e accounts after I'd provided the info and answered any clarification questions. I like to get it all done asap so I have quick visibility of my CT liability rather than finding out a week before the bill is due that I've got to rustle up however many thousands. The money is generally put aside but that doesn't mean I like finding out late in the day.

My other concern is that the later it gets left, the bigger an issue it becomes if there's any other problems that affect the submission of the year end accounts to HMRC and CoHo.

Check the agreement you have with your accountant as to the turn around times for production of the accounts. It's worth contacting your accountant to understand the reason for the lag, if there isn't something specific agreed. It may be that it's a simple preference you can log with them and they just need to amend the diary entry for when the work is done. The level of effort is the same, it's just resource management.

[northernladuk]

It's not uncommon for them to do all the accounts in a batch towards the end of the year. SJD used to do this and you had to pay to get it any earlier. I believe my accountants will leave it later as well.

Is there any particular reason you want them earlier? You say they have been pushing. What have they said when you've said no and given them a date you want them?

The paying 12 months fees and then another 9 before you get them is in your head. You've paid for them, you'll get them. The extra 9 months is irrelvant....

Is there a reason you are asking all this? You want to swap accountants anyway or just because of this. Normally none of what you have said is an issue and it's hardly being trapped. Take your concerns to your accountants and see what they say.

[MrButton]

Yeah you can get a new accountant anytime.

I’m convinced the big accountants do this on purpose so you are less likely to leave. As you have already paid so much into the year.

Unless you have in your agreement terms about when the accounts will be ready.

Tbh it seems to work.

[crack_ho]

My accountant has over the last few years been pushing the preparation of end of year accounts later and later and near enough to the deadline.
What are the typical turnaround times that you experience?

I feel trapped in that I have paid 12 months fees and I am going to pay 9 months more before I get the end of years accounts.
Can I start the next financial year with a new accountant if the end of year accounts are still in limbo?