My accountant...

[philip@wellwoodhoyle]

So if you change accountant then there is going to be some overlap and you will have to pay both. The fact that your current accountant has been charging you for six months does not reduce (much) the amount that your new accountant will have to do.

Some accountants will take on a new client, just charge their normal monthly fee from then on, and bring things up to date, effectively as a freebie, where a client has been paying a previous accountant monthly, as a goodwill gesture so there is no overlap cost.

[Pondlife]

Edit: better by PM

[Gonzo]

The start of the Company year would seem to me to be the best time, you want as little overlap time as possible.

BUT don't think that just because your accountant accepts monthly payments that means their work is spread evenly, a small amount per month, throughout the year.

You need to view accountant effort as a single, annual chunk of work, which encompasses bits and pieces throughout the year.

So if you change accountant then there is going to be some overlap and you will have to pay both. The fact that your current accountant has been charging you for six months does not reduce (much) the amount that your new accountant will have to do.

[DGA]

Is there a good time to change accountants?? I am half way through my company year and the accountants I have contacted so far want to charge me for the 6 months I have already traded, so I will be paying twice for this period...

[THEPUMA]

I reckon that if you ring around a few of the usual suspects on here (myself included 01923 809414 naturally!), you will get a feeling from the conversation you have as to who knows their stuff and you then need to weigh that up against their respective fees. If the best is the cheapest, no-brainer. If not, you'll have to decide whether you're prepared to pay a premium for better advice/service/peace of mind.

[Alan @ BroomeAffinity]

Morsing. PM me and we can maybe have a chat.

[morsing]

Well, the guy I'm using now was recommended by two different personal friends. God knows why they recommended him.

I'll just have to find a new one then. Glad to hear I don't have to deal with him myself. I don't think increasing my understanding of things would help with this guy. I have no reason to doubt he knows his stuff but he's unreliable and has poor communication skills.

Thanks

[Alan @ BroomeAffinity]

Provided you are relatively up-to-date you should have no trouble changing. I am an accountant and we just get a letter of authority signed and then send it off to the old accountant with our standard professional clearance letter. That doesn't mean you'll necessarily get the information you request - I;ve been waiting on info from the scottish branch of a popular "contractor specialist" since March and the guy clearly is p*ssed off that he;s losing business as he's not responding. He might be even more p*ssed off when he discovers there's another half-dozen following!

Selecting a new accountant is challenging but I would say that you do your research and only go on personal recommendation. Its important though that the person recommending the accountant has similar needs and expectations to yourself otherwise the accountant might not measure up. This may be what happened to RichardCranium.

Do not make the decision on fee levels and do not assume that a slick web presence means a slick operation.

HTH

[moorfield]

My response and experience would be to do your own research so you can direct and manage your own finances (alongside the accountant). This way you avoid the problems of poor service and advice.

Painful at first but pays dividends in the longer term - and you are acting like a true business.

WHS.

[the guy with the bowtie]

My response and experience would be to do your own research so you can direct and manage your own finances (alongside the accountant). This way you avoid the problems of poor service and advice.

Painful at first but pays dividends in the longer term - and you are acting like a true business.

[RichardCranium]

I really need to get rid of him. As bad as I feel about it...

How do I go about it? What do I need to put in writing to him? What does he need to do? Transfer? Hand over?

You find a new accountant and they make it all happen. You need never contact your existing accountant again. In theory. In practice you may need to go down there and stand over them to give you your paperwork. And then go back for the rest. (Like I had to with one of the accountants on here recently.)

And where do I find another one who's reliable and can communicate?

God knows.

Accountant 1: was recommended to me. He got me a magistrate's court visit because he fouled up my VAT so badly. Ouch.

Accountant 2: was recommended to me. Never understood IR35 when it came in and gave me very bad advice. Lost me a lot of money. He lost interest in me and small businesses in general.

Accountant 3: one of the small ones on here that get recommended (by people with low post counts, I notice). Expanded the business and became a complete tosser. Went from being an OK accountant to an utterly useless business manager. Would strongly advise against.

Accountant 4: was recommended to me. Promised he would bail me out of the trouble I was in because of number 3. Despite promises, did bugger all for a month and so made the overdue fines even bigger. Git. Also, gives incorrect advice on expenses and IR35.

How do you find a good accountant? Christ only knows.

[morsing]

I really need to get rid of him. As bad as I feel about it...

How do I go about it? What do I need to put in writing to him? What does he need to do? Transfer? Hand over?

And where do I find another one who's reliable and can communicate?

Thanks for any advice