Things to think about before hiring an accountant


By Michiel Van Kets


Locating a good honest accountant is not as simple as you would think. The majority of us looks in a local directory and chooses the first one who answers the phone. You should never employ anyone so easily; you might end up spending years with the same accountant so choosing one that suits you is crucial.

Many accountants are not only there to help with your tax returns. A resourceful and professional accountant can also be relied upon for advice on personal issues and other business linked matters. If you have a business you will need them to be skillful in tax laws, but along with that they should also have a great deal of knowledge on other related subjects too.

If you are searching for an accountant to help set up a small business, below are some to locate a professional accountant to help in your business, here are some guidelines as to what qualities to look for.

An accountant should be well-informed in all areas of business finance, not only those related with tax. In particular look for one who is well informed and has experience within the industry you are working. For example, if your company sells motor vehicles, then the accountant should have some previous experience with this type of business and understand the regulations and laws that can affect your business.

Once you find an accountant you feel you can rely on, use them. They can help you out with your personal matters and should be able to point out suitable investments for you, including long-term investments and retirement plans.

An accountant should never take a back seat when it comes to your business decisions, practical and positive feedback should be the least they input. There are many levels within your life and business they can be of help, such as cutting back on expenses, suitable software for your bookkeeping, tax free savings and paying salaries. You should not have to tell a good accountant what tasks need to be done and when, they should be aware of their duties and schedule their own timetable.

Your accountant isn’t necessarily going to be full time, however they should be easily reached if you need them and generally be there as a financial and business consultant.

Contact the accountant you are hoping to employ and then arrange a meeting with them to see how they interact with you. Many people these days turn to their accountants for all kinds of advice, hopefully, this will be a lasting relationship and there has to be some kind of connection between you, your accountant needs to be approachable and have a personality.

Let them know your business ideas and plans and see if they have any ready input and advice regarding them. As you discuss your financial plan, a knowledgeable accountant will be interested and automatically hand out advice or inform you of other ways that would work to your advantage. A qualified accountant should have a lot of feedback regarding your ideas or questions. If you get the feeling that they are not particularly interested, look around for another.

Building up a firm relationship with your accountant can benefit your business. There are many other levels they can aid you with thus saving you time and energy by not having to spend time looking around for other professionals. Forming a good relationship with your accountant will turn them into trusted advisers in all financial and legal sectors.

Some people will only make appointment with their accountant once a year when it is time to complete tax returns. The best accountants, however, will find the time to contact you at regular intervals to see if there are any issues or changes they need to be aware of and make sure all paperwork is correct and up to date.

Large firms can have too many clients and you may feel they tend to forget about you until tax returns are due. Small companies can sometimes be too busy and not have enough time to give you information and advice when you need it. Carry out some thorough research before making a final decision on an accountant; they should be able to answer to your needs and requirements and have time for your inquiries

Search the internet for experienced accountants who have experience in your area and are proactive and motivated.

Michiel Van Kets provides article services for Carl Benson, who writes articles for http://www.accountantsrus.com.au/. The company is an accounting firm, offering chartered accountants or business tax accountants anywhere in Australia. For advice and information on accounting firms and accountants.


More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Management Information:

Related Articles

Lawyers With 2 Hands And Everything Else
I heard this back a few years ago. The boss yelled, "Get me a good lawyer but not the one with two hands!""Huh?" secretary was puzzled.
Auditing Improves Effective Planning
Speak of operations assessment, and we'll hear its significant value. Speak of an audit, and we'll run for the nearest emergency exit.
Diversity Training: The Worst Possible Reasons to Request Executive Funding
You're on your organization's diversity committee. You have the best of intentions.
Top Ten Tips About People Management
To get the best results you have to be very good at Managing People..
Faith is the LIFE-blood of Your ACTIONS before the Benefit -
Nothing has changed. Your ancestors lived by faith.
Compensation and Six Sigma Black Belts
One of the more ambiguous elements of a Six Sigma project is the level and type of compensation the organization should give to its Six Sigma leaders and team members. On the one hand, setting compensation is not an integral part of any stage of a Six Sigma project; on the other hand, compensation is an important instrument to build loyalty and a sense of accomplishment that is a crucial element to the organization's Six Sigma success.
Working with Hearing Impaired Employees - Giving Them a Fair Go
Hearing impaired people often encounter difficulty at workbecause their disability isn't visible. I'd like to relateto you, briefly, the sorry saga of a young man who has recently been dragged through a performance managementprocess, essentially brought about by misunderstanding,frustration on his behalf, and failure by an employer tomake a 'reasonable adjustment' [Australian law includes the concept of reasonable adjustment which in effect means that employers are required to make reasonable adjustments necessary to enable employment opportunities for disabled people]in relation to this person's employment.
Results of Poor Cross Cultural Awareness
Results of Poor Cross Cultural Awareness. Having a poor understanding of the influence of cross cultural differences in areas such as management, PR, advertising and negotiations can eventually lead to blunders that can have damaging consequences.
Managing Client Relationships
Managing Client Relationships: Even the best run organizations occasionally run into difficult situations with clients, consultants, and vendors. Often times it is not just a business process that has gone a-rye, it is the relationship of the people managing the situation.
Keeping Team Meetings Vibrant
Meetings can be the life-blood of an organisation or the death.It all depends how you approach them.
How to Use an HR Consultant
Bringing an HR consultant into your organisation can often be the only way to get a particular objective achieved. It may be a project that needs to be delivered such as a recruitment campaign, a compensation & benefits review or the implementation of an HR information system.
What Makes a Good Appraisal Interview?
WHAT MAKES A GOOD APPRAISAL INTERVIEW?Here is a tip for supervisors that will contribute to a successful appraisal interview. Give advance notice.
Allan Kempert Discovers That Truly All You Gotta Do Is Ask
A year or so ago, I met Allan Kempert. Allan was the Quality Assurance Supervisor for a metal stamping company in Ontario, and just completed Norman Bodek's book, The Idea Generator, Quick and Easy Kaizen.
He Hate Me: Turning Their Bad Attitude Into Your Great Results
"He Hate Me" was the nickname of Rod Smart, a leading rusher in 2002 for the Las Vegas Outlaws of the now defunct XFL pro football league. Looking for an edge, the XFL allowed players to put nicknames on their uniforms.
Maximizing Sales through the Ultimate Tracking Software
Every small to mid-sized business owner would love to know how to effectively keep a pulse on their marketing and customer service efforts. The common barrier that all companies run into is how to cost effectively measure and control this process.
Is Your Business Healthy?
Most business owners I work with want to grow their businesses. I guess this probably applies to most businesses in general.
5 Ideas To Leverage The 3 Stages Of Career Development In Your Organization
In most industrialized nations, the average age a student graduates from high school is 18 years old and the average retirement age is 65 years old - a difference of 47 years. On average, most people work 40 to 50 years of their lives.
Employee Motivation - Access Their Unique Talents
Your people are invaluable to you. They are the lifeblood of your business or organisation.
Inspiring Loyalty and Contentment in Your Workforce
One of the first things I look at when I take over a new department or division is the attitudes of the managers and /or supervisors.I ask myself the following questions;Do they inspire loyalty in their staff?If not, why not?If they do, how do they do it?The workforce of any company is normally the lifeblood of the business, the oil that lubricates the machinery.
Micromanagement and Delegation
Recently I had a long discussion with a friend of mine about Managers and managing. She is a former HR Manager for several major companies and was bemoaning the fact that training for managers has been cut back so significantly in recent years and that managers no longer receive the type of help, guidance and assistance that they received just a few short years ago.