Michael is the owner of AccountantFor, which is part of the Bula Media group. As an experienced business owner and investor, Michael wanted to build AccountantFor through his personal experience of his frustration in finding the most suitable accountant for his requirements. In addition to this, we bring a number of expert views from accountancy and financial experts to help small businesses and sole traders.
Choosing the right outsourced service providers for your business is an important process, as you need to work with that person or organisation closely and share private information with them.
When it comes to business accounting, that’s even more true, as you will need your company accountant to undertake vital tasks such as filing your business taxes and managing your payroll.
For busy business leaders, choosing the right accountant can seem like a daunting and time-consuming task, but it’s a necessary one, made easier by platforms like Accountant For.
Our aim is to help fast-growing businesses like yours to connect with the right accountant. We have an extensive network of certified business accountants based throughout the UK who specialise in providing a range of corporate accounting services, so you can quickly search our database for experts who can work with your business.
Whether you’re self-employed or run a small business with multiple employees, our accountancy experts can help you manage every aspect of your finances.
While our platform makes it easier for you to find the right accountant for your organisation and saves you valuable time researching accounting professionals, you still need to know what you’re looking for and how to select the right person from the thousands available on our site.
Why Every Business Needs An Accountant
Running any business requires talent, determination and dedication, but there’s only so much that you as an owner can do yourself.
Some expert tasks need to be outsourced or given to other members of your company’s team. One of the most important is accounting.
Every business needs to file taxes, and if you have employees, then you’ll need to undertake payroll and file expenses.
These tasks can be incredibly time-consuming, and if you don’t do them correctly, then you will have to spend even more time fixing your mistakes.
Any errors you make could potentially cost your business money, as can filing your taxes late. HMRC penalises businesses and self-employed individuals who file their taxes late or incorrectly with fines, which can cost upwards of £100.
In some cases, you could even be accused of tax fraud if you don’t fill out your tax returns for your business clearly and accurately.
Using a business accountant can help you to save time and ensure that all your necessary financial arrangements are made on time and correctly.
While hiring an in-house accountant might work for very large businesses, most companies choose to hire outsourced accountants and work with them as and when their services are required.
That’s because accounting expertise is expensive to hire, and bringing it in-house might mean that you pay more than you have to.
Many small to medium-sized businesses, self-employed workers, contractors and charities choose to hire outsourced accountants, and they use platforms like ours to find the right person.
What A Business Accountant Can Do For You
When you’re searching for a business accountant for your organisation, you need to think about what services they’re able to offer.
While all UK accountants need relevant A-Levels and an ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualification to operate in the UK, every accountant has unique expertise.
Some have worked in specific sectors or niches and undertaken certain tasks. So, while they will all be familiar with UK tax regulations, payroll requirements and the basics of business finance, every accountant has a different specialism.
So, the accountant you choose for your business will depend on what you need them to do, both now and in the future.
Some common types of tasks that business accountants can undertake for you include:
- Create financial statements for your limited company
- Advise you on capital gains tax and other taxes your company has to pay
- Put together an operations budget for your business
- Help you estimate costs for upcoming projects
- Conduct audits of your accounts
- Manage your payroll and other essential business expenses
- Help you and other staff members conduct self-assessment if needed
- Support you with your eCommerce accounting, Amazon FBA and other financial practicalities associated with selling online
- Give property companies help with buy-to-let mortgages
- Continually improve accounting processes and help you implement new software
As you can see, there are many services that business accountants can offer, but only if you choose the right one.
Thankfully, our easy-to-use platform is simple to search, so you can find someone who has all the knowledge and experience you need.
Whether you’re in the property market or want to sell products online, we can assist you in finding a professional accountant who can meet your exact specifications.
How is An Accountant Different To a Financial Advisor?
An accountant will organise your financial accountants and help you put together all the right documentation to file your tax returns, pay your taxes and also help with any potential tax savings.
By comparison, a financial advisor helps you plan your finances more carefully, helping you save money or invest in other financial products such as ISAs and pensions. A financial advisor may be able to give you different products and options based on your risk profile and also give advice on things like mortgages and life insurance policies.
The Key Questions To Ask Your New Accountant
Once you find someone who you’re interested in hiring for your business, you need to ask them some basic questions to find out more about their work and whether they’d be a suitable service provider for you.
While every business has unique requirements for its accounting specialist, some of the basic questions to consider asking include the following:
- What experience do you have working with businesses in my niche?
- What services do you offer, and are there any you’re unable to provide?
- What certifications and qualifications do you have?
- How do you contact customers, and how does your process work?
- How much are your services, and are there any extra fees I should be aware of?
Once you have this basic information, you can make an informed choice about whether an accountant will be a good external partner for your business or if you should look elsewhere.
To find out more about choosing an accountant for your business and what they can do for you, use online resources like our blog. Written by our accountancy experts, it includes a range of articles on modern business accounting, so you can find out more about what today’s accountants have to offer and how you can make the most of their services to grow your company.
Last Updated on July 24, 2024 by Daniel Tannenbaum ACCA
