Many businesses take the ostrich approach to thinking about the right accountant for their firm. They simply stick their heads in the sand and don't want to know!
In reality while many firms think that business accountant services are an overhead they could do without (and thus don't want to think about) this is a false economy. The single largest bill many businesses face is the tax man's. It makes sense to get a good accountant who is prepared to roll up their sleeves and get this bill down — and allow you to keep more of your hard earned profits.
Some business accountants seem to be on the side of the tax man. This is totally the wrong attitude and as a business owner you should select an accountant who is prepared to give you useful advice.
You should expect someone who really knows their stuff, and who is prepared to fight your corner when the time comes. Depending on the size of your business this varies from knowing sensible advice on what costs can be charged to your business (which can be more powerful than you think) to knowing how to shuffle your and your family's affairs around to keep them tax efficient. In short your business accountant should be a trusted partner for your firm.
Start by placing an ad on our site. You will be able to see all the feedback from previous clients — so you can see what people make of them and how useful they have been.
If you suspect your existing business accountant is not on your side and that you have been overpaying tax change accountants! A new accountant will not just to get your affairs in order for the future but will be able to go back over previous years and possibly put in a claim for a refund.
One example we heard of: a small hotel owner changed accountants and chose a savy new accountant. The new chap went back five years and was able was able to get a refund of nearly twenty thousand pounds for tax that his client's business had overpaid over that time. How sloppy their old accountant must have been.
When the back records are long enough some business accountants in these cases are willing to do this on a "no win no fee" basis on either the whole or part of their bill. This is a great concept and you should explore this if it is relevant to your business.
But don't take the ostrich approach. Ultimately your tax bill is the biggest single bill your business is likely to face. It will pay to get the business accountant to be your partner early on.