What to expect in a good accountant/tax advisor

Hi There,

I haven't really used an accountant/tax advisor before and wanted to hear from others on what they experience/expect from a good advisor to help calibrate my expectations.

Thanks

 

A lot depends on:
What you have.
what you do (public sector employee? Own business?)
What your plans are and how clearly you can explain that.

a good accountant will ask a lot of questions.

 

Thanks

 

I am not an accountant but am a tax advisor. What I try to do is show clients how to save tax, correct their misunderstandings and help with some strategies.

 

As a client I don’t like big ego accountants that try to pull the wool over and charge extra and yet make simple mistakes because they have rushed things to finalise the return at the last minute.

Kinda like me when I was at school hastily copying someone else’s homework 5 minutes before class started. Poor effort. Sticks out like the proverbial.

Not saying all are like that.

 

Accountants seem to specialise in certain areas of business to some degree and I agree that it depends on what you do. I live in a farming area and most of my accountants clients would be farmers and a few small business clients etc. Over the years we've had great service and a lot of help which has been very good indeed.

However, as we've grown to invest in more residential property and now ramping up our brands on Amazon I can see us reaching the limits of what they can offer.

If you can find an accountant that you can trust and communicates well it's a good start.

 

A good tax adviser will:
1. Be available to assist with any questions and advice in a timely manner
2. Be a good communicator as they will need to explain complex issues and alternatives
3. Be highly knowledgeable and offer startegies and suggestions
4. Be a good listener to support their advice
5. Suggest things that may assist you
and lastly, Assist with preparation of return/s for lodgement in a cost effective manner.