Whenever we take on a new client, we always look to learn as much about you and your business as possible.

It’s for two reasons.

First, we think it’s good to know what matters to our clients.

We see ourselves as more than just a hired hand. We want you to see us as an extension of your business, a partner who cares about your success as much as you do.

We find business is better when you treat clients in this way.

But the other reason we get to know as much as possible about our clients is because it’s the only real way you can make sure your accounts are done right.

You see if your accountant doesn’t really understand your business, it’s possible they might not be able to save you as much money on your tax bill. Or they might not be aware of how important changes in legislation could affect your business.

Truth is: just as you’d shop around to change your gas and electricity supplier every now and then, it might make sense to see if you can get a better service with a different accountant.

Of course, it might be your current accountant is representing you very well and doing everything they should be doing…

But we thought it would be useful to share some things you should check your accountant is doing. If they’re not, you might want to ask why? Or even think about a change.

So, ask yourself:

Does your current accountant…

• carry out regular reviews?

  We believe a good accountant should be in touch regularly to check how things are with your business. Don’t get us wrong…we don’t expect a weekly, or even monthly call. But we do think reaching out a few times during the year is important to make sure your circumstances are the same, or whether anything is changing.

• include home office costs?

  If you work from home your accountant might be able to claim a number of extra expenses against your tax bill. If they’re not already doing this for you, we recommend you explore why.

• alert you to all claimable expenses?

  As we pointed out here, as well as claiming home offices expenses, there are some unexpected things you can include in your accounts that aren’t 100% obvious. Your accountant should be looking to alert you to all of these.

• advise on how to allocate profit?

  Depending on your circumstances, there are various different ways you can set up a business and each offers different advantages and disadvantages. Your accountant should make you aware of each option and advise on the most tax-efficient way to set up your business. If they’ve never done that, you should be asking why not?

• keep you up to date?

  As you’ll see when you visit the news section on our website, things are always changing in the world of tax and accounting. It’s why we believe your accountant should keep you up to date on changes in legislation and alert you if a change might affect your business. This is why we always keep our website’s news section up to date for all of our clients.

Let’s face it: all of these checks are pretty straightforward and there’s no real reason why your current accountant shouldn’t be doing these things.

We hope they are. And we hope you’re getting the best value you can from your current accountant.

But of course, if you feel like you’re not getting the best value or that it’s time for a change and would like to work with us – we’d love to talk some more.

And to put your mind at rest, if you are thinking of changing accountants, we can go through what’s known as the ‘professional clearance’ process. This is where we request a transfer of your details to us.

We can do this for you so there’s no need for you to even contact your previous accountant if you don’t wish to.

Either way, if you’d like to find out more about the service we could offer you here at Appleleaf Accountancy, just give us a call.

There’s no obligation on your part and all of our dealings will be done in the strictest confidence.

To get in touch, just give us a call Monday to Friday on 01472 287387 or get in touch via our contact form below.