Sure, you can use an accountant for a tax return. But you know what? You’re not using them to their full potential.
Accountants sit through years of exams to become qualified, and even then, they have to be constantly monitored and undertake training just to retain the qualification they’re given and to be a member of an accountancy professional body.
It’s like getting a surgeon to give you a flu jab. Sure they CAN do it, but wouldn’t you rather they operated on your burst appendix?
Here’s the thing. An accountant should be part of your team. One of the top phone numbers on your business line speed dial. They are more than just number crunching. Which is why you’ll never see a price for doing a tax return on my website.
And I make no bones about that. That’s not what I’ve been through years of training for. I am there for my clients to provide strategic advice, to help them grow their business and that takes more than just filling out a tax return once a year. Plus it’s much more fun, and very rewarding to see my clients succeed. I love being a part of their team.
A good accountant will:
• Help you with a business plan
• Help with funding, including loan applications
• Issues such as company structure, whether to be a limited company or sole trader
• Set up systems to help you on a daily basis, such as cash flow, expenses, invoicing
• Use your financial data to help provide you with insight and help you make informed business decisions
And that’s just for starters. Whatever stage you are at in your business, thinking about starting out, have been running for a couple of years, or are a seasoned pro, then an accountant will be a welcome addition to your business. And don’t worry, you won’t pay for anything you don’t need, a good accountant will not clock watch or charge you for services which aren’t relevant to your business.
So if you are looking for an accountant to do your tax return, that’s fine, but think about making it a new start overall for your business. You can get processes in place so that next year’s tax return is a doddle, and you don’t even have to think about it. And you can also be confident that as your accountant knows the ins and outs of your business, they will be able to advise on places where you can reduce your tax liabilities, improve systems and processes, all of which will help to improve business performance and therefore growth.
So remember, an accountant is for life, not just for tax returns, well this one definitely!