Finding a good accountant can be a real challenge. If you’re a freelancer, then you’ll need to find someone who understands what it’s like to run your own business and has experience working with similar companies. Luckily, there are plenty of options out there. Here’s how to avoid the hassle of having to go through every firm in town (and hopefully save yourself some money along the way).
Check Their Qualifications and Experience
The first thing to look for is the qualifications of your accountant. As a freelancer, it’s crucial that you work with an expert who has what it takes to help you get through tax season. Ask them about their formal education and training. It’s also important to inquire about their experience in the accounting field so that you can be sure they have enough knowledge and expertise on hand to take care of all your needs.
While checking out their qualifications, don’t forget to ask whether or not they belong to any professional bodies or associations like ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) or ICAI (Institute of Chartered Accountants).
These organizations provide ongoing training courses for accountants as well as legislative updates regarding changes in taxation laws, which could affect your business model going forward — especially if you need support with complicated accounts-related areas such as VAT returns or corporate law matters such as limited companies setup & dissolved etc…
Look at What Services They Offer
When it comes to choosing an accountant, the first thing you should do is take a look at what services they offer. Reputable accounting firms such as SCK Group accountants will have their services listed on their websites and are willing to answer any questions you have regarding their offers.
This can be done by reading their website or calling them up for an initial consultation. Ask yourself:
- What services do I need?
- What services do I want?
- Do they offer the services I need, and if so, are these bundled together into one package or sold separately as individual items?
- Do they offer all of the other things I was looking for (e.g., free advice from a qualified professional) that weren’t mentioned in my list above but would still make me feel more comfortable hiring them overall? If so, how much does each service cost individually and does this fit within my budget?
If any of these questions have been answered negatively by this point then there’s probably no reason why you should continue working together—regardless of how good their rates might be!
Choose a Practice That Is Up-to-Date
A good accountant will be up-to-date, and this is important because there are many changes in tax law each year. For example, in Ireland, there have been several changes to the taxation of property investments over the past few years.
If you are looking for an accountant who can provide you with the most up-to-date advice on your financial situation and help you to stay compliant with all current legislation, it’s important that you do some research into accountants in your area before making a decision about which one will be best suited to your needs.
Find Someone With a Solid Reputation
One of the best ways to find out if a potential accountant has a good reputation is by asking around. Word of mouth can help you find out if others in your field have had positive experiences with the same person, or whether they’ve heard anything negative about them.
If you want to check their online reviews and ratings, look for sites that specialize in financial advice, such as the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) or the Irish Tax Institute (ITI). You can also consult websites where freelancers contribute information about working with different accountants; these include TrustPilot and Freelancedesk.
If you do come across an accountant whose reputation seems questionable—perhaps because of negative comments on social media—it’s worth doing some research on what happened and why before deciding whether or not to work with them.
For example, if someone claims that an accountant was late paying their invoices several times in a row without giving any reason why, it could be because he never received payment from clients; but it could also just be an isolated incident due to some other reason related to his workload at that time.
Consider the Value for Money of Their Services
Consider the value for money of their services. An accountant’s fee should be based on the hours they work and what it costs them to run their business. If you find that an accountant charges a fair amount of money, but is unable to give you enough time, or if they’re charging too much for unnecessary services then consider looking elsewhere.
Conclusion
We hope that this article has helped you understand what to look for in an accountant as a freelance worker.
