Does it matter if your account is 300 miles away?

[Charlie The Greek]

Hi all

I've been looking for an accountant and stumbled across this forum during the course of my googling. There's a lot of interesting information in here so thank you all for posting it, it's prompted me to join up!

I've started a very small business with turnover anticipated to be well below the VAT threshold. I'm looking for an accountant but all the local ones seem to be 'big' firms if you know what I mean, and, rightly or wrongly, I get the feeling that i'd be paying for more than I get with them, after all, someone has to pay for the plush offices in prime locations!

But now, after reading through the forum today, i'm starting to think that maybe an accountant doesn't have to be local. I'd prefer it of course, i've tried all the local newspapers, google and even had one recommended to me who just won't return calls, so that's not a good sign......

I've never had the need for an accountant before and to be honest it's a daunting prospect and obviously, I want whoever gets the gig to be right for me.

So...........Should I persevere and find someone local or does that not matter much in this day and age?

Any advice gratefully received.

 

[accountancyextra]

First of all read the sticky at the top of this board to help you select an accountant.

There is no reason why your accountant neds to be local to you, provided they are fully up to speed with using modern technologies to communicate with you (You'd be surprised how many don't even have full use of e mail!!). There are also firms set up specifically to deal with clients online, such as Nicola's new offering on this board

 

[elaine@cheapaccounting]

I think it is horses for courses and depends on your attitude to the web.

ALL of our clients have no problem with it at all.

 

[Williams lester]

We have many remote clients, no need for a local accountant...unless you particularly want one!

 

[Philip Hoyle]

It depends on the client as much as the accountant, i.e. ability/inclination to post/email/fax paperwork, and to deal with important issues by phone or email rather than face to face, etc.

I've never met probably over half my clients, mostly because they're spread all over the UK, but there are several local ones, a couple actually in my village, that I've never met - I could walk past them every day and I wouldn't know it!

Then there are some who simply "have to" give me paperwork hand-to-hand or talk face-to-face and who just aren't inclined to do anything remotely. Some won't even put a piece of paper through the letterbox, they literally "have to" put it in my hand!!

I think the big issue with remote working is that BOTH parties have to be committed to the philosophy of always phoning & emailing.

I'm not entirely sure why it's necessary to have to have an accountant miles away though. In my case, my "distant" clients have happened by accident rather than by intention - simply because local clients moved or worked away and then recommended me to their new colleagues, who in turn, recommended me to theirs, and so it goes on. I can see why you'd choose an accountant at the other end of the country if they were recommended, but otherwise, I am sure that you could find a suitable accountant more locally.

 

[alison640]

Interested to know the outcome of your situation. Did you get an accountant locally or remotely? If remotely is it working out ok.

The feedback could help somebody else.

 

[accountancyextra]

Interested to know the outcome of your situation. Did you get an accountant locally or remotely? If remotely is it working out ok.

The feedback could help somebody else.

Give him chance Alison, he only posted the requested this morning

 

[alison640]

Ooooops !!!

Sorry !!! Didn't look at the date, I thought I was looking at olders posts.

I will try to be more patient !!

Still, if and when you do get it sorted I would be interested in the outcome

 

[Maslins]

All depends on whether it's important to you to sit down with your accountant and have a face to face discussion. Obviously with a remote one that's a lot more of a pain. Having said that, I would imagine your big local firms won't be prepared to give you that much of their time, unless of course you're happy to pay their juicy hourly rates.

 

[MyAccountantOnline]

The majority of the clients we now act for are no longer local and we dont have any problems at all. In fact it works very well. So much of our work can now be done via the internet that unless you really want to meet your accountant you dont have to do so.

 

[OptiRick]

Our accountant is on the same street.

He pops in with forms to sign or to ask questions and collect information he needs.

We give him a massive wodge of paper every year and he does his thing then brings it back.

I could find a slightly cheaper accountant but the convenience of having him so close is worth something to me.

 

[Maslins]

We give him a massive wodge of paper every year and he does his thing then brings it back.

Do these bits of paper have the queen's head on them? Sounds like a money laundering racket to me!

 

[OptiRick]

Do these bits of paper have the queen's head on them? Sounds like a money laundering racket to me!

We give him a wodge of those when he's finished, that's the most painful part.

 

[David Griffiths]

We give him a wodge of those when he's finished, that's the most painful part.

Well if you reduced the size of the first wodge by doing more yourself, then you could expect the size of the second wodge to decrease as well!

 

[OptiRick]

Well if you reduced the size of the first wodge by doing more yourself, then you could expect the size of the second wodge to decrease as well!

They insist on having all our invoices in and out to check everything. (Is this auditing?)

It's the same price every year despite the effort I put in!