If we’re about nothing else here at My Accountant Friend, we’re about trying to be useful and helpful. One of the most commonly asked questions we hear is, simply: why hire an accountant? Why shouldn’t I just do it myself? We understand this very well.
Many of our clients are self-employed startups, freelancers or independent contractors, we know that saving money is high on the agenda. However, there’s a difference between wasting money and money well spent, so here are a few reasons why we think hiring an accountant is a wise decision.
Why hire an accountant? To save money
Yep, sometimes you really can spend money to save money, and in the world of tax that can absolutely be the case. No, we’re not talking about helping you with tax avoidance or anything untoward like that. The tax world isn’t an easy place to find your way around, and accountants train long and hard to improve their navigation skills in this area.
Our clients often ask us to help them simply because they’re aware that they may be (and often are) putting the wrong figures in the wrong columns. If a little expertise can go a long way, then a career’s worth of experience can take you a very great distance indeed.
Why hire an accountant? To save time
Anyone who has attempted to complete their own tax returns will know that it can take up unreasonable chunks of time, and when you’re self-employed, time really does mean money. Many of our clients simply find that they’d prefer to be getting on with what they’re good at rather than faffing around with something that stresses and confuses them. As we say in our little slogan: your life is your business – your accountants are ours.
Why hire an accountant? To find peace of mind
A combination of the above can result in peace of mind. Thinking that you’re making mistakes when you’re trying to work through your tax situation can cause sleepless nights.
Similarly, putting things off because they seem too much like a chore rarely makes for a happy disposition. For many people, hiring someone to take all of this off your hands (and, bizarrely, someone who seems to relish the opportunity) is worth the cash alone.
Why hire an accountant? To deal with the legals
Should you register as a sole trader or a limited company? We’re asked this all the time, and for good reason. It can be very difficult to determine what is right for your situation if you don’t have the experience of working through the possibilities, and registering it all properly and legally can be quite daunting.
That’s why we offer a full accounting service that includes helping you through these early decisions and registering your business for you. If we can make life a little easier for you, then that’s a huge part of our purpose fulfilled.
Why hire an accountant? To help you with VAT
As with the above question, working out whether you should be charging VAT, how to do it, when to do it, and what to do once you’ve done it can seem like quite a conundrum. However, it’s the kind of thing that can be cleared up quite quickly with a qualified accountant on your side.
Why hire an accountant? To chew the fat
As an old advert once insisted: it’s good to talk. One of the big benefits of working with My Accountant Friend is that you get a dedicated accountant who is always available to chat if you have concerns. Of course, this has always been the case with traditional accountants, but they rarely come with the cutting edge, cloud-based technology we provide.
On the other hand, there are a number of online accountants that now provide similar services, but they rarely offer dedicated accountants who know your business inside out.
With My Accountant Friend, there are no ticketing systems, so no having to explain your business to a newbie once you finally make it to the front of the queue. We’re there for you whenever you need us, happily offering up-to-the-minute online accountancy with a human touch. Feel free to get in touch with us today to find out how we can help you – we do love a good chinwag.