Talking Cents

Tips when switching to new accountants from small business accounting in Sydney Part 2

Following on from last week’s article where we touched on a few points to follow when looking for or switching to new accountants, we the small business accountant in Sydney, have compiled further tips you should keep in mind to help with your decision and ease you into the changeover process:

• Planning: Before meeting with a potential new accountant, list out your objectives and reasons for looking for a new accountant. It is possible that you may set up meetings and find out that the accountant is not capable of providing the exact services you require. Plan out the meeting agenda so that you can easily explain to your accountant what is required during the first meeting itself.
• Documentation: Take in as much documentation as possible relating to your accounts so your potential new accountant can see during the first meeting itself what work will be involved. It is possible that the accounts are in a mess and require a bit of fixing up, so taking your P&L, balance sheet, trial balances etc. on a USB can be quite helpful to the new accountant and give you an idea of the time and cost involved in fixing up the accounts.
• Follow up: Once you have decided on your new accountant and are satisfied with the level of service and costs, make sure that they are a registered tax agent and are not prohibited by law to provide the promised services. This is because it is actually illegal to provide income tax services and subsequently charge for them if the accountant is not a registered tax agent with a valid agent number.

Once you have decided to make the switch, it is imperative that the new accountant you find can communicate clearly, is the right choice for you and has set out a clear plan of action to make sure that what you require is what you are getting. We hope that these tips will help you in making the right decision and saving you the headache that comes with making the wrong choice.

For any accounting help that you may need with your small business, contact m.a.s accountants now. We have serviced small business accounting in Sydney, Zetland and Surry Hills for over 50 years, and we are sure we will be able to tackle any challenges you may have for us.