Tips for keeping tabs on your accountant

Hiring any kind of professional who will be handling any part of your business can be a scary thing. You want to find someone who will be reliable, intelligent, and trustworthy, but also someone who is not too expensive. You can't afford to hire someone who's going to break the bank just for an initial consultation. One of the worst things you can do when hiring any type of professional service is just call one up and hire one. You need to get to know who will be working with you. And once you've finally decided on a particular professional, you need to keep close tabs on that person to ensure that s/he has your best interests at heart. Here are a few tips for keeping tabs on your account.

Let's begin first with how to find an accountant.

1. Ask yourself why you need a tax accountant. How will s/he help you? Can you do any of the services they provide on your own? By when do you need to hire an accountant?
2. If the most important thing is for you to get your taxes done quickly, consider going to H&R Block or another retail company. They are fairly well trained and will complete your taxes quickly.
3. If time is not an issue, and you have a fairly complicated set of business finances, or simply want to create a tax plan for your future, you may want to hire a professional licensed tax accountant such as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or an Enrolled Agent.
4. If you have particularly difficult or complex situations, you should find an accountant who specializes in your problem. Special circumstances may include living outside of or doing business outside of the US, trading in the stock market, or owning a small business.
5. You should be sure to call around to several tax offices to ask about prices and how quickly they can schedule an interview appointment. Ask what the price range is and about any guarantees the accounting office offers.

This leads us into the next part of this process: keeping tabs on the accountant that you've decided to hire. Here are some of the following questions that you should ask yourself and your account in order to ensure you're getting your money's worth.

1. Is timely service always delivered? Accounting information can become out of date fairly quickly. Except for annual information, most accounting information should be no more than 10 to 30 days old. Granted, some of this will depend on you and your ability to get that information to your accountant. But you should find out if they are accustomed to getting your work done quickly and on time.
2. Do the same people always service you account? Who else in the firm will be available for second opinions? It's a good idea to have the same few people always working on your account. That way, they're familiar with your finances, tricky aspects of your account, and even how you like to have things done.
3. What services beyond the usual reporting and number-crunching are offered? If you hire this person, do they offer more than just the basics of accounting? Will you be getting your money's worth?
4. Does this accountant help you and your business to make money? Does your accountant regularly review the financial information you provide them with? Do they regularly make sure that you understand the concepts they discuss, rather than just tossing around a bunch of jargon? Does your accountant save you money on your taxes and do things correctly or do you lose money working with him/her?

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