Interested In Advertising? | Contact Us Here
Warning!

 

Welcome to Clean It Up; the UK`s largest cleaning forum with over 34,000 members

 

Please login or register to post and reply to topics.      

 

Forgot your password? Click here

Feen

  • Posts: 562
Am I paying too much?
« on: February 08, 2009, 07:45:04 pm »
I have a couple of questions about accountants. Last year my accountant charged me £250+Vat (£293.75) to prepare my accounts. He also charged me £400+Vat (£470) to complete self assessment tax forms for myself and my wife. My wife does not work, but has some investment income that involves tax deduction. Basically she has tax deducted at source which is then put against her allowance, so there is some work to do on her behalf albeit very little work. How does this compare with you guys? I am a sole trader and I am pretty meticulous (is that how you spell that word?? :D) with my book keeping so they are not spending a long time wading through a box full of bits of paper. I feel I've done most of the ground work for them and they are just form filling for me. Thoughts my friends? Constructive comments only please ;D (None of the "sack the....etc etc)
Feen

glen parva

Re: Am I paying too much?
« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2009, 07:49:46 pm »
yes i think you are
my accountant charges £200 + £50 for tax return
 but she does monthly and yearly for that
and she charges for everthing even going out shoes and meals out !!
i would shop around for next year

cheers john

Feen

  • Posts: 562
Re: Am I paying too much?
« Reply #2 on: February 08, 2009, 08:05:25 pm »
Thanks guys. I know it's impossible to be sure as we are not comparing like with like, but my feeling that I am being charged too much has been re-inforced.
Feen

LWC

  • Posts: 6824
Re: Am I paying too much?
« Reply #3 on: February 08, 2009, 08:07:19 pm »
Mine charged me £500 this year...was not that impressed with that especially after the tax bill i had

chrisyg

Re: Am I paying too much?
« Reply #4 on: February 08, 2009, 08:09:38 pm »
Thanks guys. I know it's impossible to be sure as we are not comparing like with like, but my feeling that I am being charged too much has been re-inforced.

shop around, and ask questions of other accountants regarding likely charges. Then you are in a better position to say if you are being over charged. Asking others doesn't really help as they have different circumstances to you.

NBwcs

  • Posts: 869
Re: Am I paying too much?
« Reply #5 on: February 08, 2009, 08:26:38 pm »
Why not have a go yourself, you've done the real hard work already doing the books. If you book an appointment at the tax office they can help you no end. Theyve  got a bad reputation but if you approach them for help, they generally will go out of their way to accomodate you. I have a general mistrust of accountants. i used to work in the civil service and was told by people in the know that the tax office are only too aware of who are good accountants and who arnt and theres plenty who arnt,and if yours isnt you are very likely to have your figures scrutenized, even more so than doing your tax return yourself. Trouble is, everybody puts faith in their own accountant without really knowing the truth. An accountant that keeps your tax bill down may sound like a godsend but it may come back and smack you right in the kisser.

Neil271052

  • Posts: 212
Re: Am I paying too much?
« Reply #6 on: February 09, 2009, 09:02:17 am »
I pay just over £400 but mine is  a chartered accountant.

Nice to let them get on with it and not have to worry.  :)
Cheers,
Neil

gary evans

  • Posts: 1242
Re: Am I paying too much?
« Reply #7 on: February 09, 2009, 09:05:11 am »
Just started another post concerning accountants, especially reading LWC, looking for responses of similar busines,s what they pay

Thanks

Gary

Dick

  • Posts: 304
Re: Am I paying too much?
« Reply #8 on: February 09, 2009, 10:18:00 am »
I once queried my accountants charges, his reply was 'it's not only knowing how much to claim for but exactly where to put it on the form, that's what you pay me for, expert knowledge'. I now do my own tax return.

Ian Lancaster

  • Posts: 2811
Re: Am I paying too much?
« Reply #9 on: February 09, 2009, 10:56:36 am »
The charge for annual accounts is reasonable, although I am in a similar position and mine charges two hundred pounds plus VAT - BUT that includes self assessment forms for myself and my partner.

Unless you have very complicated lives and financial arrangements, four hundred pounds just for self assessment is outrageous.

Dump him and find someone else.