Continue to read on to find out about the 5 tips for choosing the right IT contractor accountants that will help you with your decision in choosing the best one for you.
1. Choose someone with years of experience
You can’t just trust anybody when it comes to your accounts because as a freelance contractor your needs are unique. You should always trust an accountant that has the top qualifications in this area. Select an IT contractor accountant that has had many years of experience with dealing with freelance contractors like yourself. Look for a contractor accountancy firm that is trusted or better yet, ask around from a friend or other freelance contractors where they hired their IT contractor accountant.
2. Ask for accreditations
This is always vital in any type of job because accreditations give proof of what a person has really studied and what licenses they possess. Always ask for accreditations when looking for a contractor accountant. It confirms their credibility, expertise, compliance and professionalism. Make sure they have the following accounting accreditations: AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians), ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accounts and CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants). Of course it does vary in every state so do some research about what your state credits.
3. Tailor their services to your needs
Every freelance contracting business is diverse to another one. Make sure you hire a contractor accountant that can tailor their services to exactly what you need. An example is, if you only need an accountant to process annual accounts for you, then hire an accountant that will do just that. You don’t need an accountant who can do everything for you because it might be costing you a lot more than you really will be using for their services.
4. Carefully ask about fees
Don’t just hire a contractor accountant because they are cheap and affordable. Although some accountants don’t charge all too much compared to others and are still great at their services, it doesn’t mean that just because something is “expensive” it doesn’t mean that it is the best. Accounting fees should be fixed at a monthly fee and should cover all administrative dealings with tax authorities, PAYE administration and VAT registration. The contractor accountant should have a clear description of what is included in their service package. Do some research on fees of contractor accountants.
5. Always check for the small details
Be careful when it comes to small print. Make sure you know exactly what you are paying for and what services are included. Check for extra fees because you don’t want to be surprised with the extras you may be paying for. Keep a close eye on this tip before hiring someone. Be sure of what services you are getting right from the beginning.