Need An Accountant

Son

Hey
Can anyone recommed some good and reasonably priced accountancy firms as i need to speak to one with regard to a new small buisness/sole trader,thanks.

smcgiff

Son wrote: »

Hey
Can anyone recommed some good and reasonably priced accountancy firms as i need to speak to one with regard to a new small buisness/sole trader,thanks.

And the inevitable question on such enquiries... :P Where is the trader based?

Son

Oh yeah
Im in south Dublin.

Butch Harmon

Have you found somebody suitable yet? If not get in touch....

magscon

Hello,

I am looking for a good accountant in the Trim/Navan area. I want one that will advise me, not expect me to know everything! My last one must have thought I was physic and would know all the right questions to ask 'cause he sure wasn't forthcoming with advise and didn't help.

Can anyone refer one please.

Snowdrop

Hi Son,

Registering as a sole trader is very simple and you should be able to do it yourself with incurring any costs.

I run a accounting & payroll bureau service based in Bray. If you want to PM me your query I will advise you if I can without obligation.

Son

I have a meeting set up with an accountant but do i really need one?
I won't be vat registered and im just starting up.

LouOB

You need to register for VAT if you have the potential to earn over 35k as sole trader or 70k in goods during the tax year (jan-dec).
Your accountant will register your details with Revenue for you and calcuate payments also. You will also have to pay Tax by sending your details (by accountant) by Oct of the next tax year ie 2008 needs to go in by 31st Oct 2009

Son

I won't be registering for vat-see above ^
I can do all the business registration myself.I just need an accountant for tax,bookeeping and whatever else needs to be done in that area.

Son

Son wrote: »

I won't be registering for vat-see above ^
I can do all the business registration myself.I just need an accountant for tax,bookeeping and whatever else needs to be done in that area.

Tbh a good bookkeeper may be all you require, rather than an accountant.

Snowdrop

Any good book-keeper should be able to do everything you need and cost a lot less than an accountant. Just make sure you keep all paperwork and can track all bank transactions.

Son

Since its my first year in business,maybe i should get an accountant so i can have his/her advice?
I wouldn't be well up on tax and that sort of thing!!!

Snowdrop

If your tax situation is straightforward then I would say it is not necessary. If you have overseas income, capital gains liabilities or anything out of the ordinary then I would advise you to go to a tax specialist.

Son

I think im a fairly straight forward case,sole trader,providing a service.If i use a bookeeper do i just keep all receipts and copys of invoices and turn them over to them? or how does it work?

Also from what i've been reading...if i use a bookkeeper i will still need an accountant at the end of the the year to finalise my accounts,is this right?

kluivert

As a sole trader you are responsible for the preparation of your own accounts and submission of tax returns.

Employing an accountant gives you the knowledge that this is done correctly.

Snowdrop

If you have an experienced bookkeeper, they can probably do the tax return for you. It should not be necessary to pay an accountant as well unless your situation is complex.

Snowdrop

You can do as much or as little of the bookkeeping as you want. I have clients who bring papers stuffed in anything from a shoebox to a biscuit tin. I have others who give me nicely filed paperwork on a two monthly basis with apreadsheets in time to file the VAT.

Some people prefer to learn how to do the day to day stuff themselves, very often all they need is a little assistance & training at the start. They then just pass it over to get the annual return filed.

If you decide to do it yourself, I would suggest that you get some advice/training otherwise you may find that it all has to be done again from scratch. I have seen it happen quite regularly.

Son

I wouldn't be interested in doing it myself,maybe next year.
If im paying a bookkeeper i don't want to turn around at the end of the year and pay an accountant as well,just wouldn't make sense.
I feel i get an accountant i could be paying him/her 1k euro to do the the same thing as a book keeper who would probably charge half that but on the other hand the accountant might be able to advise me where or if i can save money etc.I guess il just have to pick one and learn from it.

magscon

Hi Son,
Have you checked out your local enterprise boards? I did a basic book-keeping and taxation course with Meath Enterprise and it really helped. It was 2 hrs a week for 6 weeks and very reasonable.

Son

magscon wrote: »

Hi Son,
Have you checked out your local enterprise boards? I did a basic book-keeping and taxation course with Meath Enterprise and it really helped. It was 2 hrs a week for 6 weeks and very reasonable.

Thanks il check it out

sawilson2003

Hi Son

I am an Accountatn based in South County Dublin/Wicklow area, I also have a small business dealing with bookkeeping etc. From your posts it appears that you would not be in need of an Accountant, and the majority could be carried out by a good Bookkeeper.

As Snowdrop says 'just keep your affairs in order, invoices, payments, etc' and you should be ok.

If you care to drop me a message to discuss anything feel free.

becks4bucks

i have a buddy who is part qalified. can he still do my accounts and send them to revenue on my behalf. very very straight forward soletrader. what i really want to know is do u have to be a qualified accountant to sign off on sole trader accounts.

Snowdrop

The short answer is no, you do not have to be a qualified accountant to submit income tax returns. You just need to know what you are doing. In my business we prepare accounts and file returns for both sole traders and limited companies.

Just be careful that the person you use knows what they are doing as ultimately you are responsible.

sawilson2003

becks4bucks

There is no requirement for a sole trader to file annual accounts with the companies office. Therefore there is no real sign off of accounts. So in answer to your question no a qualified accountant is not required.

decoratinghouse

Have you sorted out your bookkeeping/accounting needs yet?

I am a qualified accountant providing a bookkeeping and accounting service from home since having kids. I have several clients with the same requirement as you. As I am just working from home around kids' school etc my rates are very reasonable?

Contact me if you would liks to arrange a chat. I am based in Rathfarnham.

easydoesit

You only need an accountant if it is a limited company, even at that you can avail of audit exemption where the turnover is less than €7.3m and the net assets are less than €3.65m.

I provide a book keeping service if you want to pm me

MarGar

Hi

If you're looking for a good bookeeper who is reasonably priced please reply to me. We include all the necessary bookeeping services including submission of annual returns and advice on setting up or even ceasing to trade. Please get in contact and we will speak from there.Thanks Mark

smcgiff

becks4bucks wrote: »

i have a buddy who is part qalified. can he still do my accounts and send them to revenue on my behalf.

Ironically, he probably can't. He's most likely prohibited by his association from signing off accounts because he is only a student. However, the revenue won't mind, but the student themselves could have their student membership revoked.

There is one exception - if he did it for no fee or an insubstantial amount (something like €50) he can sign off.

Back to the original OP...

The question here is whether you want a qualified accountant or someone that claims to have knowledge of accountancy. Now, this non-qualified person may very well have excellent knowledge of preparing accounts - you just don't know. Questions to ask - if they are not qualified, what makes them qualified to prepare accounts on your behalf? Where did they get the experience/knowledge in the first place.

Will a qualified accountant cost more - almost certainly. You're paying for their supervised experience (which you can ask them about) and a guaranteed knowledge (having passed exams, plus the now mandatory Continued Professional Development education), plus regulation (the services they provide are regulated by their own profession). They'll also have insurance.

You wouldn't be looking for a leading firm of accountants to take you on, and even then, they'd most likely be looking for your business to grow, and hence their fees.

Against that, you could very well get a book-keeper to suit your needs, but there is undoubtedly more risk involved in finding a good one.