Accounting fees

D3V!L

An accountant I have been using for years sent me a bill recently with an increase of €100 on last year's fee of €200 for an annual tax return.

They completed the work and never informed me of the increase in fees. Their argument is that no other client complained. Am I right in thinking that because they didn't inform me they have increased their fee substantially what they did is unlawful ?

C3PO

What law would you think they are breaking?

Trigger Happy

Did they charge you what was agreed before the work started?
Or did you engage them without checking how much it would cost?

D3V!L

Trigger Happy wrote: »

Did they charge you what was agreed before the work started?
Or did you engage them without checking how much it would cost?

They have been my accountants for several years. They did the work this year and increased their charges without telling me by 50%.

Dav010

D3V!L wrote: »

They have been my accountants for several years. They did the work this year and increased their charges without telling me by 50%.

Did they increase the fees over those several years? Is €200 a typo?

D3V!L

Dav010 wrote: »

Did they increase the fees over those several years? Is €200 a typo?

It was €200 last year, it was increased to €300 this year without any warning or communication.

Dav010

D3V!L wrote: »

It was €200 last year, it was increased to €300 this year without any warning or communication.

You posted that they did your accounts for several years, did they raise the price during those several years?

TitianGerm

D3V!L wrote: »

It was €200 last year, it was increased to €300 this year without any warning or communication.

Is it an income tax return? What sources of income do you have?

D3V!L

TitianGerm wrote: »

Is it an income tax return? What sources of income do you have?

Yes, an income tax return for a dormant company.

Happy4all

D3V!L wrote: »

Yes, an income tax return for a dormant company.

Company? Is it not a corporation tax return?

D3V!L

Happy4all wrote: »

Company? Is it not a corporation tax return?

Are you an accountant ?

TitianGerm

D3V!L wrote: »

Yes, an income tax return for a dormant company.

A company return is a CT return not an income tax return. Did the €300 also include the CRO filing? There was also an RBO (Register Of Businesses Owners) filling this year which was am absolute nightmare.

Dav010

D3V!L wrote: »

Are you an accountant ?

Company owners tend to know these things.

D3V!L

TitianGerm wrote: »

A company return is a CT return not an income tax return. Did the €300 also include the CRO filing? There was also an RBO (Register Of Businesses Owners) filling this year which was am absolute nightmare.

Regardless of what whats involved. My question was regarding a service provider changing their fees and not informing their client before the work is carried out.

Dav010

D3V!L wrote: »

Regardless of what whats involved. My question was regarding a service provider changing their fees and not informing their client before the work is carried out.

Increased company filing costs and judging by your not answering the question about price rises over several years leads me to think there weren’t any, would explain the increase to most. What did they say when you asked them about it?

mrcheez

D3V!L wrote: »

An accountant I have been using for years sent me a bill recently with an increase of €100 on last year's fee of €200 for an annual tax return.

They completed the work and never informed me of the increase in fees. Their argument is that no other client complained. Am I right in thinking that because they didn't inform me they have increased their fee substantially what they did is unlawful ?

it seems odd to charge you more than was agreed... a fairer approach is to warn you before work is done, thus giving you the option to refuse. Just offer to pay the price that was previously agreed.

TitianGerm

D3V!L wrote: »

Regardless of what whats involved. My question was regarding a service provider changing their fees and not informing their client before the work is carried out.

Your fee is extremely cheap and if it includes the RBO filing your very lucky. Most firms were charging €100-€150 + Vat for it on its own. I heard of three separate firms charging €400 + Vat for it. In that €300 you've been invoiced as well there is €56 of Vat and a €40 filing fee for the CRO.

If your not happy I suggest calling into the practice and asking why you weren't informed of the fee increase. I'd say you've been undercharged for a few years now and it was finally spotted.

Dav010

mrcheez wrote: »

it seems odd to charge you more than was agreed... a fairer approach is to warn you before work is done, thus giving you the option to refuse. Just offer to pay the price that was previously agreed.

I suspect the op will be looking for a new accountant, with higher fees soon enough.

Darc19

Dav010 wrote: »

I suspect the op will be looking for a new accountant, with higher fees soon enough.

I suspect the op will realise they are getting very good value at €300

D3V!L

Darc19 wrote: »

I suspect the op will realise they are getting very good value at €300

I suspect the OP got it sorted. Thanks for all your input.

Sleeper12

D3V!L wrote: »

Regardless of what whats involved. My question was regarding a service provider changing their fees and not informing their client before the work is carried out.

300 euro is very reasonable for the work carried out.


It's up to you to get a quote beforehand. If you didn't get a quote first then he can charge what he wants. What he charged you last year has no bearing on what he charged you this year

boombang

The lack of straight answers to the OP here?!

If I had a question for clarification, then I would state the context first, for the benefit of the OP and anybody else who might be reading.

Sleeper12

boombang wrote:

The lack of straight answers to the OP here?!

Did you not read the post directly above yours? I answered ops question.

OP should have gotten a quote. Failing to get a quote means accountant can charge whatever they want. Most likely though accountant had to spend more time with this years return

TitianGerm

D3V!L wrote: »

I suspect the OP got it sorted. Thanks for all your input.

You were the OP? Was the practice not closed today? Did you rang the accountant out of office hours then this morning to query the bill?

Edit: nevermind I see the thread was started last week so OP was probably in touch last week before the holidays.

Dav010

boombang wrote: »

The lack of straight answers to the OP here?!

If I had a question for clarification, then I would state the context first, for the benefit of the OP and anybody else who might be reading.

Did the op ask for a quote before instructing accountants? Is the op aware of fees for company account filing? Did the fees rise at all over the several years the accountants were doing accounts for op?

Context: How do you know you are overcharged if you didn’t get a quote? Does the op know the fees involved in filing? If the op hasn’t had an fee increase in several years, he/she was due one, €200 is very low cost for preparation and filing of accounts.

beauf

What would people feel is a reasonable range of fees for these services.

beauf

beauf wrote: »

What would people feel is a reasonable range of fees for these services.

A dormant company, with beneficial ownership registration - €300 would be lower end imo.

boombang

Sleeper12 wrote: »

Did you not read the post directly above yours? I answered ops question.

OP should have gotten a quote. Failing to get a quote means accountant can charge whatever they want. Most likely though accountant had to spend more time with this years return

Your answer was posted as I was composing my comment. I did not see it.

In general I was trying to comment on what I took to be a unhelpful tone of many to the OP's question. People on boards can be very helpful, but sometimes I think they are unnecessarily hostile.

D3V!L

boombang wrote: »

Your answer was posted as I was composing my comment. I did not see it.

In general I was trying to comment on what I took to be a unhelpful tone of many to the OP's question. People on boards can be very helpful, but sometimes I think they are unnecessarily hostile.

Thanks, I have a feeling there are a high percentage of accountants on boards.ie and I hit a nerve.

D3V!L

D3V!L wrote: »

Thanks, I have a feeling there are a high percentage of accountants on boards.ie and I hit a nerve.

Shur, do the returns yourself. It's a dormant company, no need to be paying highly trained professionals to do it.

boombang

D3V!L wrote: »

Thanks, I have a feeling there are a high percentage of accountants on boards.ie and I hit a nerve.

I thought exactly the same thing, especially from the defensiveness I read in the responses.