• Home
  • Our Services
    • Tax Planning & Tax Prep
    • Accounting & Bookkeeping
    • Payroll Services
    • Small Business Seminars
    • Management Consulting
    • Business Development
  • Quickbooks Services
  • About
    • About Us
    • Our Founder
    • Our Owner
    • Our Team
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms Of Use
    • Ethics Statement
  • Contact
  • Blog
Pathways Consulting
  • Home
  • Our Services
    • Tax Planning & Tax Prep
    • Accounting & Bookkeeping
    • Payroll Services
    • Small Business Seminars
    • Management Consulting
    • Business Development
  • Quickbooks Services
  • About
    • About Us
    • Our Founder
    • Our Owner
    • Our Team
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms Of Use
    • Ethics Statement
  • Contact
  • Blog

Our News and Events

10 Questions to Ask Your Future Accountant

1/2/2018

11 Comments

 
Picture
​Here are a list of questions to ensure you find a great accountant to fit your needs!
How long have you been in business?
  A good accountant can make your business flourish. Someone who has been in practice longer has had more time to encounter unique problems that you may run into as well.

How do you communicate with your clients?
  Face to face meetings, emails, etc. What best fits your needs and do they work as a good fit for you based on how they plan to communicate with you.

How many people will handle my account?
  Building report with a single accountant builds trust between you and that person. Having to jump around to multiple accountants within a firm makes this a harder task.

How do you calculate your fees?
  Each firm differs on how they bill clients. Some do it by hour, some will bill at a fixed fee. Being clear upfront will on how they bill you will eliminate any surprises in the future that might damage your relationship with your firm.

What specifically in my field is a challenge?
  Having an accountant who is familiar with the particular challenges that businesses face in your field is a great asset. It also shows how inept the firm is at analyzing risk.

What services do you provide?
  Accounting firms do more than just taxes. Some firms can do your bookkeeping, payroll, and taxes. When looking for an accountant as yourself if these services can benefit you.

How much of your time can I expect?
  Some accountants limit their services to just peak tax time. While some firms stay open year round. You would like to find a firm that operates year round ideally. Since you are not their only client knowing about how fast they might be able to get back to you if something is urgent would be a good question to ask.

How can you help me improve my cash flow?
  Maintaining a positive cash flow can be a nightmare. Keeping positive cash flow is important to growth. Finding an accountant who can help you to understand your cash flow and analyze problems could help your business immensely.

How well can they communicate with you?
  This is a question to ask yourself. Since accounting has its own jargon that accountants are used to using. How well do you feel that your accountant can explain to you in layman's terms and be effective in communication.
​
How do they stay current?

  Tax codes change. Make sure to find a firm that is current and familiar with the tax codes. Beyond that, a firm that is constantly learning will also be able to bring new ideas to your business.
11 Comments
Stefan Bradley link
7/30/2019 02:23:26 pm

Thanks for mentioning how you should ask an accountant how much time you can expect from them. My sister is in the need of an accountant this year. I'll keep this article in mind as I help my sister find a professional.

Reply
Eileen Benson link
10/30/2019 01:14:54 pm

I like your idea to how well they can communicate with us. My brother needs to find a CPA to do the tax accounting for his business. Your suggested questions should help him find the right accounting service to hire!

Reply
California 403 b plan link
6/17/2020 02:20:09 am

This was very helpful!

Reply
Vins link
7/6/2020 03:21:48 am

Thanks for sharing these questions. I've been eyeing on hiring my personal accountant to help me with my business and I'm not really sure what's the best questions to ask. This article is a life saver.

Reply
Small Business Accountant Auckland link
8/24/2020 03:21:46 am

This is such a nice blog on the 10 questions to ask your future accountant. I enjoyed reading this article as it provided me lots of information regarding it. I like the way they have researched and presented it in front of us. I agree with all your points that you have stated here, love this blog. Well, I have visited another site stuartsnowaccounting.co.nz/small-business-accountant/ having some wonderful and similar information.

Reply
Sarah Smith link
3/29/2021 05:18:07 pm

Thanks for the advice of what to ask your accountant. I would like to find someone that has a good consulting firm. That way, I would know that they run a safe business.

Reply
sutherland property accountants link
8/26/2022 05:14:17 am

Here are some things to consider first since you should take your time and do this well. Considerations include where the accountant will be located, how the workload will be divided, and the type of accounting software you'll use. Consider the expense of hiring an accountant and whether they might help you reduce your company taxes. A knowledgeable, seasoned person managing one of the most important aspects of your business—your money—will be beneficial to your company. If you make the right hiring, you'll save time and money again and over again. So, the following are some things to consider while choosing an accountant.

Reply
QCA link
10/20/2022 07:56:59 pm

Accountants can really help the business organize and manage financial flows. Helpful tips you shared.

Reply
Daisy James link
12/14/2022 01:49:19 pm

It was helpful when you said to consider their communication skills. My cousin was at my house yesterday afternoon for lunch, and she talked about how she needs to hire an accountant for her office since she needs to find the time to focus on other things besides finances. I'll pass this information along to her so she can know how to find a good accountant.

Reply
cpa services online link
9/13/2023 02:38:56 am

Thanks for sharing such a blog. Much needed. It was so convincing. Nice work.

Reply
tax return agent Geelong link
4/10/2024 03:39:13 am

This was very helpful!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    The Pathways Team

    Archives

    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    January 2015
    August 2014

    Categories

    All
    2019 Taxes
    2020
    2020 Taxes
    401(k)
    Accountant
    Accounting
    Artificial Intelligence
    Black Friday
    Blog
    Blogging
    Bookkeeping
    Budget
    Business Blog
    Business Consultant In Charleston
    Business Consulting Summerville Sc
    Business Management Consulting Summerville Sc
    Business Management Summerville Sc
    Business Services And Management Consulting
    Business Services Summerville Sc
    CARES Act
    CDC
    Coronavirus
    COVID 19
    COVID-19
    Cyber Monday
    Dave Ramsey
    Emergency Fund
    Employee Retention Credit
    Estimated Quarterly Taxes
    FAQs
    File Your Taxes
    Filing Taxes In Summerville
    Fishbowl Inventory
    Growth Of Quickbooks
    IRA
    It Consultant Charleston Sc
    It Consulting Charleston Sc
    Management Services Summerville Sc
    Online Jobs
    Online Safety
    Online Sales Tax
    Online Shopping
    Pandemic
    Pathways Consulting
    Payroll Accountants Charleston Sc
    Payroll Accountants Summerville Sc
    Pay Taxes
    Pos Quickbooks Integration Charleston Sc
    Pros And Cons
    Quarterly Taxes
    Quickbooks
    Quickbooks Basics And Beyond
    Remote Work
    Retirement
    Retirement Plan
    Safe Spending
    Sales Tax
    Saving Money
    Selling Online
    Significacnt Other
    Small Business Accounting Service Charleston
    Small Business Bookkeeping Service Charleston
    Small Business Bookkeeping Services Charleston
    Small Business Info
    Small Business Payroll
    Small Business Seminars Summerville Sc
    Smart Spending
    Starting A Business
    Stimulus Check
    Stimulus Check Fraud
    Stimulus Check Scam
    Summerville Sc Tax Services
    Tax Accountant Summerville Sc
    Tax Documents
    Taxes
    Taxes And Accounting In Summerville Sc
    Taxes And Accounting Summerville Sc
    Tax Extension
    Tax Extension 2019
    Tax Planning
    Tax Prepares
    Tax Prep Summerville Sc
    Tax Season
    Tax Services Summerville Sc
    Tax Wrtie-Offs
    WHO
    Work From Home Tax Write-off
    Working From Home
    Work Online

    RSS Feed

Picture
(843) 261-9293
105 South Cedar St. Suite E
Summerville, SC 29483
9:00am- 5:00pm, Monday- Friday​
Site designed by Creative Consulting
Site powered by MadeSimply
  • Home
  • Our Services
    • Tax Planning & Tax Prep
    • Accounting & Bookkeeping
    • Payroll Services
    • Small Business Seminars
    • Management Consulting
    • Business Development
  • Quickbooks Services
  • About
    • About Us
    • Our Founder
    • Our Owner
    • Our Team
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms Of Use
    • Ethics Statement
  • Contact
  • Blog