15 questions to ask when hiring an accountant for your small business

While selecting an accountant can be a vexing process, especially for a new business startup, it’s much simpler if you approach it systematically and ask the right questions.

So, to help you find the ideal accountant for you and your business, here are the 15 questions you should ask before hiring an accountant.

Work out what you want from an accountant

Before you talk to any prospective accountants, it’s important that you spend some time determining exactly what your accounting needs are.

Do you, for instance, need an accountant who is a specialist of some sort? Is your company one with international reach? Are you obliged to provide financial statements to a third party? Do you want an accountant simply to produce your annual accounts, or do you want regular management accounts too?

Once you have the answers to these types of questions, you can arrange for prospective accounting firms to come in for a chat and to answer these questions;

1. How long have you been in business?

A great accountant can make the difference between your company flourishing and just surviving. You’ll want an accountant with a record of being there for small businesses and understanding their unique challenges.

2. Do you have any references?

No references, no deal. It’s really that simple. You need to hear from other companies (and in particular, other companies similar to yours) that the accounting firm you’re considering can live up to their marketing.

If an accounting firm can’t or won’t provide references, your conversation with them should be a short one.

3. How do you typically communicate with your clients?

You need to be clear up front about the form of communication you will have with the accountant. Will there be regular face-to-face meetings, or will everything be handled electronically, including the sending of financial documents and other relevant information?

4. Will my account be handled by a single person?

When it comes to the relationship between your small business and the accounting firm, nothing is more important to the formation of trust than knowing a single person will handle your account.

A good accountancy firm should understand this and will never subject your business to the accounting carousel.

5. Can you give me your thoughts on a specific deduction?

Do some research and come up with a question about a deduction relevant to your particular business or industry.

If the accountant you’re interviewing stumbles over the answer, it may be a red flag indicating they’re not the best match for you.

6. Can you provide feedback on my current accounting system?

Your current method of financial recording and reporting may not be the most effective one for your business. Ask your prospective accountant if they’d be willing to examine the way you currently do things and provide you tips on how to do it better.

7. What steps will you take to prepare me for tax season?

Avoiding any year-end crush should be a priority for your next accountant. They should be willing to assist you throughout the year in gathering accounting documents you’ll need at tax time and be able to provide you with information when new tax laws are enacted that could impact your business.

8. How will you improve my company’s bottom line?

Your accountant’s job is to use all legal means to minimize your tax exposure. You should have provided the prospective accountant an overview of your financial situation and, if they studied what you provided, they should have formulated some basic ideas with regards to how you can hold onto more of your money.

9. How do you calculate your fees?

Some accountants charge by the hour. Others operate on a fixed-fee basis. Still others practice a value billing system.

You need to be absolutely clear before selecting an accountant for your business on how their fees are calculated.

10. How do you keep up to date?

While you certainly want an accountant that is grounded in the fundamentals, you also want one that has an eye open for new ideas.

What does your prospective accountant do to stay up to date on current trends and developments in their field?

11. What challenges particular to my industry concern you most?

This question is intended to determine how proactive the firm is in analysing current and potential risks. If they’re not aware of what’s going on at the heart of your industry they could be caught out by developments.

12. Which, if any, accounting programs or systems do they recommend?

Accounting programs can aid in mitigating some of the drudgery of record keeping, but you’ll want to be sure any systems you use are familiar to the accounting firm. They may have their own recommendations.

13. Do you foresee any conflicts of interest?

Hiring an accountant that has special knowledge of your sector is certainly something you’ll want to do. On the other hand you might not want to hire the same accounting firm that’s currently doing the books for your most rabid competitor.

14. Why should I hire you as my accountant?

You’ll want to hear a spirited and logical answer to this question, and not simply receive a shrug of the shoulders. If the prospective accountant can’t make a solid argument for why you should hire them – you probably shouldn’t.

15. Does the accountant speak your language?

Finally, this question is one to ask yourself. If you are not a whizz about financial lingo, your accountant needs to understand this and be able to communicate with you clearly and concisely. The accountant should not be the only one who understands where your company stands financially.

Final thoughts

You can use these questions as a starting point for assessing the suitability of potential accountants. Consistent questioning will help you to spot trends and differences in the answers, giving you a firm basis to make your decision on.

You’re likely to work with your accountant for many years, so it’s well worth spending a little time and effort to ensure that you hire the one who best suits your needs.

This guide has been written for ByteStart by Greg Atkinson, a professional accountant with his family firm, Atkinsons Chartered Accountants in Brighton.