Is There A Formula For Accounting Costs A Small Business Can Use?
As a small business person, can I expect my accountant to keep his costs within some standard or is my only option to try a different one year after year until I get good service at fair rates?
wow, what a great question.
acct, legal work,
computer services, and any other services you may want, are
available from a lot of service suppliers. Thus, it is advisable
to ask other businesses who they use and what they pay.
It is that simple and that complicated at the same time.
Also, some accountants are not accountants at all but
instead, are bookkeepers –who only fill in income statements
and balance sheets and general journals and do not
make suggestions re business changes. A good
ACCT will advise you to make specific changes so that
specific RATIOS are slowly changed to benefit your company
[more sales, different vendors, different staff, etc.]
Many accountants charge by the hour. Some tax services charge by the number of forms they prepare for you, but depending on the person who does the work the quality may suffer. Depending on the size of your business you might consider doing the work yourself with Turbotax or a similar program.
To cut down on the time your accountant charges you should bring your paper work organized and ideally have a summary for items. If you just bring a stack of receipts that will increase your costs substantially. It also means you are not using your resources efficiently by paying an overqualified person to do clerical work for you that you can easily do during the year.
I would shop around if you don’t want to do it yourself (ask other small business owners in your area who they use and what they think). A good referral is worth its weight in gold. Good luck.