You know you need the services of an accountant but you may be worried about choosing the right one.
Before you hire an accountant, you should know what questions to ask. You don’t want to hire just anyone to take care of your important and confidential business.
Continue reading this article to learn about the top questions to ask an accountant before hiring them.
Must-Ask Questions for Your Future Accountant
When you’re looking for the best accounting accountants, you can’t skip these questions.
1. What Services Do You Provide?
Before you contact an accountant, you should know what services you want them to provide. Once you know what you need, ask the accountant what services they offer and how they package them.
Not all accountants offer the same services so never assume they’re going to have what you need.
2. Have You Worked With People in My Industry?
There is some industry-specific information that may be difficult for people to understand. Asking the accountant if they’ve worked with people in your industry will give you an understanding of how much you’ll have to catch them up on.
You’ll have to make the decision if you want to do the extra work to teach them about your industry or if you want to find someone already familiar with what you do and how you do it.
You don’t want to miss out on valuable tax deductions so make sure you trust their ability to work in your industry.
3. How Do You Bill?
You don’t want to be surprised by an astronomical bill. Make sure you know how the company is going to bill you on their accounting services.
Some companies bill by the hour and others charge on a monthly basis. Hourly billing is most common but you should always check to make sure.
4. If I’m Audited – Can You Represent Me?
No one is excited about being under the microscope of the IRS. But you’ll feel a little better about it if you have a qualified accountant in your corner to back you up.
Make sure they’re willing and able to represent you in case you’re audited.
5. What Is the Best Way to Contact You?
Failing to communicate with your accountant properly can be a big problem. The best way to make sure communication failure doesn’t happen is to ask your accountant what they’re preferred method of contact is.
Some professionals strictly send emails to ensure all communication is documented. Others might want to only speak on the phone or over video chat. Knowing their preferences will guarantee you get the answers you need in a timely fashion and avoid miscommunication.
Learn More Great Business Tips
Now that you know the right questions to ask a prospective accountant, why not learn some more great tips? We have numerous articles to help you advance your business and reach your goals.
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