Finding a Good Small Business Accountant
A while back I wrote a blog post on finding a great accountant for your small business. Recently, I decided to take my own advice. I have used the same accounting service for almost a decade, and have always had a great relationship with them.
However, I found that as my small business focus shifted away from a “bricks and mortar” city environment to an online environment mixed with country living, I needed an accountant with different specialties and skills.
Where to Find a Good Small Business Accountant
I’m of the generation who “Googles” everything first. It hardly ever occurs to me to peel open a phone book if online access is just a few clicks away. Digging around on Google, I found several “accountant search” sites, and entered my request on several. Most sites asked for the following information:
- number and types of businesses I owned (sole proprietor, S-corp, etc.)
- number of employees and contractors I employed
- average revenue numbers
- accounting specialties being sought (home business, agricultural, government contracting, etc.)
I was surprised and pleased to receive both an email and a phone call from a representative at GoodAccountants.com. Shahana Faridi, my representative, asked several questions and said she would get back to me within a week with one or more suitable accountants. In fact, she got back to me within a couple of days, and set up an appointment for me with some local accountants.
I had thought she was setting up a phone appointment, and marked it as such in my calendar. Boy was I surprised when Denise and Janni showed up in person! The interview went well, and I will soon be finalizing my agreements for them to handle my small business accounting needs in the coming year.
Is It Time To Reconsider Your Accountant?
The difference between a suitable accountant for your small business and an unsuitable one can be vast. It can be the difference between paying in a huge chunk in taxes every year versus paying a much smaller sum. It can be the difference between sleeping well at night knowing your accountants will back you up with the IRS should the need ever arise, and sweating at night wondering if the other shoe is going to drop soon.
For me, an accountant suitable for my various small business enterprises means someone who knows about home business, the livestock business, the publishing business, and S-corporations as well as C-corporations. I asked a number of probing questions, all of which Denise and Janni answered to my extreme satisfaction. It was a good time to change accounting services, and I am looking forward to my new relationship with Denise and Janni.
What about you? Have your small business accounting needs changed in the recent past, and is it time to re-evaluate your accounting relationship?
If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/denniswong/ / CC BY 2.0
[...] Go Small Biz Blog » Blog Archive » Finding a Good Small Business … [...]
[...] Go Small Biz Blog » Blog Archive » Finding a Good Small Business … [...]
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Bobby Whitetail and KK Jones. KK Jones said: RT @gosmallbizblog: Finding a Good Small Business Accountant http://bit.ly/FSmve [...]
Please help. I am a former employer, laid off in January 2009 in New Jersey. I worked for a non-profit at the time of layoff and now I am collecting unemployment. Recently, I’ve had calls regarding my web business development skills. I developed an LLC with tax ID and business certificate and business checking account. My former employer wants to retain my companies services. The services are not the services I provided as an employee, they are not part of the former employers mission or business activity and they are provided at my home office.
Their accountant is not well versed on 1099’s. He said even if the amount is over $600, he does not have to provide one. I made sure to write the contract according to the IRS 20 factor test and the former job does not have enough money to re-hire me, program and have operating expenses. This contracted job will only take two days or so, and I will notify unemployment. They will reimburse for any business travel. I tell the accountant it’s .55 a mile, he says .14 for charitable organization. I inform him only if its not reimbursed and only for IRS tax reporting purposes. As you can see I need help badly. Their accountant is telling them that the IRS will reclassify me. I’m learning that some CPAs are glorified bookkepers. I get more help from your web site then I did from their accountant.
Hey Cheryl,
Well sounds like you know more than the accountant. In my experience (and you may want to check in with the SBA or Score or even the IRS), as long as you report your income correctly, it’s the business that contracts with you that will pay a fee for not providing you with a 1099 and not submitting a 1096 to the IRS. So keep your butt covered by properly reporting your income and you’re good. Does that answer your question?
Cheers,
Stephanie