[daysdeepclean]

After 2 computer crashes, I have decided to give all my receipts to an accountant to deal with! Is there a simple way, or am I better off letting someone else do what I find, as a mind numbingly boring aspect to carpet cleaning?

I would much rather be spending the time with my kids!

[from edge2edge]

Morning Colin   I have always been told that a good accountant pays for himself and then some so why bother with the hassle of something that bores us all.Regards Alan(swindon)

[daysdeepclean]

And a good morning to you Alan,

As usual, always good advice Alan! Thank you!

My Father In Law's a retired accountant and insisted I saved money by doing it myself, but I am always worried in case I make a monumental balls up and end up behind bars... I'm too pretty to go to jail

Is it true that most new starts end up "recieving" money from the tax man?

And I wonder if any of you ex forces know what bearings a tax free war pension has....?

 

[Joe H]

To help me save money my accountant set me up with a system where I enter all the incoming and expenditure onto paper and passed this over to hem at the right time.
Cuts his work down (no doubt he would pass it to a clerk) and saves me money.
If I was disciplined (like I used to be) I would enter details daily if necessary - takes minutes.
Then at year end I would total all the columns.
He handles the business with the HMRC and knows what can be claimed etc

[Andrew Briscoe]

Pass everything on to your accountant Colin, its what he does best, thats why we are carpet cleaners.
Spend the time instead doing some marketing or deliver some leaflets in the time it woul of taken you,
accountant will be paid for with a few extra jobs.

Thats my view anyway, do what you do best.

Andrew

[daysdeepclean]

Couldn't agree more Joe and Andrew.... I'm delivering all my paper work this afternoon to my accountant and it's like a huge weight's been lifted off my shoulders.... Wish I'd done it from the very start, I've spent far too many hours sorting it all out, only for it all to be lost.....

[Fraser Thom]

but the other issue is, what is the going rate?

[JandS]

Cost you a fortune if you just give receipts and invoices to him.
You'll be paying for someone to then  input all the figures into
a computer programme like Quick Books or one of the others
when you could do it.
The more you do for them the less it costs.
My business account manager told me that I should pay no more than £200
a year for an accountant or I'm doing something wrong.

John

[Aquakleen Restoration Services]

Colin if you do go to prison Im sure you would fit in being somone's 'bitch'!

I had an accountant BUT....

He got my books in late which cost me a £100 from the tax office! He has sent me his bill about 6 or 7 times as he doesnt have the balls to ring me up...after all it is easy to be big with someone elses money.

And in case your wondering £350.00!! So this time Im having a go at doing them myself. I do my books monthly and if my window cleaning mate can do a self assesment I bloody well can!! After all the books for a carpet cleaning is hardly complex is it? In and out column and balance at the bottom!!

Think Ill have a nice holiday abroad for a few weeks with what I save 

[daysdeepclean]

I have a friend who has recommended an accountant... She gave the accountant everything, receipts and invoices..... £180 a year! It's about time I practice what I preach, and instead of trying to do things on the cheap (DIY), get them done properly and keep a local professional in a job.... Just like with carpet cleaning

Colin....

[daysdeepclean]

Skywalker.... £350 holiday? Where to, Afghanistan

[clinton]

Colin

Same here colin am far too good looking

I just hand mine over to a lady who does my tax return and so called books

I do her carpets once a year so its an arrangement we have and saves me money.

Just get some sort of account book with the ins and outs  ie per month and its much easier for her to sort out..

[M.Acorn]

I just give my accountant all my bank statements,he does the lot for £285.Have had meetings with him explaining outgoings etc ,so he knows wroughly whats going on.

[Robert Watson]

I once got in a right mess, the longer I left it, the harder it was to face up to it.
Now everything go`s in a box, every two months I take it to a bookkeeper. She sorts it all out in a manner that suits the accountant, then he`s basically just signing it off. Works for me.
Rab

[kinder clean]

Same as Rabby !

Colin go for a book keeper not an accountant.

A book keeper will be cheaper and for guys like us (sole traders with no employees) they will do the same work for a much more reasonable price. the only real difference is they weren't buggered sencless at some exlusive boys school.

Paul

[Robert Watson]

  Spot on 

[Aquakleen Restoration Services]

Colin

Yeah I agree £350 isnt much but i have a good friend in Australia who lives on the gold coast. Might stick another few hundred in and get a flight there in January (their Summer). She says I can come any time and she would be happy to put me up!! 

John

[derek west]

business holiday of course, claim it back.
derek

[Ricky M]

Just on with this very issue right now , spent 5 hrs up to now inputting data on to spread sheets e-mailed to me by 1 of the book keepers at my new accountants place.

Clinton did the same as you last year but it went boobs up .

To be honest its really easy to do at the end of each week and saves on £££ and you can see were to save a bit and were to spend more and its a good addition to the business learning curve