[lee_dewing]

Hi

asked some questions on this before.

Just wondered as were all sitting about might get more response.

I currently have an accountant who i pay £300 a year to he is the best one i have had, in the fact he gets my tax bill down currently paying £500 ish jan and july.(£1000 ish for yr)

He is a bit of a pain in the arse (accountant) i wont bore you with all the details.


would love to do my own accounts, not really for the accountants fee, but for being in control and understanding that side of my business more.

I now use george not to the fulliest capacity, mainly to keep tabs on who owes me money.


My only concern with doing my own self-assesment online is i'l bull's it up and end paying a hefty tax bill.


Is it that difficult doing your own tax, are there any good books i could read on the subject, looked on amazon and most books only seem to have a small portion dedicated to self assesment?

I think the inland rev do a course on self assesment?

Any adice guys?

thanks lee

[Dean Taberner]

Id stick with him if you are only paying less than £20 a week tax......

Are you part time?

Dean

[Tosh]

Lee, if your tax affairs are 'simple', then its not difficult to do them yourself.  Its not rocket science.

There's a good book out called 'Self assessment for the self-employed', you can buy it from Amazon or e-bay.

[wizard]

You need to chat more to other tuff businessmen and ask questions. I do know this type of chat is often taboo in the U K. people think  this  is legal to pay less tax. But not to pay more than one should.
To fellow who posted this thread if you pay a grand a year on +- 10,000 or more pA for tax I think you have a good accountant. Remember the accountant does not want to teach you his job. We to will not help our cuties clean there windows.

[lee_dewing]

tosh, i can't find that book is it the one by daily express?

dean no i'm not part time but i do alot of school runs etc so can't apply myself like others, probably ave £100 a day but can't more than 4 days a week a yr as w/c; weather causes probs, like now
I like your website dean see this on vista print recently, do you find it helps gain new window cleaning custy's is there anything you can do to boost google ratings, i'd just pop web address on leaflets to expand abit.

thanks all lee

[geefree]

Thats a lot for what you have him do.

i use the George programme for everything, at the end of a tax year i press a button, print the statements out, take them to the accountant.... and he simply works out what i can claim etc, fills my self assessment form , and charges £100 as george has done most of the work.

Gary.

[lee_dewing]

gary

how does my tax bill compare to yours?
 i pay about £1000 a year.

[Dean Taberner]

Yes lee the website works well with the customers,

Its not too bad on the google listings at the moment,

Quite alot of my customers pay online thru the website,

Are you after more work mate or happy as you are?

Dean

[Dean Taberner]

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&source=hp&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=stoke+on+trent+window+cleaners&meta=

[geefree]

I can t really say how much i pay per year as its seen as an earnings topic  :

but that would not make a difference, as george programme does all the work and keeps my fees down..

best 50 quid i ever spent

[lee_dewing]

yes i will go after more work this year.

I'm pretty full up at mo' but obviously i'm a busy fool, cos a feel like i'm just in a hand to mouth scenario.

So get more higher priced work then, go back and push-up the prices of existing work, currently takes me ave 5 weeks to get round.

don't know wether to leave frequency as is or offer 4 and 8 weeks, with 8 weeks being say 25% higher priced or go for 6 week frequency at higher price.

there are some parts of my round where i feel work is 25% under priced.

lee

[prestige cleaners]

yes i will go after more work this year.

I'm pretty full up at mo' but obviously i'm a busy fool, cos a feel like i'm just in a hand to mouth scenario.

So get more higher priced work then, go back and push-up the prices of existing work, currently takes me ave 5 weeks to get round.

don't know wether to leave frequency as is or offer 4 and 8 weeks, with 8 weeks being say 25% higher priced or go for 6 week frequency at higher price.

there are some parts of my round where i feel work is 25% under priced.

lee

most of my work is 8 week based, and about £20-£25 per house (with a conservatory), you need more custs but your hourly rate is much higher, and most people wont skip as the windows are dirty by then, i think its best to price high, because its hard raising prices even by a £1 as people will cancel, but if they are high at the beginning then you dont have to worry about it, i tried lowering my prices because of undercutters, but i was still getting cancellations so i dont bother now its high from the start, btw this is with wfp's, as the clean lasts longer than trad.

even if people say its too high try 3 month cleans on them, tell them they will saving money that way!

[lee_dewing]

thanks moggsy.

were you originally monthly then, done as i'm thinking now, gradually offering 8 weeks to custy's.

I'm wfp also.

Perhaps i should leave existing work alone and target the big house brigade in spring.

I stay away from the entry gate mob, too much like hard work.

[prestige cleaners]

thanks moggsy.

were you originally monthly then, done as i'm thinking now, gradually offering 8 weeks to custy's.

I'm wfp also.

Perhaps i should leave existing work alone and target the big house brigade in spring.

I stay away from the entry gate mob, too much like hard work.

hi mate, i bought the round and they were high priced to begin with, i tried lowering prices on new jobs cos of undercutters, but found that wouldnt stop them cancelling for whatever reason, i have noticed working class customers are better payers, less moaners, better tippers and i charge them about the same as the middle classes in their big houses, weird init! if you do the same as me you should get about £40 per hour and if their close together and tidy houses, even £60 perhr, go limited and keep even more money for yourself! i wonder if its possible instead of paying tax to invest in equipment instead because i paid about £1000 tax last year, i would have rather spent that on a 60ft carbon pole or hot water system! anyone know if thats poss?

[lee_dewing]

thanks moggsy

[Mike #1]

when filing my tax return online if i have any questions i just ring the helpline as for accountant saving money i put everything thourgh my books any thing connected to the business even car cleaning products it all brings the tax bill down

[wizard]

Prowindow I feel you have the right idea. On tax its for the tax man to decide what they will accept you just claim it all. Good pricipal No one gets shot after all.

[Clive McDonald]

You get hit in year two and three by balancing payments. Year one is for free.

Most get caught out by this.

[evil genius]

anymore info on the above, balancing fee's?

[JRDEasiReach]

Prowindow I feel you have the right idea. On tax its for the tax man to decide what they will accept you just claim it all. Good pricipal No one gets shot after all.

this is what i will be doing when the time comes, everything ive spent will go onto my expenses and if it isnt allowable they will let me know or ill just ask, i keep my books farely up to date so if i need to ask an accountant i cant see me getting charged more than £50 - £100