Recommend a good accountant in Manchester

[Disnew2this]

I am new to contracting and won a contract on Friday to start this Wednesday.
The agent was trying to get me into their recommended umbrella but I think a little more paperwork is fine for me so I am going down the LTD company route.

I am looking for a personal recommendation for a good accountant, local or otherwise.

Any help is gratefully received i.e. I need to buy an ots company and set-up a business account in a day (any further tips or pitfalls to avoid).

Thanks D

Mod note: Useful article here: https://www.contractoruk.com/first_t...anchester.html

[tino]

I am new to contracting and won a contract on Friday to start this Wednesday.
The agent was trying to get me into their recommended umbrella but I think a little more paperwork is fine for me so I am going down the LTD company route.

I am looking for a personal recommendation for a good accountant, local or otherwise.

Any help is gratefully received i.e. I need to buy an ots company and set-up a business account in a day (any further tips or pitfalls to avoid).

Thanks D

That's tight.

[sweetandsour]

I am new to contracting and won a contract on Friday to start this Wednesday.
The agent was trying to get me into their recommended umbrella but I think a little more paperwork is fine for me so I am going down the LTD company route.

I am looking for a personal recommendation for a good accountant, local or otherwise.

Any help is gratefully received i.e. I need to buy an ots company and set-up a business account in a day (any further tips or pitfalls to avoid).

Thanks D

You will need to get your company set up quick so that you can sign the contract on its behalf, but that can be turned around within a couple of hours.

The bank account will take longer because you will need to apply and the bank will need to do the usual money-laundering checks, but you can live without that until you issue an invoice.

You don't need a local accountant. The amount of physical paperwork that moves between you and your accountant will be minimal. I have never even spoken to my accountant, let alone met them in person, despite working a short distance from his office for a while.

[TykeMerc]

You will need to get your company set up quick so that you can sign the contract on its behalf, but that can be turned around within a couple of hours.

The bank account will take longer because you will need to apply and the bank will need to do the usual money-laundering checks, but you can live without that until you issue an invoice.

You don't need a local accountant. The amount of physical paperwork that moves between you and your accountant will be minimal. I have never even spoken to my accountant, let alone met them in person, despite working a short distance from his office for a while.

WHS +1

Good luck on the new contracting life it can be great.

Company formation is quick and painless there are loads of online sites that charge about £25 for the lot and it takes a matter of minutes.

There are plenty of contractor savvy accountants some of whom post on here like Nixon Williams and SJD to name only two, some of them have local offices if you feel the need to see them in person, odds are at least one of them has an office in Manchester.

[PhilAtBFCA]

Online Company Formation + Bank Account

Disnew2this

Welcome to the world of freelancing and contracting :-)

Ltd Co Formation normally happnes within 4 hours if you get it done in the morning, its online, costs arround £25 as said and you will get what you need to sign contracts. ( the company name with certainty and a certificate of incoporation).

A bank account takes longer - even using Cater Allen - who understand contractors very well indeed, it can take 7-14 days, so do not bank on having an account to draw money from before that time. You will need your certificate of incoporation and be a director of the company, so dont buy an off the shelf company and then register yourself asa director. I would form the company with you as a director from the start, its generally more efficient IMHO.

Any Cater Allen introducer can give you the bank account number before you open an account, useful to tell the agency straight away, but the account is not opne until cater allen say it is :-)

VAT Registration and PAYE registration can take about to 4 weeks, but that should not be an issue for you, in the meantime invoice without VAT.

For your cashflow - i would reckon on not being able to get at any money for 4 weeks, so your expectations are reasonable. If you went with an umbrella then there would be a quicker turnround Im sure. Running your own business just takes a bit more time at first.

Best of luck and hope thats a help

Phil

[Ken Dodd]

Try Reilly McMordie in Sale. They are not cheap but are ok..

I have been with them for 5 years now.

[Shimano105]

Blimey, Ken D giving tax advice - oh the irony

[weemster]

Can't help with specifics in Manchester but would advise (a previous
post of mine) :-

Cheaper is by no means better. I pay £1200 to my accountant (known him or many years) and I am confident that if I was ever investigated (we have spoken about it) lots of factors come into play including the fact he is very well respected in his field (by tax officials aswell) and subsequently the whole IR35/Salary issue is about two things 1) Keeping you off the Radar and 2) The ease in which the tax man can/prove you owe money - A good accountant will do 1) and also make 2) completely cost ineffective to the tax man.

The sort of differences we are talking about here on accoutancy fees are insignificant and are easily saved by a good accountant.

Good Luck !

[kaiser78]

You don't need a local accountant. The amount of physical paperwork that moves between you and your accountant will be minimal. I have never even spoken to my accountant, let alone met them in person, despite working a short distance from his office for a while.

Personal preferance but I deliberately went for a local accountant - even though as stated the amount of physical paperwork is minimal I have found it useful having someone up the road that I can discuss things with face to face when required and also out of standard hours - he is available to me in evenings and weekends.

The other bits can be done over the internet, co set up, bank account etc which is covered in other responses. If interested, Abbey do a no charges internet based business banking account.

[Fred Bloggs]

If you're tempted by a firm that begins with D and has 6 letters in it's name PM for an opinion.