If contractors are simple from an accountancy point of view, how cheap can it be?

[bingocaller88]

I've found an accountant charging < £500 per annum which seems too good to be true....

I mean if the contractor is filling in a monthly spreadsheet, and the accountant is doing the same thing for each contractor, I guess it shouldn't really need to cost > £1000 per annum should it?

How much do you pay?

[NickFitz]

Taxman: "So, when you claim x on the basis that y yet it seems that condition z doesn't apply because of p which suggests that the regulations concerning q came into effect once you allowed your business arrangements to be influenced by r in the context of a..."

...that's about the point that I'd be wishing I had an accountant who could definitely sort the whole mess out, because I'd already paid them to make sure the mess never happened, and if it does, it's their responsibility.

Simplistic perhaps, but it should be enough to answer the important underlying question

[NotAllThere]

...and if it does, it's their responsibility...

That's a new one on me.

[MarillionFan]

I've found an accountant charging < £500 per annum which seems too good to be true....

I mean if the contractor is filling in a monthly spreadsheet, and the accountant is doing the same thing for each contractor, I guess it shouldn't really need to cost > £1000 per annum should it?

How much do you pay?

Mine comes to about that, but I only use the accountant for the end of year accounts and corp tax. I do all the expenses, VAT etc myself.

[xoggoth]

If only accountants actually did say things like that. In my experience they either tell you bugger all unless you ask or adopt a very gung ho attitude that is likely to cause problems if you do get investigated.

When that happens they send the IR long rambling stock letters that fail to address any of the salient points. All the interest/fines I have ever had were when I used accountants.