IT Contractor Accountant ??

[DoubleByte]

Hi, with impending redundancy I am going back into contracting so was just looking for any recommendations for accountants. Last time I contracted via a Ltd company and used JSA. This time I am looking at SJD but are there any others.

Ideally I would like someone who keeps it simple as to what I need to do/provide - i.e. have an online portal or something for submitting data etc

thanks.

[jgy6000]

I use Nixon Williams, they have an online portal and one point of contact for all my questions. No complaints!

[DoubleByte]

Ooooo, thanks, they look ok. Do they do the whole lot for 95/month? - vat returns, payroll, accounts, self assessment etc

[alfie2244]

http://forums.contractoruk.com/#contracting

[jgy6000]

DoubleByte said:

Ooooo, thanks, they look ok. Do they do the whole lot for 95/month? - vat returns, payroll, accounts, self assessment etc

Yes, they take care of it all

[DoubleByte]

That Nixon Williams Vantage looks good.
But then JSA seem to have partnered with FreeAgent to get "myjsaonline" - 120/month though.
I will have a flick through contractoruk.

Boy it was easier when you only had Freelance Informer !

[seyre1972]

Take a look @ Gorilla accounting - I'm moving to them once year end is up. Been with SJD 6 years - had about 9 "accountants" over that period (gorilla maybe same - suppose I'll find out)

But abou £35 a month cheaper !!

[DoubleByte]

That's good to know, they use FreeAgent too so should be pretty easy.

[S6PNJ]

alfie2244 said:

http://forums.contractoruk.com/#contracting

Sorry to derail - the forum above seems to be for IT contracting (mainly). I'm soon going/hoping to enter the contracting market but in an engineering safety related role (not H&S) - any advice on contracting forums to 'read-up on' please?

[seyre1972]

S6PNJ said:

alfie2244 said:

http://forums.contractoruk.com/#contracting

Sorry to derail - the forum above seems to be for IT contracting (mainly). I'm soon going/hoping to enter the contracting market but in an engineering safety related role (not H&S) - any advice on contracting forums to 'read-up on' please?

S6PJN - true while primarily IT contractors on contractor U.K. The issues/questions around contracting are usually the same (accounts/contracts/IR35/VAT (Hector as HMRC is nicknamed.

While it can be a bit like PH (make sure you try and search for the answer 1st before asking - as they don't suffer fools gladly). Generally they are quite a helpful bunch ... with the odd idiot thrown in as usual

You'll have to go through exact same steps to get setup be it engineering/IT/self employed potter (best VAT rate of about 4% I think)

So a good place to ask.

Helped me when I first started - 10+ years ago

[Bluequay]

www.crunch.co.uk are very good value with an excellent online portal

[S6PNJ]

seyre1972 said:

CUK....

So a good place to ask.

Helped me when I first started - 10+ years ago

Many thanks, much appreciated - lots to read-up on!

[Murph7355]

Be clear on what you need and how much extras are likely to cost before deciding, and like most things cost is only one factor and possibly not the primary one.

This is a little chicken and egg as without a decent accountant you're unlikely to know what's possible. But if you explain your circumstances, decent ones should be able to outline what you need.

As examples, do they charge extra if you have more than one shareholder, will they handle your personal returns (and those of other directors), do they include administering company benefits, do they recommend how you cover your VAT and handle the paperwork associated, do they charge extra for queries/questions and if so on what basis etc etc.

Also, be careful how far you go with the "portal" thing. You will definitely have times when you need to ask questions, probably detailed ones. You need to know who it is that will answer them for you, availability etc. Don't underestimate the power of a good relationship. (Doesn't mean you need to meet them in person etc... But you don't want it faceless).

[n3il123]

Another vote for Nixon Williams, one contact and a pretty easy to use portal.

[alfie2244]

seyre1972 said:

S6PNJ said:

alfie2244 said:

http://forums.contractoruk.com/#contracting

Sorry to derail - the forum above seems to be for IT contracting (mainly). I'm soon going/hoping to enter the contracting market but in an engineering safety related role (not H&S) - any advice on contracting forums to 'read-up on' please?

S6PJN - true while primarily IT contractors on contractor U.K. The issues/questions around contracting are usually the same (accounts/contracts/IR35/VAT (Hector as HMRC is nicknamed.

While it can be a bit like PH (make sure you try and search for the answer 1st before asking - as they don't suffer fools gladly). Generally they are quite a helpful bunch ... with the odd idiot thrown in as usual

You'll have to go through exact same steps to get setup be it engineering/IT/self employed potter (best VAT rate of about 4% I think)

So a good place to ask.

Helped me when I first started - 10+ years ago

Not involved in IT either but what he said ^^^^^^^ Like PH the forum does have 1 or 2 Grumpies but lots of useful info to be had as well as on the main site itself.

[anonymous-user]

My accountant charges £50 pcm, does everything (all I do is send a spreadsheet of income and expenditure and copies of bank statements) answers questions I randomly send without charging anything, deals with VAT, payroll, and all returns and I sign my returns electronically.

Brilliant, simple, straightforward

http://www.andrewwells.co.uk

[DoubleByte]

Great replies, thanks everyone
Good point murph about having a relationship, when I used JSA many years ago I didn't really get that but a lot nowadays seem to advertise 'dedicated' accountant (i.e. same one each time) which would be good.