Accountants - remote or local?

[Taita]

My mother has recently retired from being a full time headteacher and now does some consultancy work through the Local Education Authority. However I don't think she is PAYE any further and so would need to SA.

I am concerned that she isn't paying enough (any!) tax / offsetting the correct things against that tax.

Does anyone have any recommendations of accountants that have a lot of similar industry clients, or does it not make much odds as ultimately her situation is financially quite simple.

Does it make any difference if your accountant is remote to you, rather than one with a walk in shop? Mine is remote but as she has no financial experience, she might need a bit of phone guidance.

She would also benefit from a bit of IHT reductions / potential care home cost advice. Or does anyone want her business

Thanks.

[Wacky Racer]

Always better (imo) to try and find a local one, it's not like they are in short supply.

Same with buying a car, it's a pain to have to take it back 100 miles for a service.

My accountant lives three miles away and I can always pop round/or him visa-versa if there's a query.

Yes, I know there's online and the telephone, but it's not the same as the personal touch.

[Ozzie Osmond]

Wacky Racer said:

Always better (imo) to try and find a local one, it's not like they are in short supply.

^^^ This. Face to face contact can avoid endless hours of faffing about.

[uknick]

Where in the UK is she?

[Taita]

She's in Wirral.

Looks like I'll break out the Google to find a local.

[uknick]

That's a little bit too far from me in the Thames Valley to pop in for a chat

[sideways sid]

This got me thinking; rather than expensing the bus fare to see my accountant at his office around the corner, I need to find an accountant somewhere sunny!

[havoc]

Agree with local - try and find a recommendation though, and ensure that they're qualified and up-to-date*.




* CTA (used to be ATII/FTII) is top-of-the-tree, but for what you're after ACA/FCA or ACCA/FCCA qualifications would be absolutely fine. An ATT qualification on it's own might be enough too (similar content to the tax element of ACA/ACCA qualifications, but just focused on tax - typically a stepping-stone to ACCA), but I'd probably want one of the former.