An excellent accountant is so much more than just your “numbers person”. We’re your sounding board, problem-solver and support system to help you overcome any challenges as you run your business.
Except, it’s not just limited to business. We want to hear what’s really going on: the good, the bad and the ugly. We want to know your goals, how your family is, and anything uncomfortable you might be going through. It’s not just about saving you money; we care deeply about our clients, their families, and what’s happening in their lives.
We know the idea of sharing personal information with your accountant might feel new or scary, but in order to help you take advantage of opportunities and overcome hard times, we need to be kept in the loop. By letting us know what’s going on, we’ll be able to find the best solution together.
Here’s what we ask you to share with us:
Your goals
If we know your life goals, we can put certain strategies in place to help you achieve them! For example, if you’re looking to buy a house, your numbers will need to reflect a certain level of income to allow you to take out a mortgage. Once we know this is your goal, we can plan accordingly to make sure your income qualifies you to secure your dream home.
Credit card debt
First things first: we’ll never, ever judge. No one likes talking about debt, but if you let us know your situation we can put support systems in place to help you pay back what you owe – so you don’t feel swamped. We’re here to help, and the first step is to ask for support.
Bankruptcy
If you’ve ever declared bankruptcy, even if it was long ago and it’s been sorted, it really helps us to know. It can sometimes cause access issues with HMRC or with acting as a director, so letting us know will really help us navigate the access process more efficiently.
Change of address
It might seem like a minor detail, but knowing if you move house means we’re able to update any HMRC or Companies House details that may be outdated.
Ill health
If ill health affects you or your family, we can help you plan around it so you have the time and financial support you need to cope.
Your family status
When it comes to parental leave, there are certain strategies we can use to maximise your pay. For example, if the director of a limited company is expecting a little one in a few months, we can plan ahead to make sure maternity pay or shared parental pay is as high as possible.
Similarly, your marital status can impact how much tax you pay. We encourage our clients to let us know if they’re planning on getting married or going through a divorce, so we can make the process as financially beneficial as it can be.
Child benefit
If you’re receiving child benefit, it really helps us to know about this as it can affect your tax return. Once we know, we can make a plan accordingly to make sure everything is reported correctly, and we can look back and claim missing child benefit if you could have claimed but didn’t.
Mental health
There’s historically been a lot of stigma around mental health, so we understand it might be tricky to talk about. If you’re struggling, we want to help.
Perhaps you’ve missed a deadline for HMRC because you’ve been going through a tough time. If you let us know, it’s very likely we can resolve it and reverse the penalty for you. Or, if you’re finding it hard to respond to emails because you’re struggling with mental health, we can adjust how we communicate so it all feels a bit more manageable. We’re here to support you through it.
If your business is in trouble
Your gut instinct might be to hide it from your accountant, but we really encourage you to be transparent if your business is in fundamental trouble. We’ll never shame you; we want to provide as much help as possible. We’ll make a plan together, whether that’s helping you secure funding or putting you in touch with someone who can talk about what happens if you can’t keep the business going.
Find an accountant who makes you feel comfortable
There’s always a solution. If you’re going through a time of worry, know that we’re in your corner to ease some of that burden. Everything we talk about will stay confidential, and you can confide without judgment or shame.
If you’re looking for an accountant who goes beyond the numbers, we’d love to hear from you. Just fill in our form and we’ll be in touch.
