Using reviews to decide on the best local accountant

Everyone is afraid of tax time. The process is even more difficult when one has not found a reliable accountant to work with. Finding a public accountant, auditor, or accountant is one of the most important and challenging tasks facing individuals and small business owners. You can make the difference between getting your taxes done quickly and being stuck in an audit. The process is even more challenging due to the large number of counters to choose from. For example, there are several thousand accountants in Chicago alone.

Large accounting firms such as Ernst and Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, and Deloitte often serve medium and large companies. Public accountants working with individuals and small business owners generally work alone or in very small companies. Because people and small business owners don't have a brand to trust when choosing an accountant, reading reviews and getting recommendations is especially important. Get an idea of ​​the educational background and experience of the accountant, how much time you can spend on your case, if your typical clients have tax needs that are as complex as yours, and if you are familiar with popular small business accounting software like QuickBooks . especially important.

Checking the professional qualifications of an accountant is especially important when looking at CPA qualifications. See if the CPA is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and its state accounting firm, for example, the Illinois CPA Society and the Illinois Association of Independent Accountants.

While asking the above questions is critical to finding the right accountant, there are very few resources where potential clients can get objective answers. Online directories and phone books only provide the accountant's contact information and possibly a paid ad that does not provide useful independent information. Many websites claim to provide a list of the "top accountants" that potential customers can contact by filling out a form and revealing their phone number and address. However, these sites generally require accountants to pay a fee to be listed, and do no work to qualify the person as a "senior accountancy firms in Nottingham." Additionally, potential customers are inviting unsolicited communications from accountants by revealing their phone number and email.

Potential customers should look for a separate, objective website that provides reviews, ratings, and recommendations for accountants. The site should have an extensive list of accountants, allow potential customers to ask questions of an accountant without revealing their email or other private information, and allow users to protect their privacy by writing reviews.