Seeking a new personal and corporate accountant. Questions to ask?

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I have a C-corp and would like a new accountant to replace my previous one that had absolutely no personality, I feel was overpriced, and didn't really care about my business.

I'd also like to find one (preferrably the same one) that can help with my personal returns.

What questions should I ask a prospective accountant? What specific type of accountant do I need? I also feel like the last one simply worked from a script, entering in my values and returning a boilerplate response, instead of actually analzying my data to find the most effective results.

How much should I expect to pay from an accountant for a typical homeowner year-end return? What is a typical hourly rate for a corporate accountant?

Do you ever negotiate the price with an accountant?

Thanks!
Dave
 

kirby

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In the media, accountants are not well known for brilliant personality so you may have to scale back on that on your wish list.
It is usually best to ask your fellow business owners who they use and get references.
And absolutely you should negotiate price with EVERY one of your vendors, and yes accountants and lawyers are just vendors too.
 
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Having worked with small businesses in the UK, I have come to realise that you tend to lose your clients to your competitors if you are perceived not to have social personality. But the truth is, accountants are just like every other professionals. They try to maintain a professional relationship while at the same time delivering value.

To get a glimpse of what kind of personality the potential accountant has or will portray at work, do a simple Google search for clue. There is no any fast and hard rule but my experience has shown me that clients like an accountant that does not have too much social network presence and is an accountpreneur.

There are psychometric test question that can easily reveal the personality of the potential accountant you are looking to hire.


For the rate, negotiate. This all depends on qualification and experience of the individual.

Hope this helps.
 

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