How to choose an accountant (honestly)

A guide to choosing an accountant, written by an accountant, is obviously conflicted — so this one sticks to questions and tests you can apply to anyone, including us. If we fail any of them for you, choose someone else.

Ask about money first

• Is pricing fixed and published, or discovered on the invoice? Hourly billing punishes you for asking questions — the exact opposite of what you want from an adviser.
• What exactly does the fee include, and what's extra? The gap between 'accounts' and 'accounts, tax, filings and questions' is where surprise bills live.
• How do fee increases happen? The honest answer involves telling you before, not after.

Test responsiveness before you sign

Send a pre-sales question and time the answer. Whatever responsiveness you get while they're courting you is the best you will ever get. A firm that takes a week to answer 'what do you charge?' will take longer to answer 'HMRC has written to me and I'm scared.'

Check the substance

• Is there a real, checkable company behind the website? (Ours: IGI Security Services Ltd, No. 15881180 — look it up.)
• Are credentials claimed accurately? 'Accountant' is an unregulated title in the UK; claiming chartered status without holding it is the red flag, not the absence of it.
• Do reviews look real? Twenty five-star reviews in one week on a new site are not organic. (Our reviews page explains why it's currently, honestly, sparse.)
• Will they cover penalties caused by their own errors? The confident answer is yes, in writing.

Fit beats size

A freelancer needs fast answers and a fixed fee, not a firm with a reception desk. A seven-figure business needs management reporting, not just filings. Match the provider to the job: the right accountant is the one whose service model, pricing and communication style fit how you actually work — and who you'd be comfortable messaging with a stupid question, because the expensive problems all start life as stupid questions nobody asked.