How to choose the right accountant is one of those questions that sounds simple until you’re actually in the middle of it, staring at a list of firms with no idea who to trust.

What a Good Accountant Actually Does for a Small Business

A lot of people think an accountant just files your tax return once a year and sends you an invoice. That’s the bare minimum, and honestly, it’s not enough. A good accountant keeps your books tidy, makes sure you’re claiming everything you’re entitled to, and spots problems before they turn into HMRC letters.

If you’re a sole trader, a landlord, a limited company director, or a contractor, the work involved goes well beyond a single annual filing. You might need payroll, VAT returns, CIS submissions, management accounts, or help understanding what your numbers actually mean. The right accountant handles all of that and explains it to you in plain English, not in jargon that leaves you more confused than when you started.

The Questions You Should Ask Before You Hire Anyone

The first question I’d always ask is: will I deal directly with you, or will my work be passed to someone else? At a lot of larger firms, you speak to a partner on the first call and then never hear from them again. Your work gets handed to a junior, response times slow down, and you end up paying a premium for a service that doesn’t feel personal at all.

You should also ask about pricing before you commit to anything. A fixed price agreed upfront means no surprises at the end of the year. If someone can’t give you a clear answer on what they charge, that’s a red flag worth paying attention to. Ask what’s included, what’s not, and what happens if you need to get in touch between filing deadlines.

Red Flags That Tell You to Walk Away

Slow responses are the one I hear about most often from people who’ve switched to me after a bad experience elsewhere. If your accountant takes a week to reply to a basic question, that’s not acceptable. Tax has deadlines, and if you can’t get a straight answer when you need one, that creates real stress and real financial risk.

Watch out for vague answers about fees, work that always seems rushed close to a deadline, and any accountant who discourages you from asking questions. You should never feel like a nuisance for wanting to understand your own finances. A good accountant wants you to understand what’s going on, because it makes their job easier and your business stronger.

What to Look for in a Local or Remote Accountant

You don’t need an accountant with an office on your high street. I work fully remotely with clients across Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, and the rest of the UK, and the relationship works just as well as face-to-face, often better because communication is faster and more direct. What actually matters is responsiveness, clarity, and whether they understand the kind of business you run.

Look for verified reviews from real clients, not just testimonials on the accountant’s own website. Bark, Google, and Trustpilot all give you independent evidence of how someone actually treats the people they work with. Forty-eight verified five-star reviews on Bark means something quite different from a handful of quotes on a homepage that you can’t trace back to anyone.