Tax and accounting advice

A consultation is a single piece of work on a single question. It differs from tax planning in that planning rebuilds the model for the future, while a consultation answers the question in front of you now: how to record this transaction, how to treat this document, what to do about this letter.

We do not answer “ask your accountant”. The answer is specific, cites the rule it rests on, and explains what happens if you do it differently.

What people usually bring us

• how to record an unusual transaction: barter, set-off, a free transfer, a write-off;
• what to do with a request or letter from the tax office, and by when to reply;
• how to document work with a contractor: employee, sole trader or services contract;
• what tax consequences a particular contract carries, before it is signed;
• whether VAT registration is required and what changes once it is;
• how to correct an error in a filed return, and whether a penalty follows;
• how to handle transactions with non-residents and currency settlements.

How a consultation runs

First a short conversation to establish the facts: without them any answer is generic. Then we look at the documents, if there are any, and give the answer – spoken, or in writing where the question is one whose answer you will need to show someone later.

A written answer contains not just the conclusion but the reasoning: what it rests on, and where the boundary is beyond which the conclusion changes.

When not to put it off

Before signing a contract, not after. Before carrying out the transaction, not when the return is being prepared. Immediately on receiving a request from the tax office – replies have deadlines, and a missed deadline becomes a problem in itself. And before any change to the structure of the business.

What the fee depends on

A simple question within a single rule and a question requiring contracts and source documents to be examined are different work. Scope follows the depth of the question, whether a written opinion is needed, and whether the decision then has to be documented.

For clients on the monthly service, consultations are included in the agreed scope.

Common questions

Do you give written opinions?

Yes, where one is needed. Writing makes sense when the answer has to be shown to a partner, a bank or your own accountant, or when the question is arguable and the reasoning is worth recording.

Can we consult you if you do not keep our books?

Yes. We work from your facts and do not require you to move your accounting to us. If documents are needed for the answer, we will say which ones.

How long until we get an answer?

We reply to an enquiry the same day. How long the answer itself takes depends on the question: some are closed in the conversation, others need time with the documents.

What if something needs doing after the consultation?

We can do it: correct a return, prepare the reply to the tax office, redraft the contract. That work is quoted separately before it starts.