Is Your Accountant Doing What You Need?
Most people don't think about their accountant very often. They turn up at year end, hand over a pile of paperwork or a Xero login, pay an invoice, and get on with running their business. And for a lot of people, that feels fine - until something changes, a question comes up, or they start wondering whether they're actually getting value for what they're paying.
This article is for anyone who has ever had that quiet nagging feeling that their accountant might not quite be earning their fee.
What should a good accountant actually do?
It's a fair question, and one that doesn't get asked enough. At a minimum, your accountant should be:
Filing your accounts and tax returns accurately and on time, every year
Keeping you informed of deadlines well in advance - not chasing you at the last minute
Making sure you're claiming everything you're entitled to, not just processing what you send them
Explaining things in plain English when you ask, without making you feel like you're wasting their time
Letting you know about changes to tax law or compliance requirements that affect you - like Making Tax Digital - before they become a problem
That's the baseline. A good accountant goes further than that.
Signs you might not be getting what you're paying for
None of the following are grounds for an immediate panic - but they are worth reflecting on honestly.
You only hear from them once a year
If your accountant gets in touch at year end and is otherwise silent, you're essentially paying for a filing service. That has its place, but it's not the same as having a qualified professional in your corner. Tax planning, for example, only works if someone is thinking about your position throughout the year - not after the year has ended.
You don't really understand your own accounts
Your accounts should make sense to you. Not necessarily every line, but the overall picture - what the business made, what it owes, what it owns, and what you owe in tax. If you receive a set of accounts each year and file them away without really understanding them, that's worth addressing. A good accountant takes the time to walk you through what the numbers mean.
You feel like a small fish
Larger practices often have a tiered service model - their most attentive work goes to their biggest clients, and smaller businesses get processed efficiently but not particularly thoughtfully. If you've ever felt like you're not quite important enough to get a prompt response or a proactive conversation, that feeling is worth taking seriously.
Your tax bill always seems to be a surprise
There's an element of unpredictability in any tax position, but a good accountant will give you a reasonable estimate of what's coming well before the payment deadline. If January 31st regularly arrives with a bill you weren't expecting, something in the communication isn't working.
They haven't mentioned Making Tax Digital
MTD for Income Tax is rolling out from April 2026 and will affect sole traders and landlords with income above £50,000. If your accountant hasn't raised this with you yet and you fall into that category, it's a reasonable question to ask - and their response will tell you quite a lot.
What good actually looks like
A great accountant for a small business or sole trader isn't just a compliance function. They're someone who understands your business, thinks about your tax position throughout the year, tells you things you need to know before you need to know them, and is genuinely easy to get hold of when a question comes up.
They save you money - not just by filing returns, but by making sure you're structured correctly, claiming everything you're entitled to, and planning ahead. And they save you time and stress, because you're not worrying about whether things are in order.
At Facts & Figures, we're an independent ICAEW Chartered Accountancy practice with offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow. We work with sole traders, limited companies, partnerships, and landlords across Scotland - and we think the relationship between a business owner and their accountant should feel like a genuinely useful one, not an annual inconvenience.
That sounds great but won't it cost more?
Honestly, it might. If you're currently paying for your returns to be filed and nothing more, then yes - a more attentive, year-round service will likely come at a higher price point. That's not to say you aren't getting what you need now. For plenty of businesses at a particular stage, a straightforward filing service is exactly what's needed.
But if you've read this far and recognised something in what we've described - if you'd benefit from having someone to call when a question comes up (all included in our fixed fee model without extra charge by the way), or from a more proactive conversation about your tax position throughout the year - then it's worth having that conversation with us.
As your business grows and changes, the level of support you need will change too. We're set up to flex with that - at a minimum, being genuinely responsive when you need us, and at the other end of the scale, working with you proactively throughout the year so that nothing comes as a surprise.