What are the benefits of using an accountant?

If you are a small business, some processes for running a business may seem overwhelming or fraught with risk. None is more so than the area of business accounts, which can quickly land business owners in hot water if it goes wrong. Accounting is one area that can really benefit from professional expertise. So, what are the benefits of using an accountant?

Image Credit

What does an accountant do?

Accountants are usually members of professional bodies and have undergone training and gained qualifications in bookkeeping, financial accounting, reporting and sometimes auditing. They can prepare and review your business accounts and help prepare statutory reports, like those that need to be filed with Companies House and HMRC. Accountants can also analyse your business’s financial performance.

Does your business need an accountant?

You may benefit from an accountant if you do not have any financial expertise or background, or have a particularly complex business model that may make producing accounts and reporting more challenging.

You could of course recruit an accountant permanently if you think that this is required. A professional accountancy recruitment agency such as Talent Finance will have the expertise to find the right fit for your business.

Or there is the option of hiring an accountancy firm on a pay-as-you-go basis if it doesn’t make sense to hire FTE. With either option, there are two main benefits:

Image Credit

Reduced Risk of Non-Compliance

Having proper and accurate accounts means it is much less likely that you will be required to undergo an audit by the authorities. In most cases, mistakes in accounting are due to human error but it will save a lot of hassle and stress if your accounts are right the first time.

Efficiency

We all know that if you are good and experienced at something you can do it much faster. Business owners have many responsibilities and it makes sense that they should focus their energy on doing what they do best – running a business – rather than preparing accounts that a professional is much better suited to do.