Everyone dreads tax time. The process is all the more difficult when one has not found a trusted accountant to work with. Finding a CPA, auditor, or bookkeeper is one of the most important and challenging tasks facing both individuals and small business owners. It can make the difference between getting your taxes done quickly and being stuck with an audit. The process is all the more challenging because of the sheer number of accountants to choose from. For example, there are multiple thousands of accountants in Chicago alone.
Large accounting firms such as Ernst and Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, and Deloitte typically serve medium and large companies. CPA’s who work with individuals and small business owners usually work alone or at very small firms. Because individuals and small business owners don’t have a brand to rely on when choosing an accountant, reading reviews and getting recommendations are especially important. Getting an idea of the accountant’s educational background and experience, how much time he can devote to your case, whether his typical clients have tax needs that are as complex as yours, and whether he is familiar with popular small business accounting software such as QuickBooks are especially important.
Checking up on an accountant’s professional qualifications is especially important as viewing the CPA’s ratings. See whether the CPA is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountant’s (AICPA) and their state accounting society, for example the Illinois CPA Society and the Independent Accountants Association of Illinois.
While asking the above questions are critical to finding the right accountant, there are very few resources where potential clients can get objective answers. Online directories and phone books only provide the accountant’s contact information and possibly a paid advertisement that provide no useful independent information. Many web sites purport to provide a list of “top accountants” that potential clients can contact by filling out a form and revealing their phone number and address. However, these sites typically require the accountants to pay a fee to be listed and don’t do any work to qualify the person as a “top accountant.” Furthermore, potential clients are inviting unsolicited communications from the accountants by revealing their phone number and email.
Potential clients should seek an objective, independent web site that provides reviews, ratings, and recommendations for accountants. The site should have a broad list of accountants, allow potential clients ask questions of an accountant without revealing their email or other private information, and allow users to protect their privacy when writing reviews.
Get accountant reviews and recommendations in Chicago written by friends, friends of friends, and other users.
