What to look for when choosing an accountant is one of those questions that sounds simple but trips a lot of people up — mostly because nobody tells you what actually matters before you sign anything.

What an accountant actually does for a small business

A lot of people think an accountant just files their tax return once a year. That’s part of it, but a good accountant should be doing much more than that. Think tax planning, bookkeeping oversight, VAT, payroll, company accounts and being someone you can ring when something confusing lands in your inbox from HMRC.

The honest truth is that not all accountants offer the same thing. Some focus on larger businesses and will treat a sole trader or small limited company as low priority. Which? advises looking for a firm that has clients the same size as your business — good advice, because a firm used to handling big corporate accounts will often have very little patience for the questions a small business owner actually needs answered.

The questions most people forget to ask before hiring an accountant

Most people ask about price and not much else. Price matters, but it’s not the thing that will make your life easier or harder over the next few years. The better questions are: Will I actually speak to you, or will I be passed around? How quickly do you respond to messages? Do you use cloud accounting software I recognise?

Communication is where accountants most commonly let clients down. I’ve heard it repeatedly from people who come to me after leaving another firm — they’d send an email and hear nothing for a week, or they’d phone and get a receptionist who couldn’t help. That’s not how an accountant should work, especially when you’re dealing with a deadline or an HMRC letter that’s making you anxious.

Qualifications — what they mean and why they matter

Accountancy in the UK isn’t a protected title in the same way that ‘solicitor’ is, which means technically anyone can call themselves an accountant. That’s why checking qualifications matters. Which? recommends checking that your accountant is a registered member of a recognised UK accountancy body such as AAT, ICAEW, ACCA or CIMA.

I hold the FMAAT designation through the AAT — that’s the senior membership grade, requiring AAT Level 4 qualification and evidence of professional experience. It also means I’m bound by a professional code of conduct, carry professional indemnity insurance, and have to keep my training current through continuing professional development. That matters because it means there’s genuine accountability behind the advice I give you.

Making Tax Digital is coming — is your accountant ready for it?

This is genuinely important if you’re a sole trader or landlord. HMRC’s Making Tax Digital for Income Tax guidance confirms that from April 2026, sole traders and landlords with income over £50,000 must submit quarterly digital updates instead of a single annual return. That threshold drops to £30,000 from April 2027, and to £20,000 from April 2028.

If you’re not on cloud accounting software already, you will need to be. The accountant you choose should be able to set that up for you, keep it running and make sure your quarterly submissions go in on time. I work with QuickBooks, FreeAgent, Xero and Sage, so whatever you’re currently using, I can almost certainly help you get MTD-ready without starting from scratch.