Do you use an accountant??

[beautysanctuary]

I am a mobile therapist and I also have a treatment room at home. I only work part time and just wondered if all you mobile therapists out there used an accountant to do your tax returns or do you do it yourself? Obviously as I only work part time my income is not massive and I just wondered if it is easy to work out yourself or do I need to get myself an accountant??

 

[hippy-chick]

I work self employed with a little employment but all in holistic therapies.
I've been registered for about 6 years now, the first year I went into the tax office and they did the return with me/for me.

the next 3 years I did it online and was a gibbering wreck.

the past 2 years I've got an accountant to do it for me, ahhhhhh! bliss! I do all my incoming and outgoings on excel sheets, hand them over with any p60's, all my receipts in monthly envelopes and it is worth EVERY PENNY!

the first year he even got me a tax rebate so paid for itself.

I don't know how confident you are with doing it online, if you are only doing a few hours a week I would probably give it a shot, but, I honestly found it highly stressful.

 

[july]

Hi, Hippy chick, can I ask how much fo you pay for it? I'm just getting ready to hand over my receipts/spreadhseets with my income and he's charging me £700 plus I have to do my own self emplyed return ( as I director) -I have a Ltd company.
Thanks

Jules

 

[hippy-chick]

well I am a sole trader not a Ltd company.

I pay £50.

 

[Kim Lawless]

£50??????? Can we have his number? That's amazing! The average for an accounatnt is £300 to £400 and for a LTD company's accounts, it's about double that . xxx

 

[hippy-chick]

yes, I am very lucky.

My friend pays a bit more as she isn't so organised, she writes everything in a book and hands that and receipts over.

 

[hippy-chick]

for my payment he fills in and sends off my tax return, and would deal with any queries from the tax office for me.

 

[Martin Duffy]

I have a ledger in Excel for all my income & outgoings, and keep a lever arch file with all my recipts numbered (with the corresponding number entered in my Excel ledger) to make it easy to find everything.

I also do my own tax return online, but to be honest I actually quite enjoy it...so much so I help a couple of my friends out with theirs! Sad I know, but I quite like totting it all up! If you're number phobic or you find it stressful it's probably worth having an accountant, but if you're organised & disciplined it's not that much of an effort.

 

[hippy-chick]

I have a ledger in Excel for all my income & outgoings, and keep a lever arch file with all my recipts numbered (with the corresponding number entered in my Excel ledger) to make it easy to find everything.

I also do my own tax return online, but to be honest I actually quite enjoy it...so much so I help a couple of my friends out with theirs! Sad I know, but I quite like totting it all up! If you're number phobic or you find it stressful it's probably worth having an accountant, but if you're organised & disciplined it's not that much of an effort.

OMG, you are such a male brain!!!!!

Numbers terrify me!

 

[blutopaz]

I have to say iv done mine the last 6 years and i enjoy doing it as well, even quite like organising the paper work into files, its the business person in us.

doing it myself means i know exactly whats been done, i know i havent missed anything and always know where i am but having said that, an accountant might be able to find more allowable expenses as they know all the loop holes to get you the smallest bill!

i might invest in one for the next return, just to see what extra they can get me....

 

[Missy G]

I done mine by my self for the first year and completed it no prob online.

If your only working parttime, as I am, you may as well.

Give your local tax office a call and they do a days course FOC and teach you how to do your self assesment.

If in the near future I ever work full time ,I may consider an accountant,just because Id be too busy.

But give it a go for your first year ,and if you dont feel happy get yorself an accountant next time.You should be fine .

 

[Martin Duffy]

OMG, you are such a male brain!!!!!

I know - I'm the epitome of masculinity!!! Or should that be the nadir...:lol:

 

[tigi]

my accountant charges anything between 100-200 per year denpedning on how much work he has to do foe me. he is great, my saviour!

tigi

 

[user 28883]

I do mine myself, but having worked in that field before doing Hairdressing I find it very easy and if you keep on top of it in a ledger book you will be fine with it. I think I have have enough expenses without paying someone to do it for me.