Advantages of Hiring a Certified Public Accountant

When it comes to hiring a professional for tax relief or assistance with tax debt, people often rush to a taxation lawyer. Very few people know how hiring a Certified Public Accountant would be a better alternative, as they provide services at lower rates but offer equivalent expertise in their work. A CPA is trained to offer the best possible tax help. Besides tax assistance, a CPA may also be useful in extending other sorts of additional help for your business. Hence, with the right Certified Public Accountant on board, you can get the advantages of a tax lawyer and a lot more.

You may be an expert in handling your business. Your vision and business strategy may be beyond compare. However, this does not qualify you to handle your own taxation needs. This requires the attention of a professional. This is where a CPA comes into play. A CPA is updated with the most recent changes that have taken place in taxation laws. It is difficult to keep track of these changes on your own, as the changes occur at frequent intervals. An example of one area where a CPA can be of valuable help is in making the best use of Work Opportunity Tax Credit. This can be extremely beneficial for you if you have set up your firm in an unprivileged area. You may not be aware of the concept of Work Opportunity Tax Credit or you may not know the extent of the claim you can make. A CPA will guide you perfectly.

As already mentioned, a CPA can provide services that go beyond taxation help. This entails services pertaining to management consultation. CPAs are people who are trained to analyze businesses and help entrepreneurs to identify and tackle problems arising in business so that they can make the maximum possible profits. A CPA, due to his or her strong financial knowledge and capability to solve problems, is said to have skills that he or she can use to analyze a business with an eye that others are incapable of. Moreover, having handled the financials of a company, the CPA knows the company in and out. He or she is well aware of the products and services of the firm and all relevant intricacies. The CPA also understands the entrepreneur's vision and expectations and is also capable of winning his or her trust. These make a CPA an excellent management consultant too.

When you are hiring a CPA, there are a few things you need to find out. Firstly, find out about the qualification of the CPA. Find out about his or her experience and expertise in handling cases similar to yours. Get people to certify the credibility of the CPA you are about to hire. Also, it is a good idea to have more than one option in hand so that you can choose the best one.

It is a great idea to hire a CPA rather than a full-fledged tax attorney, as the CPA can provide you with good quality taxation service that is at par with what an expensive tax lawyer will offer. At the same time, a CPA can offer additional business services that can help you to run your business smoothly.

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Connor R. Sullivan often calls on the expertise of a [http://www.srfinancialservices.com/]Los Angeles CPA company for guidance with his firms accounting. He hired a [http://www.srfinancialservices.com/]Hollywood CPA service to do his company's taxes.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Advantages-of-Hiring-a-Certified-Public-Accountant&id=3279422] Advantages of Hiring a Certified Public Accountant

Why Should Business Owners Hire a CPA?

Certified Public Accountants or CPA's as they are more commonly called, can provide you with a number of advantages over other accounting professionals. Their education runs considerably deeper and they have to answer stricter licensing as well as meeting more stringent requirements where their expertise is concerned. Additionally, they must also adhere to a stricter code of professional ethics.

You need to remember first and foremost, that a CPA is not just a numbers cruncher. For all practical purposes they are personalized business and personal financial advisers and strategists. CPAs can help you with the following business and personal accounting and tax needs:

o estate planning
o investment advice
o financial and tax planning services
o retirement planning

Are there certain qualifications you should look for?

One word - "ABSOLUTELY!" First of all, ask them to prove that they are a licensed CPA. Ask them if they are local and licensed to practice in the state(accountants are licensed at the state level in the United States). Find out if they are members of certain professional organizations and how active they are in your local area. Most importantly, find out if their expertise and personality are compatible with your business and personal needs.

How to choose a CPA

Choosing a CPA is not as daunting a task as you might think. We offer you the following suggestions on decision-making criteria that you should always take into consideration:

What services do you need a CPA to perform?

First and foremost, you need to determine what you need that CPA to be capable of where your business and personal needs are concerned. CPAs all have to abide by local and state regulations and standards as well as being licensed to practice anywhere in the state. Unfortunately, not all of them offer a full line of services to accommodate the many business and personal accounting needs.

Interview several CPAs

It is critical that you don't just hire the first CPA that you talk to. Interview several to find out about their years of experience, if they are truly local, what their rates are, if they'll work around your schedule, etc. Make sure that you take your business and personal financial tax records to the interview. Make sure you get their rate sheet also.

What's included in their fees?

Make sure that you get the most bang for your buck. If they're charging a healthy fee, there better be a wealth of services that they offer for the money spent on them.


Jonathan Medows, CPA, MBA is the Managing Member of MEDOWS CPA, PLLC, a boutique New York CPA firm serving the needs of individuals, freelancers, self employed individuals & small businesses. To see how he can help you reduce your tax liability and keep you in tax compliance please visit his website: http://www.medowscpa.com
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Why-Should-Business-Owners-Hire-a-CPA?&id=3246538] Why Should Business Owners Hire a CPA?

Why Hire A CPA (Certified Public Accountant)?

Author: Gray Rollins

A certified public accountant (CPA) is a professional individual who works on their own or is a part of an accounting firm. A certified public accountant (CPA) is generally in charge of monitoring and keeping track of the financial records of an individual or business. Each year millions of Americans wonder if they should hire an certified public accountant (CPA). Why hire a CPA is a question that many individuals ask themselves.

There are many individuals and business owners who are not organized. Being unorganized can make it virtually impossible for an individual or business owner to accurately keep track of all of their finances. This is why many individuals make the decision to hire a certified public accountant (CPA). Another reason why many individuals or business owners may hire a certified public accountant (CPA) is because they do not have enough time to keep track of financial records on their own. Another reason is because the majority of certified public accountants (CPAs) are trained and experienced professionals.

To become a certified public accountant (CPA) individuals need to meet certain requirements that are imposed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). These qualifications typically include around one hundred and fifty college hours that are applied towards an accounting program. A certified public accountant (CPA) also is required to pass a CPA exam that is developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). There are some states that require an individual be certified or have a particular amount of work experience before operating an accounting business; however, not all states have these requirements. With all of the training and experience that a certified public account must have it is evident that they are more experienced in the flied of accounting. Although it is not guaranteed a certified public accountant (CPA) is likely to produce better results than a traditional accountant.

A large number of individuals hire the services of an accountant all year round to make sure that their finances are in order. Although most accountants are hired on a long-term basis there are accountants that are only hired to professionally prepare tax returns. When being trained in the area of accounting a certified public accountant (CPA) also learns how to complete multiple federal and state tax returns. Why hire a CPA to do your taxes? The answer is because many certified public accountants know how to get their clients the maximize number of tax deductions and they also how know to accurately organize receipts and other document verifications for those tax deductions. http://www.taxhelpdirectory.com/taxdeduction

When hiring a certified public account (CPA) many individuals or business owners are encouraged to determine the amount of experience or qualifications that an accountant has. When searching for a certified public accountant many individuals and business owners prefer to work with a local accountant. Many individuals feel that working with an local accountant is easier should something unexpected arise; however, there are many accountants that work for a successful accounting firm or operate their own personal accounting business nationwide. Each individual or business owner will have to make their own decision as to which type of certified personal accountant (CPA) they wish to hire.

Why hire a CPA? The answer is simple because it is an easy to way to have your financial records in order or your tax returns professionally completed. The majority of certified public accountants guarantee their work; therefore, there really isn't any reason why a certified public accountant (CPA) should not be hired. Instead of spending hours reviewing and sorting through your finances you should pick up your local phone or use the internet to at least schedule a consultation appointment with a certified public accountant (CPA) to see if hiring one is right for you and your situation.


Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/why-hire-a-cpa-certified-public-accountant-13723.html

About the AuthorGray Rollins is a featured writer for the TaxHelpDirectory.com. To learn more about hiring a CPA and accountants, visit our site.

Picking a CPA for Your New Business

Author: Stephen L. Nelson, CPA

Are you an entrepreneur beginning some new venture? Or are you, perhaps, the owner of an existing business that needs to find a new CPA? Finding the right accountant can be easier if you employ the following five tips:

Determine Whether You'll Outsource Your Bookkeeping

Some businesses like to do their bookkeeping in-house using an accounting program like QuickBooks. Other businesses like to assign the work to an outside service or to their accountant.

Either approach can work well, but before you choose a CPA, think about whether you want an accountant who also provides bookkeeping services. Some do. Some don't.
Often, by the way, CPAs that provide business bookkeeping services describe themselves as "comprehensive accounting firms."

Consider Your Need for an Industry Specialist

Many, perhaps even most, small businesses use a generalist accountant. But if you're in an industry with its own unique tax laws or special regulatory issues, you may want to look for an accountant who specializes in your industry.

A specialist, by the way, will probably cost you more money. And you may not like (for good reason) the idea of your accountant also working with your competitors. But if you truly need specialized industry expertise, you may want to go this route.

An industry specialist may be able to offer suggestions about industry-specific tax planning strategies, discuss industry-specific accounting solutions, and refer you to other industry specialists at banks, law firms, and consulting firms.

Forecast Your Future Requirements for Accounting Services

Basically all small business CPA firms offer tax preparation and tax planning services for businesses and their owners. And most of these firms also provide consulting services to their business clients--especially in the area of selecting, installing and operating accounting software.

Your small business, however, may need additional services such as compiled, reviewed or audited financial statements. Accordingly, you want to think about any additional services you may need a year or two down the road.

Note that you don't need to get too carried away with this sort of fortune-telling. Don't worry about what services you may need ten or twenty years from now. Both your firm and your accounting firm will have changed significantly by then. Do, however, think about the services you'll likely to need over the next two to three years. Switching CPAs every five or ten years is fine. Switching CPAs every year or two is too much work--and makes you look to CPA firms like a flakey client.

Budget Your Accounting Fees Upfront

CPAs structure their practices in a variety of ways. Some CPAs charge their clients very modest fees. Other CPAs charge their clients rather large fees.
Accordingly, you want to make sure your budget synchronizes with your accounting firm's billing practices.

Two quick comments are in order about billing practices, though. First, CPAs that charge low fees of necessity do not spend much time on any individual client's tax return or question. Understand, therefore, that Wal-Mart-like fees mean you're buying only small slices of the professional's time. (In many low-cost practices, non-CPA employees do much of the work and the CPA only checks the work product at the very end--a bit like your dentist operates.)

Second, CPAs that charge high fees should be able to provide you with a markedly higher level of expertise and or service. You definitely should get what you're paying for...

Choose a Level of Personalized Service

A final point: If you want truly personal service from your CPA, look for an accounting firm that's either a sole proprietorship or a small partnership. In either of these cases, you're likely to regularly work with the owner or an owner year after year.

If you don't care about personal service, you can work with any size firm. Accordingly, you should consider working with a less personal large firm. Personnel within a large firm tend to charge more often. But a big CPA firm delivers a big advantage to some small businesses. Big CPA firms can offer your business just about any accounting service you would ever need.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/small-business-articles/picking-a-cpa-for-your-new-business-514907.html

About the AuthorSeattle tax accountant Stephen L. Nelson, edits the S corporation web site and has written incorporation kits for Florida incorporation and Texas incorporation. He holds MS in tax.