| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Do you employ the services of an accountant/financial advisor? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you employ the services of an accountant/financial advisor?".
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| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 17:34
Spanish to English
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In Spain I have a "gestor" who helps me with my tax returns and similar bureaucratic bumph. His office includes a lawyer and accountant in case I ever need any more specific advice, which so far I haven't.
| | | | Mary Worby 
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:34
German to English
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| I've answered 'other' | Sep 11, 2012 |
Because I use an accountant. But not periodically and not full-time! We pay an annual fee to cover all our accounting needs, but we by no means need a full-time accountant!
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Only for my income declaration. I do my VAT and VIES declarations by myself.
2011 was my first financial year in The Netherlands and, for those who don't know, Holland is a very bureaucratic country (and proud of that). I didn't want to make any mistakes and pay fines for them later. Better be safe than sorry.
Once I start understanding the system better, I will probably do the income declaration by myself too.
[Edited at 2012-09-11 08:36 GMT]
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| Yes, an accountant on a monthly retainer | Sep 11, 2012 |
A good accountant will help you save money in ways you couldn't imagine. Ask around and talk to a few -- they get straight to the point and will not waste your time. Choose the one that has a good understanding of how the translation business operates after you have explained things to him/her.
My one used to work at the largest Tax Office in Osaka, a short train ride away from here. And he's really useful because he knows what you can and cannot get away with. ![]() ... See more A good accountant will help you save money in ways you couldn't imagine. Ask around and talk to a few -- they get straight to the point and will not waste your time. Choose the one that has a good understanding of how the translation business operates after you have explained things to him/her.
My one used to work at the largest Tax Office in Osaka, a short train ride away from here. And he's really useful because he knows what you can and cannot get away with. 
And as Veronica says "Better safe than sorry!"  ▲ Collapse
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I do my own basic daily accounting chores (quotes, invoices), but my life partner is a CPA/Auditor, so I don't have to deal with all of the complicated stuff. I admit, it's a double-edged sword, but every man to his own trade.
| | | | | Neither full-time nor periodically | Sep 11, 2012 |
Part-time.
Money very well spent.
| | | | Di Penney
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:34
French to English
| Yes, for annual returns... | Sep 11, 2012 |
My partner and I are both self-employed, plus we have some joint income from property which makes our tax returns more complicated. Although I'm happy to take care of the daily bookkeeping and to prepare the accounts for each business up to trial balance, I feel much more comfortable paying our accountant an annual fee to review the accounts and submit our tax returns. it's worth it for the peace of mind...and to keep the rottweilers from the tax office off our backs ... See more My partner and I are both self-employed, plus we have some joint income from property which makes our tax returns more complicated. Although I'm happy to take care of the daily bookkeeping and to prepare the accounts for each business up to trial balance, I feel much more comfortable paying our accountant an annual fee to review the accounts and submit our tax returns. it's worth it for the peace of mind...and to keep the rottweilers from the tax office off our backs ▲ Collapse
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Michael Harris
Germany
Local time: 17:34
Member (2006)
German to English
Mary Worby wrote:
Because I use an accountant. But not periodically and not full-time! We pay an annual fee to cover all our accounting needs, but we by no means need a full-time accountant!
Although I do send my invoices, etc. to them every 3 months and they deal with my declaration of taxes, or whatever. Is much more effective as they deal with that sort of rubbish every day and if I have to deal with it as well, then ...
| | | | Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 16:34
Member (2007)
English
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| Full-time as in regular monthly retainer | Sep 11, 2012 |
Veronica Lupascu wrote:
Only for my income declaration. I do my VAT and VIES declarations by myself.
2011 was my first financial year in The Netherlands and, for those who don't know, Holland is a very bureaucratic country (and proud of that). I didn't want to make any mistakes and pay fines for them later. Better be safe than sorry.
Once I start understanding the system better, I will probably do the income declaration by myself too.
Bet the Netherlands aren't more bureaucratic than Spain, and I bet the Dutch authorities are a whole lot more informative! The Spanish are a very secretive lot in some ways.
Being a beginner in Spanish, I absolutely have to let someone else sort out things on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis at the moment. But I'm hoping to do most, if not all, for myself in a few years. Thankfully, the Canaries aren't in the VAT area, so that simplifies things a little (and saves some money).
BTW, I can't believe "full-time" is meant in the normal way. That would be absurd for a freelancer. It can only mean having an accountant on a regular retainer to do each stage of the process, surely?
| | | | | Of course I do! | Sep 11, 2012 |
I live in Italy. Enough said!!!
How else could I possibly make any sense of those inflated "tax reminders" they send me exactly 6 years after I have paid the tax in question?
In my experience, not only as a freelancer, but also as the owner of a company, being without one in Italy is as good as committing commercial suicide!
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 11:34
English to Spanish
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After reading your comments, I'm glad I don't have to hire an accountant or tax preparer or financial advisor in any capacity. I did use an accountant (they're called CPA or certified public accountants here) for the first two years in New York to help me navigate through the tax bureaucracy (estimated taxes, annual taxes, business deductions, etc.). Then I decided to do it myself since it wasn't that complicated (you may groan in disbelief here).
There are many tax software package... See more After reading your comments, I'm glad I don't have to hire an accountant or tax preparer or financial advisor in any capacity. I did use an accountant (they're called CPA or certified public accountants here) for the first two years in New York to help me navigate through the tax bureaucracy (estimated taxes, annual taxes, business deductions, etc.). Then I decided to do it myself since it wasn't that complicated (you may groan in disbelief here).
There are many tax software packages here, such as Microsoft's Money and Quicken's TurboTax, among many others, geared to the consumer in different markets. For example, there's a tax software package for homeowners who rent a house, and for small business owners.
I have been using Quicken's TurboTax package for almost 18 years because it uses very interactive interviews to guide you through the process and alerts you if you have made a mistake. It does all the math for you and downloads tax law updates (which happen every single frekking year here in America). How much does it cost? About 90 U.S. dollars, which includes a state tax module to do your state taxes.
I've had to use more than one state tax module at times because I have resided in more than one city throughout the year, and even overseas. So, the extra $40 I pay for the additional state tax module pays off in the end. Some states have no state income taxes to pay, so you save a few hundred dollars a year, like in Florida, Nevada, Washington and Montana (I think). ▲ Collapse
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Michael Harris
Germany
Local time: 17:34
Member (2006)
German to English
Mario Chavez wrote:
There are many tax software packages here, such as Microsoft's Money and Quicken's TurboTax, among many others, geared to the consumer in different markets. For example, there's a tax software package for homeowners who rent a house, and for small business owners.
Hi Mario, you are really lucky then.
Here in Germany, tax accountants are obliged to vist x numbers of seminars a year and always keep themselves up-to-date as the tax laws are changing all the time and are extremely complicated. The tax programs offered are probably not bad, but can never be as good as an accountant that deals with these sort of issues on a daily basis.
In the past, by using legal tricks, I have had some tax rebates of 4 to 5 thousand Euros!!
And it is then really a good idea to spenf the €2,000 / year on an accountant. There are also so many legal tricks that they know about that you yourself and especially the software programs could not even dream about. This is talking about Germany, I dont know what the tax system is like in the US, although, after visiting New York a couple of years ago, it is very strange to see the price and then always have to add the tax to it. Then go to another bordering state, and they have different taxes??
I also know that Hungary changes their tax laws every year which makes it difficult for any local company (of any size!!!) to plan in advance.
| | | | | Really Sheila? | Sep 11, 2012 |
The Spanish are a very secretive lot in some ways.
For me used to know the Italian tax authorities Spain is a paradise;)
I have an asesor fiscal
[Edited at 2012-09-11 14:05 GMT]
| | | | | Same as Mario | Sep 11, 2012 |
Mario Chavez wrote:
I have been using Quicken's TurboTax package for almost 18 years because it uses very interactive interviews to guide you through the process and alerts you if you have made a mistake. It does all the math for you and downloads tax law updates (which happen every single frekking year here in America). How much does it cost? About 90 U.S. dollars, which includes a state tax module to do your state taxes.
This is what I do too. The fact that taxes are easy to do on one's own is definitely one of the perks of being self-employed in the US.
The first year of paying estimated quarterly tax was a bit confusing, but now it takes no time at all since I just base the payments on my prior year's income.
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