What an accountant can do for your business
- Compliance: annual accounts, corporate and personal tax returns, VAT, GST or sales tax filings.
- Management accounts: monthly or quarterly reports that show margins, cash and trends.
- Advice: business structure, tax planning within the rules, funding and pricing decisions.
- Cross-border work: selling or hiring abroad, transfer pricing basics and double-tax questions.
- Outsourced finance: a part-time or fractional finance function instead of a full-time hire.
For day-to-day records, many businesses pair an accountant with a bookkeeper. If you also run staff payroll, see payroll services.
Qualifications to look for by country
- United States: a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is licensed by a state board of accountancy. Enrolled Agents are authorised by the IRS to represent taxpayers.
- United Kingdom and Ireland: chartered accountants (ICAEW, ICAS, Chartered Accountants Ireland), ACCA and CIMA members. Check membership on the body’s public register.
- Canada and Australia: CPA Canada, CPA Australia and Chartered Accountants ANZ.
- Europe: titles are national, for example Steuerberater (Germany) or expert-comptable (France).
- Worldwide: most national bodies are members of IFAC, the International Federation of Accountants.
When to hire an accountant
- You’ve registered a company, or you’re about to.
- You’re reaching the VAT, GST or sales-tax registration point where you trade.
- You’re hiring your first employees, or contractors in another country.
- You’re raising money, applying for a loan or selling the business.
- Bookkeeping is taking you more than a few hours a week.
Questions to ask before you hire
- Which professional body are you a member of, and can I check the register?
- Do you work with businesses of my size, sector and country?
- What exactly is included in the fee, and what costs extra?
- Which accounting software do you support?
- Who will do the work day to day, and how fast do you reply?
- Do you hold professional indemnity insurance?
What affects the cost
Fees depend on the number of transactions, how tidy your records are, your company type, how many countries you file in and how much advice you want. Many firms offer fixed monthly packages, while advisory work is often billed hourly. Ask for a written quote that lists every deliverable. Our guide to fixed fees, hourly rates and retainers explains the trade-offs.
Last updated: 16 October 2026
