Step 1: decide what you need
- Compliance only: accounts and tax returns.
- Bookkeeping and payroll as well.
- Regular management accounts and advice.
- Specialist help: international tax, fundraising or a business sale.
Step 2: check qualifications and registers
- US: CPA licences can be checked through state board lookups and CPAverify. Enrolled Agents are authorised by the IRS.
- UK and Ireland: ICAEW, ICAS, ACCA, CIMA and Chartered Accountants Ireland all have public member directories.
- Canada: provincial CPA bodies keep public registers.
- Australia: check registered tax agents on the Tax Practitioners Board register.
- EU: check the national professional body for the country concerned.
Step 3: ask the right questions
- Who are your typical clients, by size and sector?
- Which software do you use, and will you help us set it up?
- What’s included in the fee, and what costs extra?
- How often will we talk, and how quickly do you reply?
- Can you help if we start trading or hiring abroad?
Step 4: compare quotes fairly
Ask each firm for a written proposal that lists deliverables and deadlines. Some offer fixed monthly packages, others bill by the hour. Read fixed fee, hourly or retainer to compare different structures. Then use our brief builder so every firm quotes on the same scope.
Red flags
- They can’t name their professional body, or aren’t on its register.
- Promises of tax savings that sound too good to be true.
- Vague fees, or reluctance to put the scope in writing.
- Slow responses before you’ve even signed up.
Last updated: 4 October 2026
