Hiring a Chartered Professional Accountant to handle your business’s finances may be a smart move but there are a few things you need to know about them before just picking any CPA. The key to hiring a great accountant, like as with hiring any other kind of professional, is to ask questions! While your scouting for the right person to take care of your books, check out these three questions you’ll need to ask.
1. What type of professional certifications or designations do you have?
This should always be your first question because you can quickly rule out financial hobbyists from the professional accountants. Make sure the person who you are talking is a Chartered Professional Accountant because that’s what truly matters. And if you come across others who can bring more to the table, take advantage of their professional attributes. For instance, Randall Dang is a CPA, Certified General Accountant and a Certified Management Accountant; all of which can offer a business more benefits.
2. What educational degreed do you have?
Just like the professional certifications and designations, it’s important to ensure the person who you are choosing has a professional degree in the field. Make sure to ask them what school they attended and what degree they were awarded because it’ll help you determine which CPA has the proper credentials to manage your business’s finances. Just as an example, Randall Dang, the accountant, has a Business Administration and Management degree from Capilano University and a CGA/Accounting and Business/Management degree from CGA of British Columbia.
3. What do you charge for your services?
During the conversation, you will need to find out how much the fees are for the accountants’ services. They could charge an hourly rate or perhaps they work off of a flat fee for specific duties. Will they provide you with discounts or special pricing on other services that you might need in the future? Do they bill you monthly or weekly? How are the payments handled? You will need to find out the details before hiring them so you know what to expect from the get go without any surprises later down the road.
Make sure you ask at least these three questions before hiring an accountant for your business!