Ray_li

I'm currently looking for an accountant but I don't have a clue what kind of questions to ask to find out if he/she will be and good.

The only question I can think of is "how do you charge and how much?"

the moose

What do you want them to do?

Ray_li

sort all my tax and book keeping for a small business I'm starting up.

the moose

Ah, then you need a book-keeper and accountant, with the emphasis firmly on the former. You probably won't technically need an accountant (highly unlikely that you'll actually need an audit), so just use the Yellow Pages.

I'd go for something which offers all book-keeping/PAYE/NIC for a fixed amount per month - typically this sort of service, depending on the number of employees and turnover volumes, might cost you £30-100 per month, but this may well vary. You'll need to keep as many details yourself as you can to avoid racking up the charges - the typical small businessman who throws a carrier bag of receipts at the accountant once a year tends to get stiffed with a big bill because they couldn't be bothered to do some of the work themselves.