You would not believe how little some people know about their CPAs. According to a NerdWallet survey from a few years ago, 80% of people who used CPAs never asked about their credentials and 75% never asked if the CPA would represent them in an audit. With the amount of personal information you are sharing about you and your business with this individual or team – bank accounts, personal relationships, your Social Security number, it is extremely important that you find a legitimate and qualified CPA.
A Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is a tax and business advisor who has a college degree with a required minimum of 150 credit hours. The CPA Candidate must pass the rigorous national professional qualifying exam, and is required to have continuing education to keep updated on the ever-changing tax and accounting laws. CPAs are highly trained and experienced in handling tax and accounting matters for individuals, estates, trust and companies.
How to Find a Qualified CPA
Ask for Referrals
Just like with most service providers, a great way to find a CPA is to ask for referrals from your friends, family, colleagues, financial advisors or other business owners. You can also use the Virginia Society of CPAs “Find a CPA” function to find a CPA in your area with the level of expertise you require and confirm their credentials. An active practicing CPA who prepares tax returns must have a registered PTIN with the IRS.
Interview Potential Candidates
Just like you would interview a candidate that might be coming to work for your company, you should interview CPAs with whom you could potentially be sharing your personal information and business goals. Always request references and follow up on them to get a better sense of how they work with their clients. As a rule, the more complex your business and tax situation, the more you will require the advice of someone with specialized experience and experience.
Signs of a Good CPA
#1: They’re a modern business
You would want a firm that’s keeping up with the new technology in software and hardware. Everfore CPAs & Advisors is almost entirely paperless, an issue that is extremely important to our firm and which shows that we are constantly keeping up-to-date with the latest technology trends.
#2: They offer personalized service
Everfore CPAs & Advisors focuses on being courteous and believes in forming lasting business relationships with our clients. When our accountants meet with you, they will not come in with ideas already formed about what you and your company should be doing; instead, they listen to your experiences and needs and guide you from there. A CPA is like a business partner; they offer advice and don’t just react to the numbers that you share with them. Just like their speech bubble logo – paired with their catchphrase ‘Let’s talk success.’ Everfore CPAs & Advisors is dedicated to conversing with clients.
#3: They specialize in businesses of a certain size
Can you imagine how different the job of a Certified Public Accountant would be for one working with a company of 5 employees versus a corporation with hundreds of high-level employees? A CPA firm that doesn’t specialize in a specific size should be a little bit of a warning sign for you. A brand new, smaller company might need a little more specialized attention and more hand-holding than a huge company that’s been around for decades. A CPA firm with a client base filled with large companies may not be able to give the smaller company the kind of focus it needs. At Everfore CPAs & Advisors, we seek out small to medium-sized businesses to work with because our team wants to focus on helping our clients grow and being there every step of the way.
