You may well know that an accountant helps manage your finances, taking care of book keeping, tax and accounts – but what does an accountant actually do during a typical day?

That’s actually what we ask KEW Accountants MD, Karen Whitehead, in this blog!

What’s the first thing you do when you get in the office in the morning?

Put the kettle on so that the team can have a hot drink when they arrive. As Richard Branson famously said: “Look after the staff and the staff will look after your customers.”

Can you describe a typical phone call with a client?

There is no such thing as a typical phone call which is why as a general adviser you need to know so much! Here’s a selection of recent conversation topics:

• Queries regarding income tax, corporation tax or VAT
• Should the business buy a vehicle and how will that be taxed?
• Capital gains tax queries when selling houses or shares
• Inheritance tax queries
• Book keeping queries
• Questions regarding benefits or student loans

The list is endless! At the minute there are also more enquiries being raised by HMRC, so increasingly we are receiving phone calls from people who may have completed their own tax return and are now facing an enquiry from HMRC.

What was your last client meeting? 

The last meeting I had with a client was to plan the future of the business and the director’s retirement. We had a good chat about their future and discussed the cash that remained in the bank, so we could plan how those funds were going to be used and exactly what they wanted their income to look like in retirement.

What regular tasks do you do?

We complete clients’ book keeping records monthly and ensure that their banks reconcile on their chosen software, we check VAT returns which have been completed by our clients prior to submission, CIS (Construction Industry Scheme) returns also need to be submitted on a monthly basis for our clients.

What’s the last thing you do before logging off for the day?

Check that I have answered all my emails and look at the appointments that I have the next day to ensure that I am prepared.

Please give the KEW Accountants team a call on 01952 216872 if you need any help with your accounts and finances.