Don't be charitable at Budget time

With another Budget around the corner, I wondered how the already hard-pressed practices would get their heads around another set of tax changes (or simplification as any new government would put it).

The basic calculation would be uncertainty + emergency budget = unbilled hours.

This, of course, is not a nice outcome, financially speaking.

So once again I will back up the views of many an experienced practice adviser: bill your clients monthly.

It all ties into providing them a broader service, rather than helping them bash out their tax return from of a shoebox of receipts.

OK, money's tight and the last thing you want to do is push a client over the edge when you're meant to be helping them. But a firm of accountants is not a charity.