Prepare for Your Accountant Meeting
Generate a structured list of questions and documents to prepare before your next accountant meeting, so you actually get value from it.
The prompt
I'm meeting my accountant next [week/month]. I run a [type of business] in the UK as a [sole trader / limited company / partnership] with [number] employees. My main concerns right now are: 1. [e.g. "Whether I should register for VAT - turnover approaching £90,000"] 2. [e.g. "How to handle a new contractor relationship. IR35 implications (the tax rules that determine if a contractor is really an employee)"] 3. [e.g. "Year-end is approaching and I haven't planned for Corporation Tax"] Help me prepare for this meeting: 1. **Documents to bring** - What should I have ready? (Be specific - "profit and loss report" not just "your accounts") 2. **Questions to ask** - 5-7 specific questions based on my concerns, plus general good-practice questions every UK business owner should ask their accountant annually 3. **Things to challenge** - What should I push back on or ask to explain more clearly? (Accountants sometimes assume you understand things you don't) 4. **Action items to agree** - What concrete next steps should I leave with? Write it as a checklist I can print and take with me. No financial jargon - if you use a term, explain it in brackets.
What you get back
- A printable four-part checklist: documents to bring, questions to ask, things to push back on, and action items to leave with
- Tailored questions based on the specific concerns you list (VAT, IR35, year-end, anything else)
- Plain-English explanations of any tax or accounting term used, so you can challenge instead of nod
How to use it
Drop in your business type, structure, headcount, and the two or three concerns you most want answered. Print the result and take it to the meeting.