Am I the only one

Am I the only one

Didn't find your answer?

Am I alone in being sat up still (01:40am) with 3 bank accounts left to reconcile, or are there others sat doing the same?   I often ask myself why I don't just say no instead of accepting tight deadlines!  Rant over

And to make matters worse, I f****d up on the fixed fee quotation.

I love my job

Replies (15)

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By cparker87
22nd Mar 2016 07:50

why stay up?
Just go bed and get up early!

If its a company you can "get out of jail free", just change ARD.

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RLI
By lionofludesch
22nd Mar 2016 08:45

Bad news

It's the shortest day on Sunday.

We lose an hour.

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By petestar1969
22nd Mar 2016 10:19

Err

Are you the only what? Mug? Yes!

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By Moonbeam
22nd Mar 2016 10:30

New Prospect who's missing 31 Jan deadline

My new prospect is coming to see me tomorrow afternoon. He's self employed, which makes things slightly easier, but missed the 31 Jan deadline and of course is already into the 5% interest penalty. I note we have until end of April before more late filing penalties start.

I've said as long as he answers any queries fast I can do for end of April, but don't guarantee to get them done any faster than that.

There is plenty of pressure from existing clients without letting new people add any more.

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By free-rider
22nd Mar 2016 10:39

I`ve picked up 3 new clients just last week for 14/15 TR – some people can`t be bothered to submit the by the deadline and now face the late filing penalty and also are charged premium for my work.

Make sure always to charge premium for tight deadlines and late comers. Not because they do not have much choice, but because usually they are the PITA ones.

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7om
By Tom 7000
23rd Mar 2016 11:35

Everythings possible...

Somethngs just cost more than others...

 

I guess you are £800/hr after midnight

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By penelope pitstop
23rd Mar 2016 23:23

Too many tight-deadline jobs. Tut, tut !!

Tight-deadline jobs are ok when you are a sizeable firm with some spare capacity for an employee to deal with last-minute book-keeping and accounts etc. and share out the load. But if you are on your own you are really accepting too much pressure which can affect your wellbeing and raise your stress levels too much.

So pick your jobs wisely and do not worry about turning down rubbish jobs or even getting rid of certain existing clients if you are in a position to pick and choose which clients to keep......... "Sorry sir/ma'am, but I just do not have the resources/skills to deal with your sort of accounts/tax affairs anymore. They are rather complex and...........need a different sort of accountant specialising in your particular area"

Yes, I do sometimes work until 1 or 2 in the morning, but try not to make a practice of it. It is a good time for me, my brain is alert and it is a very peaceful time of day which aids concentration.

But do not run your health in to the ground. When your health has gone it's gone.

I now say no to jobs if I suspect my health is going to be compromised in any way. Too many tight deadlines are most wearisome to the flesh!!! Give yourself a break.

And remember that the graveyard is full of indispensable people!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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By jford
24th Mar 2016 07:03

Fixed fee quotes
You do have to be really clear with fixed fee quotes as to what's included. And what isn't. If you're doing a set of year end accounts you can quote for that but say that quote doesn't include any bookkeeping you need to do if the records aren't up to scratch. I know this won't work for you now but if you can get this into your quotes in the future it may give you an option to agree with the client that you need to charge more.

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By In a Daze
24th Mar 2016 09:28

Deadlines

I am really busy the first 14 days of every month as i have to do stocktaking on around 20 sites. Normally working up to 10 pm however, the rest of the month normally finished by 2 pm.

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By Hampshire Gooner
24th Mar 2016 12:19

Stop whining

If you accepted the job, stop whining and be professional about it.

Otherwise, turn it down and put in the required effort with your existing clients.

 

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By Gone Sailing
24th Mar 2016 13:10

Extensions

Note to self.

Need to brush up on getting extensions of SA deadlines for first time businesses - and does this avoid penalties and interest? I know I got this once.

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By nathluthra
26th Mar 2016 11:58

Am i the only one

No you are not. Quite a few is us often end up like that. It is ludicrous what they are saying

do not take up the job or else increase the charge. This no advice that an accountant in

practice is not aware of. I believe that once you have taken a commitment to do the work,

irrespective of other reasons, one should endeavour to deliver this. The important factor is how much co-operation you receive from the client? Once the deadline is met, next time, you

increase your fees. Do not put the cart before the horse. So long this situation does keep

recurring, do not be afraid, we all have this at times.

Nath

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By Gone Sailing
02nd Apr 2016 13:38

Am I the only one ...
spending the entire weekend going through all my clients to max out the dividends?

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By User deleted
02nd Apr 2016 23:49

Make hay while the sun shines

That's the beauty of being self employed.  If you do work you get paid.  No unpaid overtime and no pay for slacking off.

Just do the work and take the fee.  Put the fee towards your goals.

 

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By Gone Sailing
03rd Apr 2016 08:58

Not so much

If your fixed quote includes payroll, dividend calculations & vouchers and related calculations, then HMG moves the posts (see what I did there), then the sun will shine in the garden on Sunday, without your shadow.

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