9 easy tax tips that will help you get value from your accountant

Are you ready for tax season? Filing your taxes can be a difficult and timely process so it's sometimes easiest to hire an accountant. Here's what you need to know about whether you need an accountant and how to find one for less.

If your financial affairs are fairly simple, you can probably save the cost of hiring an accountant by doing the work yourself. On the other hand, if your affairs are complex — for example, if you are self-employed or want tax advice — the money a properly trained accountant can save you will usually repay the cost of hiring one.

• Before hiring an accountant, find out if they are qualified. Look for the words "chartered" or "certified" in their title.
• Who are their other clients? It's helpful if the accountant has experience with people in similar circumstances or businesses.
• Find out how they charge. Hourly fees are most common, but you may be able to arrange a fixed fee for a certain job such as a tax return. As there is no set scale of fees, fee scales vary considerably, so it pays to get a few quotes for the services you require.

If you decide that your affairs are sufficiently straightforward and that you have the necessary skills to do your own accounting, you can get help from the Internet by using specialized tax software and from the Canada Revenue Agency itself.

If you decide to hire an accountant, try to find one who is recommended by someone you trust.

• Arrange a meeting; find out if he will be able to save you money and how much his fee would be. It may be that you are already well aware of how to minimize your tax bill and the fee could not justify the convenience of having an accountant prepare your tax return for you.

If you use an accountant to complete your tax return, be cautious about it. It is your money, after all.

• Take a good look at how he has done it, and which expenses he has been able to claim for you.
• Use the accountant as your tutor — then consider saving yourself the fee next year by doing it yourself.

• Accountancy services may charge by the hour, with costs such as phone calls and letters being itemized separately.
• Some will charge a fixed annual fee, which can be paid monthly.
• If you can find a suitable firm that charges a fixed rate for particular services, such as completing an annual tax return for you, this is often a cost-effective option.

Charges may vary depending on the seniority of the accountant involved, so you may be able to save by having a more junior staff member deal with your account, as long as you are happy to work this way.

As with many professionals, accountants in Toronto, Vancouver and other major cities usually charge more than those in smaller towns, so it may be worth going to one from a different area or using an online service.

• If you give your accountant plenty of time to do the work you require, you are likely to pay less than if you need work completed quickly.
• Remember that your accountant's fees are a business expense and can be used to reduce your tax bill.

Your accountant will charge more for records that require a lot of additional work.

• By keeping clear records yourself, and particularly if you use a software package recommended by your accountant, you can minimize the work that he has to do and reduce costs.

Whether you're doing it yourself or using an accountant, filing your taxes doesn't have to be a overwhelming process. Follow these steps and you'll have them done quickly, inexpensively and correctly.