How to choose a small business accountant in Fairfield County
What to agree in writing, how to check the work once it starts, the questions to ask, and when a different kind of firm is the better fit.
How do you choose a small business accountant in Fairfield County?
Total BizSolutions LLC, an accounting firm in Trumbull, Connecticut, suggests four checks before you sign with anyone, us included: get the scope in writing, find out who does the work each month, make sure you can see your own books, and confirm the person holds the credentials your work needs. The firm keeps the books, runs payroll and prepares business and personal returns from its office in Trumbull, in Fairfield County, for small businesses in Connecticut and throughout the United States. The owner, Dave Salerno, has more than 30 years of experience. Call (267) 710-6742, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Start with the jobs, not the job title
Before you compare anyone, write down what you want handed over: the monthly books, payroll and its filings, sales tax, the business return and your personal one, catch-up work if you are behind, and help reading a letter from the IRS or the state. That list, not the title on the door, tells you what kind of firm to look for.
Most of that list is everyday accounting work. Two items are different, because the rules decide who may do them. One is an audit, review or compilation of your financial statements, which a lender or investor may ask for. The other is someone to represent you before the IRS in an audit, a collection case or an appeal. If either is on your list, read the section on when a different kind of firm fits better before you read anything else.
For everything else, the right accountant is the one whose scope matches your list, who shows you the books and who answers when you call.
Questions to ask before you sign
Ask every firm on your shortlist the same questions, and ask for the answers in writing.
| Question | Why it matters | A clear answer sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| What is in the monthly fee? | Work outside the agreed scope is either billed separately or skipped. | A written list: which accounts get reconciled, which reports you get, and whether payroll and sales tax filings are included. |
| Who does the work each month? | You need to know who to call when a number looks wrong. | A name, and who covers when that person is away. |
| Can I log in to my own books? | If you cannot see the file, you cannot check the work or take it elsewhere. | Yes. The books sit in software you can log in to, and you keep that access. |
| What reports do I get, and when? | Reports you never read cannot warn you about anything. | Named reports on a set schedule, such as a profit and loss, a balance sheet and the bank reconciliation. |
| Who prepares the tax return, and from what? | A return built from reconciled books has a record behind every number. | From the books kept during the year, with the preparer's PTIN on the return filed with the IRS. |
| What happens if a tax notice arrives? | Letters from the IRS or the state have reply dates. | They read it, explain it in plain terms and pull the records it names, and they tell you if it needs a representative. |
| How do I end the arrangement? | A clean exit protects you if the fit is wrong. | A notice period in writing, and your books and the records you supplied handed back. |
When we fit, and when a different kind of firm fits better
Best for
- Small businesses that want the books kept each month, payroll run and the returns prepared from those books by one firm
- Owners who are behind and need catch-up bookkeeping before anything else
- People starting a business who need the LLC or corporation set up and the books opened
- Owners in Fairfield County who want an accountant based in Trumbull, and businesses elsewhere in the United States that are happy to work through a secure client portal
Not the best fit
- You need an audit, review or compilation of your financial statements. Connecticut's Department of Consumer Protection generally requires a public accounting firm permit for a person or firm that provides attest or compilation services to Connecticut clients, so look for a firm that holds one and check it on the state's eLicense lookup.
- You need someone to represent you before the IRS in an audit, a collection case or an appeal. The IRS reserves full representation rights for specific credentials, such as CPAs and attorneys, so bring in a representative who holds one.
- Your current accountant keeps the books current, shows you the reports and picks up the phone. Changing a setup that works costs time and buys little.
If you do bring in one of those firms, the monthly books are still the raw material they work from. Keeping those books current is the part an accounting firm like ours does.
How to check the work once it starts
Match the reconciliation to the bank statement
Put the latest bank reconciliation next to your statement for the same month. The ending balances should agree, and anything still uncleared should be recent and explainable.
Read the profit and loss against the month you lived
Sales, payroll and rent should look like the month you remember. A big jump or a missing expense is a question to ask while it is fresh.
Look for transactions with no home
Most bookkeeping software has an account for transactions nobody has categorized yet. A balance there that grows month after month means the books are not finished.
Find the PTIN on your return
Anyone paid to prepare your federal return must have a PTIN and enter it on the return filed with the IRS. The copy you are given does not have to show it, so ask.
Check a credential before you rely on it
If someone says they hold a CPA license, check it. Connecticut's eLicense lookup, which the state keeps up to date, lists CPA licenses and accountancy firm permits. The IRS keeps a public directory of preparers who hold federal credentials.
How it works with us
- 1
A short first call
We talk about what you want handed over, what state the books are in and whether catch-up work is needed first.
- 2
Catch-up bookkeeping, if you are behind
If the books are behind, catch-up bookkeeping brings them current, and the monthly work carries on from there.
- 3
Documents through the portal
Statements and paperwork come in through a secure client portal, so the work runs the same for a business in Trumbull or one three states away.
- 4
Monthly books and reports
Transactions are recorded, accounts are reconciled, and you get monthly reports in plain terms.
- 5
Returns from the same books
Business and individual returns are prepared from the books we keep, and tax planning runs through the year.
The services behind this are bookkeeping, payroll and tax preparation and filing. Our office is in Trumbull, Connecticut, and we work with small businesses throughout the United States.
Talk it through
Call (267) 710-6742, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, or book a consultation and we will look at how your books and your return are handled today.
Questions about choosing an accountant
What is the difference between an accountant and a CPA?
CPA is a license, and Connecticut restricts the CPA title to people who hold one. A person or firm that provides attest or compilation services to Connecticut clients generally needs a state firm permit as well. Total BizSolutions is an accounting firm: it keeps books, runs payroll and prepares returns. For attest or compilation work, look for a firm that holds the permit.
How much does a small business accountant cost?
It depends on what you hand over and how far behind the books are. Monthly work with us is priced starting at $500/month. Ask about anything else on the first call.
Do I need an accountant based in Fairfield County?
Not for the monthly work, which runs through a secure client portal. Our office is in Trumbull, the service area includes Bridgeport, Fairfield, Norwalk and Westport, and we work with small businesses throughout the United States.
What should a written agreement with an accountant cover?
The services and how often they happen, which accounts and filings are included, what costs extra, who you deal with, how documents move between you, and how either side ends the arrangement.
What happens if I get an IRS notice?
Send it over. We read it, tell you in plain terms what it asks for, and pull together the records it names. If it turns into an audit, a collection case or an appeal and you want someone to represent you, that needs a representative with the credentials the IRS requires.