Choose an accountant for the work you need

Separate investigation from ongoing records

Before a purchase, you may need help examining disclosure information, location records and planning assumptions. After opening, bookkeeping, reporting, payroll coordination and tax work may require a different scope. Describe the actual tasks instead of asking for a general franchise package.

Ask about relevant experience, professional qualifications and who will perform the work. Familiarity with a brand can help a discussion without replacing review of the particular transaction and records.

Make the engagement reviewable

Request a written scope covering deliverables, timing, fees, access to records and responsibilities retained by the owner. Ask how questions, corrections and out-of-scope work are handled. A monthly price is hard to compare when one proposal includes substantially more work than another.

Understand how sensitive records are exchanged and which systems the business controls. Keep access appropriate to the engagement and establish a handover process if providers change. Financial information belongs in a verified secure channel, not a general magazine inquiry.

Plan the working rhythm

Agree what information must be supplied, when it is due and what review will occur. Reliable records require participation from the business as well as the adviser. This guide provides selection questions and does not recommend a named provider or establish professional suitability.

Put it on paper

• Define transaction and ongoing needs separately.
• Compare written scopes and named responsibilities.
• Agree secure access, deadlines and a handover process.

Continue with the franchise research checklist, our FDD guide, and the research directory.