I swear that this is what happened to me.
My taxes are a straightforward affair but I prefer to have them done for me.
After getting a recommendation, I met a new Dutch accountant for 20 minutes.
I gave him a very organised collection of my records.
I got one e-mail from him, about 20 lines.
And today I got a bill for €650.
Full Version: Dutch accountants
I've had such bad luck with accountants....I suspect that they've billed you retroactively for the entire year - this happened to me once ... I started using the accountant mid-year, they did 15 minutes work and then I got a 2000 guilder bill back-dating all the empty months that I didn't even have my business (in the same insurance companies do to newcomers) - I was able to reason with them (ending in me screaming about what unprofessional wankers they were, which they naturally didn't seem to care one bit about - the manager laughed and sarcastically said "Have a nice day!"- ah, Holland! Of course, now I lived here a while and know that they have no sense of customer service, pride in their work or caring to retain clients)
Let's see- my next accountant simply forgot to do my taxes, so I had to go down to his office and get all my papers - 2 weeks later, I got a bill for 10 euros (lol)....
My next accountant was OK for 2 years, then he vanished mysteriously - claiming to be in Thailand and Suriname for family emergencies, but dodging any calls and emails unless I phoned from a number he didn't know! Although I was lead to believe he had done my 2004 taxes, it turns out they were never done and I got a letter from the Belastingdienst giving me 2 weeks to get them in order!! After many threats and harassing him (just short of death threats), I managed to get my records back from him, which wound up being incomplete- half a year of receipts missing!!
My current accountant costs double what the others were charging, but he actually does his job, so I stick with him despite the obscene bills.....it's funny that the standard I now look for is that someone I hire will at the very least DO THE JOB!!!
Good luck....
Let's see- my next accountant simply forgot to do my taxes, so I had to go down to his office and get all my papers - 2 weeks later, I got a bill for 10 euros (lol)....
My next accountant was OK for 2 years, then he vanished mysteriously - claiming to be in Thailand and Suriname for family emergencies, but dodging any calls and emails unless I phoned from a number he didn't know! Although I was lead to believe he had done my 2004 taxes, it turns out they were never done and I got a letter from the Belastingdienst giving me 2 weeks to get them in order!! After many threats and harassing him (just short of death threats), I managed to get my records back from him, which wound up being incomplete- half a year of receipts missing!!
My current accountant costs double what the others were charging, but he actually does his job, so I stick with him despite the obscene bills.....it's funny that the standard I now look for is that someone I hire will at the very least DO THE JOB!!!
Good luck....
QUOTE (ratkat @ May 16 2009, 11:30 AM) 
I've had such bad luck with accountants....I suspect that they've billed you retroactively for the entire year - this happened to me once ... I started using the accountant mid-year, they did 15 minutes work and then I got a 2000 guilder bill back-dating all the empty months that I didn't even have my business (in the same insurance companies do to newcomers) - I was able to reason with them (ending in me screaming about what unprofessional wankers they were, which they naturally didn't seem to care one bit about - the manager laughed and sarcastically said "Have a nice day!"- ah, Holland! Of course, now I lived here a while and know that they have no sense of customer service, pride in their work or caring to retain clients)
Let's see- my next accountant simply forgot to do my taxes, so I had to go down to his office and get all my papers - 2 weeks later, I got a bill for 10 euros (lol)....
My next accountant was OK for 2 years, then he vanished mysteriously - claiming to be in Thailand and Suriname for family emergencies, but dodging any calls and emails unless I phoned from a number he didn't know! Although I was lead to believe he had done my 2004 taxes, it turns out they were never done and I got a letter from the Belastingdienst giving me 2 weeks to get them in order!! After many threats and harassing him (just short of death threats), I managed to get my records back from him, which wound up being incomplete- half a year of receipts missing!!
My current accountant costs double what the others were charging, but he actually does his job, so I stick with him despite the obscene bills.....it's funny that the standard I now look for is that someone I hire will at the very least DO THE JOB!!!
Good luck....
Let's see- my next accountant simply forgot to do my taxes, so I had to go down to his office and get all my papers - 2 weeks later, I got a bill for 10 euros (lol)....
My next accountant was OK for 2 years, then he vanished mysteriously - claiming to be in Thailand and Suriname for family emergencies, but dodging any calls and emails unless I phoned from a number he didn't know! Although I was lead to believe he had done my 2004 taxes, it turns out they were never done and I got a letter from the Belastingdienst giving me 2 weeks to get them in order!! After many threats and harassing him (just short of death threats), I managed to get my records back from him, which wound up being incomplete- half a year of receipts missing!!
My current accountant costs double what the others were charging, but he actually does his job, so I stick with him despite the obscene bills.....it's funny that the standard I now look for is that someone I hire will at the very least DO THE JOB!!!
Good luck....
Oh no!
This is the main reason why I'm cautious about ever being self employed here.
QUOTE (Illuminatus @ May 16 2009, 01:42 PM)
Oh no!
This is the main reason why I'm cautious about ever being self employed here.
This is the main reason why I'm cautious about ever being self employed here.
I just read these posts to my partner who is a dutch accountant and has been for 35 years. He cringed and said he would not be able to keep his clients or stay in business if he charged that much! I guess its like every other business, there are good ones and bad ones. But its scary when you are dealing with tax authorities and your money!
I had an earlier accountant (my first here) who created a problem similar to what ratkat describes. The end result was 3 years of fighting with the belastingdienst. Bezwaar after bezwaar, some of them submitted by people at the belastingdienst on my behalf.
I can't say yet that this accountant will cause the same kind of problems. I called him and he immediately agreed that a mistake had been made. I think we've come to an arrangement. (But what am I supposed to think about this? This is a reputable small accounting firm specifically recommended to me.)
What about these "obscene bills", as ratkat puts it. What's that all about? Why should getting your taxes done be so damn expensive? Why do Dutch people put up with this? Everyone here goes on and on about supporting small and medium-sized businesses, but in the end it's all hot air.
Marthaa, I have to tell you that the non-Dutch people I know here are constantly asking each other for the names of good accountants and financial advisers. Everyone seems to be struggling with this.
I can't say yet that this accountant will cause the same kind of problems. I called him and he immediately agreed that a mistake had been made. I think we've come to an arrangement. (But what am I supposed to think about this? This is a reputable small accounting firm specifically recommended to me.)
What about these "obscene bills", as ratkat puts it. What's that all about? Why should getting your taxes done be so damn expensive? Why do Dutch people put up with this? Everyone here goes on and on about supporting small and medium-sized businesses, but in the end it's all hot air.
Marthaa, I have to tell you that the non-Dutch people I know here are constantly asking each other for the names of good accountants and financial advisers. Everyone seems to be struggling with this.
QUOTE (stone @ May 17 2009, 09:27 AM)
I had an earlier accountant (my first here) who created a problem similar to what ratkat describes. The end result was 3 years of fighting with the belastingdienst. Bezwaar after bezwaar, some of them submitted by people at the belastingdienst on my behalf.
I can't say yet that this accountant will cause the same kind of problems. I called him and he immediately agreed that a mistake had been made. I think we've come to an arrangement. (But what am I supposed to think about this? This is a reputable small accounting firm specifically recommended to me.)
What about these "obscene bills", as ratkat puts it. What's that all about? Why should getting your taxes done be so damn expensive? Why do Dutch people put up with this? Everyone here goes on and on about supporting small and medium-sized businesses, but in the end it's all hot air.
Marthaa, I have to tell you that the non-Dutch people I know here are constantly asking each other for the names of good accountants and financial advisers. Everyone seems to be struggling with this.
I can't say yet that this accountant will cause the same kind of problems. I called him and he immediately agreed that a mistake had been made. I think we've come to an arrangement. (But what am I supposed to think about this? This is a reputable small accounting firm specifically recommended to me.)
What about these "obscene bills", as ratkat puts it. What's that all about? Why should getting your taxes done be so damn expensive? Why do Dutch people put up with this? Everyone here goes on and on about supporting small and medium-sized businesses, but in the end it's all hot air.
Marthaa, I have to tell you that the non-Dutch people I know here are constantly asking each other for the names of good accountants and financial advisers. Everyone seems to be struggling with this.
Prior to NL, I lived in Italy for 3 years and was working as a photographer/ printer and had a small shop/gallery & darkroom facility.
The accounting was very simple & inexpensive, it's a national organisation with an office in every town and deal with small businesses & retail outlets, they seem to take care of everything, including insurances & pensions. I was paying something like 100 euro's every quarter (for accounting service) my partner would take all the papers etc to their office & everything sorted. it was a breeze not having to deal with the greedy, private businesses.
The only downside with being self employed in Italy was the huge state pension cost each month & the lack of professionalism & laziness with Italians in general. life is too slow and nothing ever gets done.
I can't believe it, they now have the introduction in English!
http://www.confesercenti.it/en/
QUOTE (stone @ May 17 2009, 10:27 AM)
I called him and he immediately agreed that a mistake had been made. I think we've come to an arrangement.
The scary thing is you expect an accounting firm to keep their own accounts in order!
QUOTE (ratkat @ May 18 2009, 04:46 PM)
The scary thing is you expect an accounting firm to keep their own accounts in order!
Eek!
QUOTE (stone @ May 16 2009, 01:48 AM)
I swear that this is what happened to me.
My taxes are a straightforward affair but I prefer to have them done for me.
After getting a recommendation, I met a new Dutch accountant for 20 minutes.
I gave him a very organised collection of my records.
I got one e-mail from him, about 20 lines.
And today I got a bill for €650.
My taxes are a straightforward affair but I prefer to have them done for me.
After getting a recommendation, I met a new Dutch accountant for 20 minutes.
I gave him a very organised collection of my records.
I got one e-mail from him, about 20 lines.
And today I got a bill for €650.
I made similar experiences here in NL and I am here since 2000. In the end I lost confidence in the local accounting services available and I decided to open my own accounting and BECON office.
650,- for an annual tax return? I would say your accountant belongs to a daring kind of people, does he?
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.