How To Find A Certified Public Accountant

So, you have decided you need the assistance of Certified Public Accountants. How do you find Certified Public Accountants? Of course, you can go through the yellow pages and look under the heading Certified Public Accountants. Alternatively, you can do an internet search for Certified Public Accountants. However simple they may sound, these methods might not find qualified Certified Public Accountants.

Looking through your local yellow pages for Certified Public Accountants will give you hundreds of firms and individuals that are Certified Public Accountants in your area to choose from. How do you choose one of the Certified Public Accountants with no information other than the address and phone number?

Doing an internet search for Certified Public Accountants will give you thousands of results, many of which will not be local to your area, and many of which will be information about Certified Public Accountants rather than listings for the Certified Public Accountants themselves.

You can use a localized search engine such as Yahoo Local or Google Local to find Certified Public Accountants in your area. However, this too has its drawbacks. If you use Google, you will only receive an address and phone number of yellow page results. However, consumers of the Certified Public Accountants may or may not be reviewed, which could also help you decide. Google Local, however, also provides you with website links for the Certified Public Accountants when they are available. This allows you to go to the websites of the Certified Public Accountants and gather information about the firm or individual to help you make a decision.

Once you have narrowed down your search for Certified Public Accountants to a smaller number of possibilities, you should go to your local Better Business Bureau website or call the Better Business Bureau directly to discover the rating for the Certified Public Accountants you found in your search. These ratings will tell you if the Certified Public Accountants have complaints against the Better Business Bureau.

Another source for testing the credibility and ethics of the Certified Public Accountants is to contact your local Board of Accountancy or a similar agency. These agencies are charged with monitoring Certified Public Accountants. They also take complaints and follow up with disciplinary measures against Certified Public Accountants. The Board of Accountancy may also perform periodic audits of the work performed by Certified Public Accountants. This monitoring puts these agencies in the best position to help you make an informed decision when choosing Certified Public Accountants.

When in doubt, never work with Certified Public Accountants that have had complaints against them. Do not work with Certified Public Accountants that do not have proper licensing to practice in your locality. It would be best if you also avoided Certified Public Accountants that will not meet with you online, sign contracts, or provide proof of education, licensing, and certification. If you still have trouble finding Certified Public Accountants, select a specialized firm of Certified Public Accountants to handle your affairs. While the fees associated with these Certified Public Accountants may be higher than smaller firms, you will have the peace of mind that you are in the good hands of ethical, qualified Certified Public Accountants.

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