Who is better to do accounting? Hire Accounting Staff vs Accounting Consultant vs Accounting Software

As a startup leader, you will receive your first profits tax return from the Inland Revenue Department of Hong Kong within the first 12 to 18 months of starting your business. Whether it’s to comply with regulations or to manage your finances more efficiently, a good accounting system is a must. Many leaders are faced with accounting and auditing tasks under the mistaken impression that they have a lot of time to organize the relevant documents. Therefore, as a wise and forward-thinking leader, you should start preparing your tax returns sooner rather than later. So, should you hire an accountant, use an accounting consultant, or use accounting software? In this article, we will compare the pros and cons of these three options.

1. Hiring Accounting Staff

First, let’s look at the option of hiring accounting staff. This option is usually suitable for medium-to-large sized companies that need a dedicated person to handle complex financial issues.

Pros:

An accountant can focus on your finances full-time and can handle internal accounting issues in a timely manner. They have an in-depth understanding of the company’s business and can provide professional and personalized financial advice.

Disadvantages:

However, hiring accounting staff has its drawbacks. First, finding and recruiting qualified accounting staff can take a lot of time and resources. Second, you will need to pay a fixed salary and benefits, even during periods of inactivity. Finally, you may need to provide ongoing training and education to ensure that their skills are up to date with the latest accounting regulations and best practices.

2. Accounting Consultants

Next, we’ll discuss the choice of an accounting consulting firm. This option is suitable for firms of all sizes, especially smaller firms that do not have the resources to hire a full-time accounting staff.

Advantages:

An accounting consulting firm has a team of accounting professionals who can provide a full range of accounting services, including day-to-day bookkeeping, tax planning, and financial analysis. Their services are flexible and can be adapted to your needs. In addition, using an accounting consulting firm may be more economical than hiring a full-time employee.

Disadvantage:

However, there are possible problems with choosing an accounting consulting firm. First, they may not know your business as well as a full-time accountant. Secondly, if they have too many clients, they may not be able to give you timely response and service.

3. Accounting Software

Finally, let’s explore the option of using accounting software. This option is suitable for small companies that want to handle their own financial affairs or have a limited budget.

Pros:

Accounting software can automate many accounting processes, increasing efficiency and reducing error rates. Some advanced accounting software also offers financial reporting and analysis features to help you better understand and manage your company’s finances. In addition, accounting software is often the most economical choice when compared to the other two options.

Disadvantages:

However, accounting software has its limitations. First of all, using accounting software requires a certain level of accounting knowledge and computer skills. If you or your team are unfamiliar with accounting software, you may need to spend time and resources learning it. Second, accounting software may not be able to handle specific accounting problems or provide personalized financial advice. Finally, if the software has problems or malfunctions, it may affect your accounting work.

Finally, the following table compares the three:

／	accounting staff	Accounting Consultant	Accounting Software
Pros	◆Professional and personalized financial advice; ◆Can manage company finances on a full-time basis; ◆In-depth understanding of the company’s business.	◆Flexibility of professional accounting services; ◆Can be adjusted according to needs.	◆May be more economical Automate the accounting; process to improve efficiency; ◆Can provide financial reports and analysis; ◆Usually the most economical choice.
disadvantages	◆Cons Recruitment and training takes time and resources; ◆Fixed salaries and benefits need to be paid; ◆Requires ongoing training and education.	◆May not know the company’s business as well as full-time employees; ◆May not be able to provide timely service if there are too many clients.	◆Requires accounting knowledge and computer skills; ◆May not be able to handle specific accounting issues; ◆May affect accounting work if there are problems with the software.

The above information is for reference only. If you have any questions or information about tax preparation (personal tax return, corporate tax return, accountant’s tax return), you are welcome to contact our professional consultants and we will provide you with a free quote and consultation service later.