Hello!
I’d like to say a really big welcome to the new financial year 😊
We have a number of quite positive changes here at Bee Group Accountants. This is all coming from feedback that a number of you have been kind enough to provide to us.
Let’s jump right into how we are looking forward to serving you so much better this year …
Executive Assistant
One of the first things, is that I now have an executive assistant. Please let me introduce you to Jane Wright. She will be the first port of call in helping me keep everything in line and on the level. She comes to us here with a very strong admin background and super can-do attitude. She works with us 4 days a week from Monday to Thursday and will be my first point of contact for pretty much anything that you might need.
Dedicated Phone Numbers
We know that there have been a number of issues with our phones for a long time and we are finally moving away from Telstra and using a VOIP system. This will mean that we will have the main telephone number, which is 07 5501 5765, but we will also now have dedicated lines for our administrative team members.
We are porting our number across from Telstra and as you are no doubt aware there maybe some issues in the next few weeks. If you experience any issues in contacting us on our main phone line, please use the above numbers or feel free to email us at [email protected]. We will also be getting a dedicated mobile number that can be used for texts, so keep an eye out for this on our emails as well.
Data Security
As you know the world is changing and cyber security threats are everywhere.
We value your privacy and data security and as result have implemented a number of new security protocols as well. This will mean that your communications with us will be a little different in terms of how we send out information to you.
As a firm we are also seeking accreditation under the Accounting Data Security Standard and aim to have this designation by the end of the September.
Some of you may already be aware that we have been using Karbon to send out our email queries. To use this will require that you set a PIN for access. This helps preserve your data in the event that your email account is compromised. It also means that we do not have to remove any personal identifiers in correspondence that we send.
Scheduling for Annual Tax Work
This year we would like to schedule in work. This will help us help serve you better as we will be able to ensure that we have enough people in our office to ensure that work is done in a timely and efficient manner.
Change of Approach
With the ATO once again becoming laser focused on compliance related activities, our approach to your end of year will be done a little differently.
This ties in directly with our scheduling. It will mean that this year, at the start of the month that you would like your work prepared, we will schedule a 10-15 minute discussion surrounding objectives, services, timeframes, etc. and will use this to prepare your engagement letter.
We will only be able to commence your work when the letter has been either:
- Signed and returned, or
- You send us in information which will also be taken as an instruction to commence under the terms of the letter sent to you.
Our engagement year will run from 1 October through to the following 30 September. We will then send a more detailed and personalised checklist of documentation required. Work will only commence once we receive all of this information.
In summary, at the start of the scheduled month:
- We will set an appointment time to discuss your requirements and determine a preliminary set of information of documentation that will be required. This is specific to your circumstances and will include a summary review of your financials beforehand to identify these requirements.
- We will send out an Engagement Letter.
- Upon the receipt of the engagement letter and, where required, the requested information we will commence your work. We will confirm the start date with you once an assessment of all documentation has been done.
The time frames that we are aiming for are 10 days – so 2 business weeks. To do that will require your help as well because as we progress through your work there will often be extra questions that come up.
Payment Options
As we are now using a specialised engagement platform, when we send out the engagement letters, we will also now be able to manage payment options through there. You can also self-manage your preference if your details change.
We will be able to offer up front, monthly instalment, and project terms. If you are looking for a monthly instalment plan for your 2022 FY returns, we would kindly ask that you contact our office as soon as you can so that we can get this started for you. This is because at least 80% of the expected account will need to be paid before we can commence your returns.
I know there’s a lot in this, so feel free to have a chat with us about any of this when we get in touch about your year-end accounts.
Have an amazing rest of the week.
Sheree P.S. Please just reply to this email and let us know which month you would like to schedule your annual tax return and financials to be done and we can then be in touch at the start of the month.
