If you are self-employed or run your own business you are probably going to need to approach an accountant at some point. There two different ways you can do this; go with the traditional High Street accountant or approach one of the many growing online accounting companies. You may not have thought about online accounting before, but there are many reasons why they are a good idea and in some ways better than High Street accountants. Here are five reasons why online accountants may be better for your business than their High Street competitors.

1) Many online accountants give you electronic access to your accounts. This means that you can look at your account 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also access your accounts from home, at work or even anywhere in the world. With online account access you no longer need to wait to contact your accountant during standard business hours.

2) Because you can manage your accounts online, and therefore don't have to spend time on lengthy phone calls, you can spend more time at work. You can develop your business and do what you are good at, letting the online accountants take care of your finances. Online accountants can take care of paperwork effortlessly, behind the scenes, removing any accounting hassles and stresses from your working life.

3) With online accountants you are often charged a monthly fee. This means that you know exactly how much you are paying for your accounting services each and every month. High Street accountants can decide that they need to bill you for a service you didn't realise they had provided or for a charge you were unaware of. These hidden charges can come out of the blue and be financially damaging. Their rates can also fluctuate on a monthly basis, making them difficult to account for.

4) Online accountants often provide a full range of services including payroll, bookkeeping, and accounting. They have a pool of expertise that they can draw upon. High Street accountants usually specialise in one area and may not be able to provide you with a comprehensive service covering all your needs. By using an online accountancy firm, you know that a single service provider is taking care of all your requirements. This means that you don't have to keep track of many different people; everything is in one place and easy to find.

5) Finally, whilst most of your requirements can be dealt with online, there will still be a number to call if you prefer a more traditional approach. Often you are given an account manager who you can call or email. Because of the automated nature of online accountancy, the person that manages your account is able to fit your enquiries in whenever you need them answered. High Street accountants can often get bogged down with one client and as a result may not be able to offer the one-to-one care that online accountants can provide.

So if you are looking for an accountant then remember that there are many online accountants available that can provide all of the services mentioned above and more. It is possible that online accountancy isn't something you have thought about up until now, but it is certainly worth considering as an option to more traditional methods of accounting.