Mistakes when choosing a new accountant for your company
Six mistakes that lead companies to hire the wrong accountant, and how to avoid them. Each mistake carries a concrete financial cost.
Choosing an accountant is one of the most consequential decisions a company makes. It is not a marketing decision — it is a financial one. The wrong accountant costs more in taxes, penalties, missed opportunities and sleepless nights than any savings on the monthly fee could ever make up for.
After more than 26 years evaluating companies, Vivian Sampaio has seen practically every mistake possible. Some recur often enough to deserve a public warning.
Mistake 1: Choosing on the lowest price
The most common mistake. The accountant who charges less is not always the worst — but the one who charges far below the market is probably doing one of the following:
- Working with such a high client volume that they cannot give your company real attention.
- Cutting corners on infrastructure, data security or professional development.
- Skipping the steps that protect you (tax-regime review, planning, proactive support).
Cheap turns out expensive when you pay a penalty for a late filing, when you lose R$ 20,000 a year in savings because no one reviewed your tax regime, or when your data is left exposed because the firm does not invest in security.
How to avoid it: Compare not just the price but what is included. If one accountant charges R$ 150 and another charges R$ 400, understand the difference in service before you decide.
Mistake 2: Not asking for references in your sector
An accountant who does not know your industry will learn on the job. If you run a technology company that bills on subscriptions, you need an accountant who understands recognized revenue, equity stakes and the dynamics of a software business. If you run a restaurant, you need someone who understands ISS withholding, expense-invoice management and the sector’s seasonal swings.
If the accountant has never served a company like yours, they will charge for a learning curve that you will pay for.
How to avoid it: Ask for references from companies in the same sector or of similar size. If they have none, ask how many clients in your segment are in their portfolio.
Mistake 3: Hiring without first testing their responsiveness
Many business owners sign a contract without ever testing how the accountant responds. The first question you ask is the best gauge of how they will serve you throughout the relationship.
If you ask a technical question and get a generic, vague answer that does not resolve your doubt — that will not improve with time.
How to avoid it: Before signing, send an email or WhatsApp message with a specific question about your company. Measure both the response time and the quality of the answer. If it takes more than 24 hours or fails to resolve the issue, do not waste any more time on this professional.
Mistake 4: Not defining a clear scope in the contract
Many conflicts with an accountant begin with misaligned expectations. What is included in the monthly fee? What is charged separately? What is the turnaround time for responses? What happens if you need an opinion on a specific situation?
If the contract does not spell this out clearly, you will find out the first time you need something out of the ordinary.
How to avoid it: Ask for a contract with a detailed scope. List the obligations that are included and those considered out of scope. If the accountant resists detailing this, that is a sign there will probably be surprises.
Mistake 5: Ignoring the tax-regime review
The tax regime is your company’s most financially consequential decision. If you are on Simples Nacional (simplified tax regime) when you should be on Lucro Presumido (presumed-profit regime), or on Lucro Real (actual-profit regime) when Presumido would be better, you are losing money every month.
If the accountant has never proposed a tax-regime review, they are not thinking strategically. They are just doing paperwork.
How to avoid it: In the very first conversation, ask directly: “Do you carry out an annual tax-regime review?” If the answer is no, rule them out. If yes, ask for an example of a review they did recently and what savings it generated.
Mistake 6: Not checking for past problems
Every accounting firm has a track record. Some have serious problems: missed filings, lawsuits, clients left without access to their CNPJ (company tax ID) because of issues the accountant created.
You will not discover this on the firm’s website. You discover it by asking.
How to avoid it: Ask companies that have already worked with the firm. Search the STJ and state courts for cases involving the firm or the responsible accountant. Check whether there is any tax foreclosure in the firm’s name (this shows up at the Receita Federal).
If the accountant cannot withstand this level of scrutiny, that in itself is an answer.
The cost of the mistake
Each of these mistakes carries an associated cost:
How to avoid them all at once
The safest way to avoid all of these mistakes is simple: choose your accountant based on the quality of the first conversation.
At VMAHUB, the first conversation with a prospective client is always about understanding the company’s context, not about closing a contract. If, in that conversation, you sense that the accountant asks the right questions, answers with depth, and demonstrates knowledge of your sector — the odds of a mistake fall sharply.
If the conversation is generic, the service feels cold, and the answers are boilerplate — that is probably how the service will be throughout the contract.
Talk to the VMAHUB team and have that first conversation. If you want to move forward with the switch, see the full process at /trocar-contador.
Going deeper
Read also: What to ask before hiring a new accountant, In-person or online accountant: which is better, and Signs that you need to switch accountants. Explore the consultative content hub at /napratica.
Vivian Sampaio is an Accountant, Lawyer and founder of VMAHUB, with more than 26 years of experience in accounting and tax law.