Running it as a business

A couple of years ago I had to fire my accountant. He was a highly thought of CPA here in town. As a normal person who doesn't speak tax code, it was a hard decision to make that was made easier by poor service and some rediculous # that was unaffordable. What I did was pass his #'s by another accountant. (not a commercial tax return guy) There was a HUGE swing.

Not having an accountant is asking for an audit. I totaly disagree that you should do this yourself.
 
Mom and Dad farm, which is a very, very capital intense business. They may have a couple million in and out over the course of a year. Dad is a meticulous bookkeeper. He can tell you what field, what tractor with what piece of tillage equipment, what date, they were in five years ago, adding worth yearly breakdowns on equipment and supplies costs in extreme detail. They use a special accounting system with a bunch of codes and numbered categories that their accountant showed them. They only meet with him twice a year or so, but I think they've found massive utility in it. It's like any other business, leaving deductions on the table can cost thousands per mistake. Plus, the laws regarding taxes change so frequently that it can be a huge headache to try to remember everything yourself. They were audited ten years ago or so. The auditor said they had more done by noon the first day than most people did in three whole days. I think they for dinged for a few hundred dollars, which is pretty good considering.

I guess my question is, do i need an accountant right away, with less than $10,000/year in sales, or is this a big business type of thing?
 
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