“My accountant doesn’t call”

• Business owners who hear from their accountant once a year, usually when something is due.
• People who have to chase for answers, or who stopped asking because replies took weeks.
• Owners whose business has changed a lot while their accounting relationship has stayed the same.

• Surprises: a tax bill, a penalty or an ATO letter nobody warned you about.
• You only find out how the year went months after it ended.
• You make big decisions — a vehicle, a hire, a lease — without asking, because asking feels like a hassle.
• You are not sure who actually does your work, or whether they know your business.

Questions worth asking — we’d rather ask than assume.

• Was the relationship set up as “lodge the returns once a year” rather than “help me run the business”?
• Is the fee structure built around compliance only, so ongoing conversations feel like extra cost?
• Has nobody agreed when you should hear from each other — so neither side knows what is normal?

• It shows up most around 30 June, at BAS time, and when a large bill or letter arrives.
• A good moment to rethink it is before the new financial year, while there is still time to plan.

• Your engagement letter (if you have one) says what your accountant has agreed to do.
• Your ATO account shows whether lodgements are up to date — independent of anyone’s say-so.

1. 1

   Agree a rhythm

   We set out together when you will hear from us — and what triggers a call in between — and put it in writing.

2. 2

   Look at where things stand

   We check what is lodged, what is owing and what is coming up, so nothing is a surprise.

3. 3

   Plan before 30 June

   A conversation before year end, not a report months after it.

4. 4

   Make changing easy

   If you decide to move, the professional handover between accountants is our job, not yours.

This is how we would start with you — general information, not a do-it-yourself checklist or personal advice.

• You deal with the principal directly — the person who answers is the person who knows your file.
• Check-ins are scheduled, so hearing from us does not depend on anyone’s memory.

• You talk to Graham Chee FCPA, the principal — the same person from the first conversation onwards, with 25 years in public practice. About Graham
• Local Knowledge Pty Ltd is a CPA public practice and a registered tax agent — you can check us on the Tax Practitioners Board public register. TPB register
• Finalist, Accountants Daily Australian Accounting Awards — Multiservice Firm of the Year (2025 and 2026) and Marketing Program of the Year (2025).
• We show our reasoning in the open, so you can see how we think before you ever pick up the phone. Watch it think