Do-it-yourself online returns offer individuals quick and easy appeal, but more often than not you get what you pay for.

Qualified tax professionals bring with them a wealth of experience and knowledge that can potentially broaden your bottom line.

“Work-related deductions are the big ones for younger, less-experienced tax-payers,” Matthew Connell, from JCB Partners at Cessnock and Swansea, said.

“Often they haven’t claimed before, or have limited experience and don’t know what’s allowable.

“Things like car allowances and expenses in the course of employment – they can make a big difference.

“Accountants  lodge thousands of returns every year across all sectors.

“They’re significantly more experienced and can identify claimable deductions the novice may not be aware of or has overlooked.” 

JCB Partners Accountants and Financial Advisors also specialise in servicing small to medium-sized businesses, superannuation and  retirement planning. 

They provide a full range of accounting and taxation services, accounting software, book-keeping services, specialist business advice and financial planning.

Be it an individual tax return, small business quarterly BAS statement, self-funded retiree,  young person stepping out in business on their own or experienced business person looking to consolidate wealth – the essential questions remain the same.

How do I structure this? How do I make money? What is my measure of success?

Matthew  and his team  bring a collective pool of expert knowledge to bear on any given situation and strive to eliminate barriers to value.

“Small business clients  come to JCB Partners looking for direction,” Matthew said.

“This time of year,  the focus is on planning for the year ahead.

“We look at goals for the coming year and how to fund them. People need expertise in borrowing money, growing capital and setting budgets around that to achieve goals.

“At the end of day people are in business for outcomes, such as growing personal wealth, being self-employed, to follow a dream or have flexible work-life balance.

“We help set up  structures to achieve those outcomes in a tax-effective manner, be it through property, superannuation or other investment vehicles.

“All of our services are quoted in advance and undertaken on a fixed-price basis.” 

Getting the right business software package is an important area that JCB Partners can facilitate.

“There are plenty of good packages out there and it’s important you get one that’s appropriate for your business,” Matthew said.

“Take the Xero package, for example. We get a lot of people doing their own bookkeeping and with Xero, transactions are updated automatically – they don’t have to be manually entered.

“It simplifies everything and also gives a snapshot of the business, putting clients in the picture in real time with the accountant.”

JCB offers the Xero package on a four-month, no-cost basis so clients can  familiarise themselves and make an informed decision if it works for them.

“We’re happy to do it,   we’re confident in the product because we know it helps on a daily basis in real time,” Matthew said. “That is the power of these programs.

“Our focus at JCB Partners is to give the best possible value in terms of positive outcomes to any client because we understand if there’s no value there’s no benefit to the client.

“We bring a new set of eyes to a client’s situation, and being a small business ourselves, we understand the trajectory small businesses are on.”  

Matthew founded JCB Partners 10 years ago and currently employs seven staff. Prior to that he worked in private consulting for  10 years.

“Our message is that we’re a local Cessnock business with an expert pool of knowledge in all areas of accounting and taxation services,” he said. “We understand there are always barriers to doing business and we focus on removing those barriers.

“Business is all about improvement and everyone has a role to play. That’s the benefit of using a professional.”

For more information about JCB Partners ring Cessnock on (02) 4990 3008 or Swansea  on (02) 4971 0102, email cessnock@hhjcb.com.au or visit www.jcbpartners.com.au.