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We love questions. Truly we love helping you to understand your numbers, make good decisions, and stay compliant.  Asking good questions and answering your questions is a big part of what we do — and we want you to feel comfortable reaching out whenever something isn’t clear.

But there’s one phrase we hear often:

“Just a quick question…”

Because what feels quick from your side can take more time than you might expect on ours — not because we’re being difficult, but because giving the right answer requires context, accuracy, and professional judgement.

For example, a client might ask something like:

• “If I accept an unconditional offer to sell a property for $XXX  what tax will I need to pay ?
• “My sales look higher than I expected — why?”
• “Why isn’t my home office included?”
• “Can we add an asset I forgot about?”
• “I took out a loan — can we include it now?”
• “Why is my current account overdrawn?”
• “I can’t pay my tax — what happens next?”
• “Should I lease a vehicle or buy it?”
• “Can I claim GST on this?”
• “Should I change from sole trader to a company?”
• “We’re hiring someone — can you set up payroll?”

Each of these depends on your structure, your history, your goals, and what’s already been done — which is why a generic answer is rarely the right one.

What looks reasonable and quick to you – often is not one we can responsibly answer with a simple yes or no without checking key details first. To answer properly, we may need to review ownership structure, loan/current account balances, agreements between parties, and any related financial history.

Often, answering one “quick question” involves:

* opening your file and reviewing the latest accounts

* checking supporting documents or past treatments

* investigating transactions or agreements

* asking follow-up questions to confirm facts

That can easily become 30–45 minutes of work — sometimes a lot more.

So when do we charge?

If a question can genuinely be answered in under 10 minutes, without investigation or follow-up work, we’re usually happy to help at no extra cost to your monthly fee.

But if it requires reviewing records, applying judgement to your specific situation, or giving advice that impacts real outcomes, it will fall under our standard advisory time.

Why accuracy matters

Advice affects real decisions — tax filings, compliance, cashflow, employment obligations, and more. A quick guess can create bigger problems later, so we take the time to get it right.

How to keep costs down

The best way to use our time efficiently is to:

✅ bundle your questions into one email

✅ book a quick call if it’s a bigger decision

✅ ask early, before it becomes urgent

Bottom line: please keep asking questions. We’re here to help — and we’ll always be clear upfront if something is likely to be billable.