How to choose a cross-border accountant for your SaaS company
Choose an accountant who can explain who will handle each country, how your subscription records will reach the accounts, and who is responsible when two pieces of advice conflict. Put those answers in the engagement before appointing them.
A company incorporated in one country, a founder working from another, and customers around the world needs more than a list of countries on a firm's website. It needs a workable division of responsibilities.
That problem appears in a public question from a SaaS founder looking for a cross-border accounting firm. The useful starting point is the coordination problem: finding someone who understands the business as a whole. A forum question is evidence of that concern, not evidence of what tax any particular business owes.
Start with a one-page map of your business
Send the same brief to every firm you are considering. Include:
- Where each company is incorporated, and what it does.
- Where the founders and directors live and actually work.
- Where employees, contractors and offices are located.
- Which countries you sell into, and whether customers are businesses or consumers.
- How customers pay, which currencies you use, and whether subscriptions are monthly or annual.
- Your existing registrations, upcoming deadlines and any overdue work.
- The next change you expect: a hire, a new entity, investment or a move abroad.
You are giving the accountant the facts needed to scope the engagement. Having customers in a country and having an office there are different facts; ask the firm to explain which ones matter for each part of its proposed work.
Ask who owns the work in each country
“We work internationally” leaves too much unanswered. Ask for a table like this, completed for your actual business:
| Work | Country or entity | Person or team responsible | What you receive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly bookkeeping | Each company | Named accounting contact | Reconciled books and a list of unresolved items |
| Company accounts and tax | Each relevant jurisdiction | Named preparer and any required local signatory | Agreed filings and confirmation of submission |
| VAT, GST or sales tax | Each relevant registration | Firm, specialist or filing provider | Returns, payment instructions and filing receipts |
| Payroll | Each relevant location | Named payroll provider or team | Agreed payroll outputs and employer filings |
| Group reporting | Your group | Lead accountant | Agreed reporting format and delivery date |
Treat this as an engagement checklist, not a statement that every row applies to your company. Ask the proposed lead accountant to identify what is needed, what is excluded and what still needs investigation.
If a local specialist is involved, establish who appoints them, who pays them and who chases missing information. You should also know who resolves an issue that affects more than one country.
Test how they handle subscriptions
Give the firm a simple example from your business: an annual subscription, a refund, a processor fee and a payout in another currency. Ask it to walk through the records it would need and the reports you would receive.
Useful questions include:
- How will you reconcile the payment platform to the bank and the accounting records?
- How will annual subscriptions, credits and refunds be handled under our applicable accounting rules?
- Which records do you need outside the payment platform?
- Who investigates a difference, and when will we hear about it?
The point is to test the working process before handing over a year's transactions. A recognisable software logo on a firm's website tells you less than a clear explanation of your own example.
Make the tax software handoff explicit
If you use Stripe Tax, ask the accountant to describe the services enabled in your account and the work that remains with you or another provider.
Stripe describes a compliance cycle covering monitoring, registration, calculation and filing. Its filing documentation distinguishes registration from filing and describes options for filing through Stripe, a partner or your own process. Availability depends on the location and service.
So ask concrete questions: Who checks the setup? Who monitors changes in our business? Who prepares each return? Who authorises the payment? Where will we find proof it was filed?
Record the answers in the same responsibility table. Do the same for any other tax or payroll provider you use.
Compare the scope before comparing the price
Request separate prices for the initial review and ongoing work. Ask what happens if the review finds missing registrations, unreconciled records or overdue returns.
For recurring work, compare the included entities, transaction volumes, currencies, registrations, reporting frequency and access to advice. A quote becomes easier to evaluate when both firms have priced the same facts.
One useful final question is: “If we hire someone in another country next month, what should we tell you before we make the offer?” The answer should describe how the firm evaluates a change, who gets involved and how any additional work is agreed.
Bring the whole picture to the first call
OpenAccountants works with businesses across borders, including bookkeeping, payroll, VAT and tax returns. We explain on the first call where local sign-off is needed, then provide a written quote setting out the scope, responsibility and price.
Bring your company and country map, your payment setup and the issue that is hardest to coordinate. Book a free 30-minute call to discuss what you need handled.
This is a checklist for choosing and briefing an accountant. The filings and tax treatment your business needs depend on its facts and the relevant jurisdictions.