To think accountancy isn't a "keyworker" job?

[hannabull]

One of the parents at school is a self employed accountant who works from home, but sending kids into school. The other parent works out of the home (not a key worker) how is this allowed? Claims to be an essential worker (doesn't work for the nhs or anything, just accounts for small businesses)

Well accounts still have to be filed I suppose?

It definitely is essential! No delays on tax or Vat return submissions! HMRC will need to plan effectively which means accountants need to work 🤷‍♀️

See also payrollers.

MN is so introspective

It's tax return season!
I'm a commercial accountant, the work load has increased as we work out extra budgets, how to deal with furlough and a million other things. If accountants don't work, companies cannot operate and people done get paid on time.

Err hello!! 25 days to tax return deadline! Kind of crucial to have your accountant working!

Bank loans are sometimes recallable if a company doesn't return 'clean' accounts on time - which would be hell for a business. And with so much doubt over whether some businesses are 'going concerns' in this pandemic, it must be harder to sign off accounts at the moment.

Do you think that all business and personal finances have just stopped?

Yabu, especially in January. Give them a break!

You dont want these people making mistakes cos they're trying to juggle kids and work

Also for small businesses to apply for help from the government etc they need up to date information. It affects everything including FSM, Nursery funding, benefits etc, as well as business/tax stuff.

People who have active visa applications and other things need upto date accounting.

Life hasn't stopped.

Am now wondering with the volume of auditing I have to get through and tax returns to be filed why I’m not a keyworker

Thing is - almost every job is essential once we stop only talking about jobs which save lives, like the first lockdown. Which is why the closure of schools hasn't really been a closure of schools. Simply 50% closure and expect teachers to now do both.

Ha!, yeah ok.

Good for her. This is hell.

I work for a large house builder. Can that be classed as an essential service? 🤣🤣

Speaking an an accountant, I think it’s morally reprehensible to twist the key worker category of “financial service infrastructure” to send your child to school in the midst of a pandemic. Accountancy is easily done from home and can be done at weekends and evenings.
Do people not understand that the whole point of the school closures is to reduce to the bare minimum those children who simply must be at school. This pandemic will never be over if we don’t all do the right thing

Tax deadline looming, so I’d say yeah it’s a key worker job. They also give advice regarding the furlough, BBLs, grants etc.

You do know it's the height of tax season for the self-employed and small businesses, don't you?

Many accountants will be working round the clock to ensure their clients return their SAs on time and don't face fines.

I guess it comes under "essential financial services provision" but I guess it depends how far you flex that definition. I work in Utilities which is on this list but I wouldn't particularly consider myself a critical worker as no one looses their supply if I don't work and my colleagues all their kids at home during the last lockdown.

I manage the payroll for around 300 clients at our practice. Around 15 of those are care homes, with staff working a hell and a lot of overtime at the minute. Also responsible for paying the taxes across to hmrc, making furlough reclaims so these businesses can afford to keep running. Would you like to be paid incorrectly because I was too busy homeschooling my 4 year old who cannot entertain himself for longer than 20 minutes?

Husband is out doing emergency call puts for vulnerable council tenants so isn't here to cover me

@QforCucumber

I manage the payroll for around 300 clients at our practice. Around 15 of those are care homes, with staff working a hell and a lot of overtime at the minute. Also responsible for paying the taxes across to hmrc, making furlough reclaims so these businesses can afford to keep running. Would you like to be paid incorrectly because I was too busy homeschooling my 4 year old who cannot entertain himself for longer than 20 minutes?

Husband is out doing emergency call puts for vulnerable council tenants so isn't here to cover me

I have a friend who works payroll and she worked all through the first lockdown as she told me she was classed a key worker. I dont think she sent her children to school but the key worker bit isn't new this time afaik

You are right OP. But people lie and bend the rules to suit them.

Being busy and self-employed does not make one a keyworker or essential worker. It does not come under that category.

From what I've seen on MN over the last couple of days too many people want an "I WFH don't want the kids under my feet all day so can rules please apply to everybody else but me"

Selfish entitlement

This thread is really pissing me off. I worked from 7am until 10pm last night because of breaks for homeschooling during the day. I would not dream of sending my DC to school to add to the transmission risks. Not least because when the class bubbles to burst then there’ll be several doctors or nurses unable to work because their kids have to self isolate.

@satnighttakeaway tbf we didnt use the keyworker space last time either, this time I'm using it for 2 days a week - the days dh is on call, not the full time we are entitled to. I almost had a breakdown at year end last time and cannot do that again. Mental health is just as important as physical.

To be clear, I'm not suggesting it's not an important job, but given that this person works from home, surely that puts them in the same category as many other office workers who are WFH and having to home school their kids? And surely, the fewer kids that are in school the safer it is at the moment?

Everyone wants THEIR kids to go to school as exceptions but everyone else's to be at home.
If the definition of key workers includes financial services there is an additional couple of hundred thousand eligible City workers in London alone.
It's a joke. We either have a lockdown or we don't. We can't have this halfway house we've ended up with.

It's essential. I know number of people who would end up fined without having their accountants atm. Unless tax deadlines move, accountants are a must have

"This pandemic will never be over if we don’t all do the right thing"

We aren't closing our borders, we don't fully investigate quarantine. I know people returning from Nigeria whose been in gatherings with hundreds of people. They won't isolate on return. It was a four separate household, but staying in one apartment, trip. We don't enforce mask wearing. People at parties aren't being prosecuted. We have always had non essential workers continuing to travel between cities to work. Until we get herd immunity from vaccination, we won't be out of this.