Why “Quick Questions” Aren’t Always Quick (and Why We Sometimes Charge)
- Haley Reyners
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
We love questions. Truly.
As bookkeepers and client managers, helping you understand your business is a huge part of what we do. Questions pop up all the time. About tax. About payroll. About GST. About that one number in your draft accounts that may not look right to you.
And often, those questions start with the same four words.
“Just a quick question…”
This is where it’s not quite as simple as it sounds. What feels quick from your side often isn’t quick from ours. Not because we’re being difficult, but because doing it properly takes a bit more care than most people realise.
This article isn’t a lecture. It’s about explaining what actually goes on behind the scenes, what we consider a genuine quick question, when we charge and how to get the most value from our support.
What actually happens behind the scenes
Let’s say you’ve received your draft accounts and something in the profit and loss doesn’t look right. You flick us an email asking about it.
To give you a proper answer, we usually need to:
Pull up your draft accounts and tax returns
Review the working papers behind the numbers
Drill into specific transactions
Check past year treatments if something is historical
Sometimes go back to emails or notes from years ago
Ask you follow up questions to clarify details
That “quick” question can easily turn into 30 to 45 minutes of careful work. Sometimes more.
We’ve even timed it. One client confidently told us their three quick questions would take 15 minutes. They took just under two hours. And that wasn’t unusual.
A real life example
A client recently queried assets sitting in their draft accounts. On the surface, it looked simple. In reality, those assets dated back to 2019.
To answer properly, we had to go back several years. Financial statements. Emails. Invoices. Notes from the time. The works.
Could we have given a general answer without checking? Sure. Would it have been helpful or accurate? Not really.
When we give advice, we stand by it. That means we don’t guess and we don’t skim.
The most common “quick” questions we see
Some questions come up again and again, and they almost always need more than a quick reply.
Things like:
“My sales look higher than what I feel like I made this year”
“Why isn’t my home office included?”
“There’s something missing from my asset register, is it too late to add it?”
“I forgot to tell you about a loan I took out, can we add it now?”
“Why is my current account overdrawn?”
“I can’t make my tax payment. What happens?”
“Should I lease this vehicle or buy it outright?”
“Can I claim GST on this?”
“Should I move from being a sole trader to a company?”
“We’re hiring someone. Can you set up payroll?”
Every one of these sounds like quick queries. In reality, none of them are as quick as you might think.
Each one depends on your situation, your history, your structure and your goals. That’s why a generic answer is rarely the right answer.
Why accuracy really matters
Our advice doesn’t sit in a vacuum. It affects real outcomes.
If something is handled incorrectly, it can lead to:
Compliance issues
Incorrect GST or tax filings
Penalties or interest
Employment disputes
Costly clean ups later
We’ve seen situations where someone decided not to dig deeper or chose to handle things themselves after getting our advice. In one case, a payroll mistake ended up as an employment dispute that cost over $8,000. Another situation blew out to over $20,000.
That’s why we take the time to get it right. Even when the question feels small.
So why do we charge for some questions?
Because we’re providing professional advice.
If a question is genuinely quick and we can answer it in under 10 minutes without checking records or doing any follow up work, we’re happy to help at no extra cost.
But if answering your question means investigating, reviewing documents or applying professional judgement to your specific situation, that time is billable.
In most cases, that advice either saves you money, helps you make better decisions or prevents bigger problems later. That value matters.
What we don’t charge for
There are absolutely questions we’re always happy to answer without charge, such as:
When is my tax payment due?
Where do I upload my receipts?
What do I code this simple transaction to?
How do I do this in Xero?
Xero how-to questions are a big one for us. If we can point you in the right direction quickly without needing to dig into anything, that’s a genuine quick question.
What makes a question genuinely quick
From our side, a quick question:
Can be answered in around 10 minutes or less
Doesn’t require investigation or checking past records
Doesn’t involve us doing any follow up work
Is usually about process rather than advice
Anything outside of that usually needs more care and time.
Please don’t stop asking questions
This is the most important bit.
If you’re unsure about something, ask. Always.
No question is a dumb question. You don’t know what you don’t know and not asking can cost far more than an hour of advice ever will.
If something feels like it might be complex or you’re worried about cost, we’ll tell you upfront whether it’s billable before we go any further. You’re always in control.
If you’re ever unsure, it’s far better to ask an accountant early than try to fix things after the fact.
How to keep your costs down
If you want to be smart about how you use our time, here’s what works best.
Bundle your questions.
Instead of sending one email at a time, send a list. We can often answer everything in one go, sometimes even with a quick Loom video walking you through it.
Book a meeting.
For draft accounts, big decisions or multiple questions, a scheduled chat is usually the most efficient option.
Ask early.
The earlier we know about something, the easier and cheaper it usually is to deal with.
Use email for non-urgent queries.
And if something feels urgent or time sensitive, pick up the phone.
The takeaway
We’re here to support you. We want you to ask questions. We want you to feel comfortable reaching out.
Charging for some queries isn’t about being difficult. It’s about making sure the advice you get is accurate, considered, and genuinely helpful.
So if you’re ever unsure, ask an accountant. And if it turns out to be quick, great. If it needs more work, we’ll tell you upfront and help you decide the best next step.
That’s how we keep things clear, fair and working properly for everyone.
About the Author
Haley Reyners is the founder of My Two Cents Accounting & Advisory and a Certified ICNZB Master Bookkeeper® — one of the highest recognitions in New Zealand’s bookkeeping profession. With over 20 years of experience, she’s passionate about helping small business owners find clarity, confidence, and calm in their finances. Haley leads her team with personality and purpose, breaking down complex accounting talk into everyday language that makes sense.
