A reliable accountant (Gestor) is even more important in Spain than in the Netherlands, where I come from. Now, I like to do certain things myself, because I then don’t have to wait on anyone. But arranging even the simplest things in Spain, often is so complicated it’s really better to outsource it to your Gestor.
Someone I used to know
Spain is a traditional country (especially southern Spain) and people like to do things the way they have been used to for years. In addition, people like to do business with someone they know, or at least know through someone else. You will therefore often be advised to go to a Gestor in the same place where you live and/or work.
The choice is yours
A local Gestor can have advantages. If only to support the local economy. But by not only focusing on the limited supply of local Gestors, you suddenly have the choice of ‘all’ Gestors in Spain. And then you can choose a Gestor that really suits you and the things that matter to you.
Digital presence
For me it was important to work with a Gestor who is used to communicating via email and/or WhatsApp and who also works with an online accounting system. The ability to collaborate digitally with my Gestor is much more efficient for me. It also ensures that I remain actively involved in the financial affairs of my company, as I can access my accounting system from anywhere and at any time. I can see exactly what costs I have incurred and what my revenue is at any time. I can also directly upload my receipts and invoices into the system, so my accounting is always up to date. And I can easily create invoices myself for my customers.
Communication is key
José Luis, ‘my’ Gestor, always answers my questions very quickly via email and especially WhatsApp. That is much more valuable to me than someone who is just around the corner, but takes days to answer a question. For example, I wanted to do some shopping at the wholesaler last week, but I needed two documents to register. Within 4 minutes after I texted him, I received the documents via WhatsApp.
That is also the nice thing about living in Spain, you can not only be very happy with the beautiful weather, but also with the simple things in life such as receiving documents quickly! 😉
Proactivity
José Luis is very proactive. Without me having to follow up, he does everything necessary to submit matters on time to the tax authorities or other government agencies. He anticipates potential problems and suggests solutions without me asking. And when he needs input from me, he keeps reminding me until he gets what he needs.
Online accounting system
If you are looking for an online accounting system that is designed for the Spanish tax system, you can look at www.odoo.com (I work with this system myself) or https://getquipu.com/ I have no experience with Quipy, but I got this tip from Pablo who often works in my coworking. He is a full-stack developer and knows a lot about all kinds of useful digital tools.
I first chose my digital accounting system and only then looked for a Gestor. The advantage of this is that if at any point I’m not satisfied anymore with José Luis, I can easily switch to another Gestor without losing my accounting data.
My Gestor listens to the beautiful name ‘José Luis Moñita de San Juan’
That’s not why I chose him, but it does sound better than ‘Kees’, my accountant in Holland.
On www.odoo.com you can also find links to Gestors websites that work with this online accounting system.
That’s how I found José Luis from ‘De San Juan Nietos Asesores’ in Madrid: https://www.asesoriadsjn.com/inicio
A Gestor I still have nothing to complain about after six months!
