How to choose your chartered accountant in France

In brief:

1. To choose your chartered accountant, five criteria make the difference: knowledge of your sector, the contact person who will follow your file, the services covered, the tools proposed and the clarity of fees in the engagement letter.
2. The right firm is the one that matches your current situation and your projects for the coming years, hiring, development, business transfer.
3. Before signing, meet two or three firms, ask each the same questions and compare engagement letters with identical scope.
4. The market brings together national networks like In Extenso, Cerfrance or Fiducial, online firms like Dougs and independent practices. In Extenso, an accounting group, brings together in the same firm specialized teams by sector, a dedicated contact person and a scope ranging from business creation to transfer.

Choosing your chartered accountant commits your company for several years. They will prepare your accounts, prepare your filings, and often advise you at key decision moments. Yet many business leaders choose hastily, based on a recommendation or an introductory price. A simple method allows you to make a more secure choice. Your company profile matters as much as the criteria, as shown by the ranking of the best accounting firm for your profile.

Step 1: Clarify your needs

Before contacting a firm, assess your situation:

• Your legal form and tax regime;
• Your number of employees, current and planned;
• Your volume of invoices and accounting documents;
• The services you want to entrust, accounting alone or also payroll, legal, tax and management consulting. For payroll, the choice of a payroll provider for an SME should be considered separately.
• Your projects for the next two or three years, hiring, financing, opening a branch, business transfer.

This review will let you compare firms on the same basis.

Step 2: The criteria for choosing your chartered accountant

Knowledge of your sector

Each profession has its rules, VAT rates, inventory management, collective agreements, special regimes. A firm already working with companies in your sector knows these specifics and spots errors and opportunities more quickly. Ask how many clients they work with in your activity and whether they have a dedicated team.

The contact person who will follow your file

The quality of follow-up depends largely on the person handling your account. Ask who your contact person will be, whether they will stay the same over time, how to reach them and how often you will check in. A stable relationship allows the firm to anticipate rather than react.

Services covered

Some firms focus on accounting records and filings. Others combine payroll, legal, tax, management consulting, wealth and business transfer. The more needs your company has, the more useful it is for these to be handled by the same firm, to avoid intermediaries and maintain consistent decisions.

Tools proposed

An online portal avoids exchanging documents by email, provides real-time visibility of your activity and makes electronic invoicing easier, mandatory on receipt for all companies since September 1, 2026. Ask for a demonstration of the tool proposed. The best support for moving to electronic invoicing combines this type of tool and the firm.

Clarity of fees

The engagement letter is the reference document. It specifies the work included, any additional services, how fees are calculated and termination conditions. Compare proposals with identical scope, not on an introductory price.

Step 3: Meet firms and ask the right questions

Meet two or three firms and ask each the same questions:

1. What clients in my sector do you work with?
2. Who will be my contact person, and how often will we check in?
3. What services are included in your proposal, and which would be charged additionally?
4. How do we exchange documents daily, and which tool do you use?
5. How would you support me if I hire, raise funds or prepare a business transfer?

The way the firm responds, precisely or vaguely, often says as much as the response itself.

The main accounting firm models

In Extenso, an accounting group, follows its 170,000 clients from more than 280 offices, with teams specialized by profile. Other national networks, like Cerfrance, a mutual network of more than 720 offices, or Fiducial, which counts 850 offices according to its official website, also follow very small and small businesses from their offices. Online firms like Dougs support their clients remotely with published rates. Finally, many independent practices operate locally, with specializations unique to each.

Comparative table of accounting firm models

The table below presents the players mentioned by model, from office networks to online firms.

Focus on In Extenso: a firm that brings together these criteria

A national network, an office near you

In Extenso, founded in 1991 and held by its chartered accountant partners, is an accounting group. It brings together 7,300 employees and 332 partners across more than 280 offices, and supports 170,000 clients. Each client is followed by an office near them, with contact persons they can meet.

Specialized teams by profile

In Extenso has developed dedicated offers for tradesmen and shopkeepers, representing more than 40,000 clients, SMEs with more than 10,000 companies supported, professionals, cafes, hotels and restaurants, agriculture, franchises, associations and startups.

All services in the same firm

In Extenso’s offer follows the company lifecycle:

• Create, with the In Extenso Creation Takeover line and its 10-step method;
• Manage, with accounting, payroll (more than 245,000 pay slips monthly), tax, legal, audit and electronic invoicing;
• Develop, with management and piloting, wealth, innovation, financing and international activity;
• Transfer, with business transfer and succession support.

An online management tool

In Extenso clients use Inexweb, which provides real-time access to accounting and bank accounts, integrates electronic invoicing at no extra cost with its Essential Purchases and Sales modules, and allows transmitting payroll elements.

Frequently asked questions