Emergency accountant in Paris

An accounting emergency is handled in order of risk, not in order of arrival. (1) You describe the deadline and the state of the file, by form, WhatsApp or phone. (2) Within 24 business hours, we tell you what costs you most, what is feasible within your deadline, and at what price: the quote is firm. (3) We handle the priority filing, then put the rest back in order. Firm registered with the Paris Île-de-France institute of chartered accountants, 58 rue de Monceau (Paris 8), emergencies handled remotely across France (fee schedule).

The two situations look alike but are not handled the same way.

The three often combine: an emergency reveals a backlog, and the backlog reveals a failing firm. In that case we handle the deadline first, and each part gets its own written quote before any work starts.

The imminent tax or payroll deadline. A VAT return whose due date is close, an expected statutory tax return, a payroll run and its DSN filing: we prepare the return from the available documents, on prudent figures if time is short, and amend afterwards if necessary. Filing a prudent figure on time almost always costs less than filing nothing.

Financial statements demanded by a third party. A bank conditioning a loan on recent accounts, a landlord, a public tender, an investor: within 24 business hours we tell you what can be produced, within what realistic timeframe, and in what form (annual accounts, interim statement, attestation). We never promise a deliverable the file cannot support.

The formal notice or letter from the tax office. A reminder, a formal notice to file, an audit notice: the calendar becomes legal. After a formal notice, 30 days remain to file before the surcharge rises from 10% to 40% (article 1728 of the French tax code): every day counts, and filing is the absolute priority.

The unreachable or departed accountant. A firm that no longer answers, a retirement without handover, a falling-out: we secure the immediate deadline from your bank statements and invoices, without waiting for the outgoing firm's file, then organise the retrieval by the book. The switching procedure runs while your deadlines are met.

The new company that must invoice fast. Company registered, first client to invoice, VAT to set up: we put the vital minimum in place (compliant invoicing, VAT, tax portal access) so the business starts without an original sin.

Late tax has a price list, written in the French tax code. Tax paid late bears late-payment interest of 0.20% per month (article 1727), plus a 5% surcharge for late payment (article 1731). A return filed late is surcharged 10%, raised to 40% if filed more than 30 days after a formal notice (article 1728). A late DSN payroll filing is charged per employee and per month of delay.

These amounts stack and keep running as long as nothing is filed. Hence our method: secure first the filing that stops the most expensive meter, even on prudent figures, then refine.

1. You describe the emergency. Quote form, WhatsApp or phone: the nature of the deadline, its date, the state of the file and the documents you hold, in a few lines.

2. Diagnosis and firm quote within 24 business hours. We come back with three things: what costs you most, what is feasible within your deadline, and the price. A very short deadline can justify an urgency supplement: it appears in the quote, never afterwards.

3. Engagement letter and access. The assignment starts at signature: tax portal access, bank statements, invoices. If another firm holds your file, the formal handover letter goes out the same day, without blocking the deadline work.

4. Priority filing handled. The expected return or document is prepared and filed. If documents are incomplete, we file on prudent, documented figures, then amend: that is the practice that limits penalties most.

5. Back in order. Once the emergency has passed, the remaining backlog is quoted separately, as a catch-up assignment if several months or years must be rebuilt, and bookkeeping returns to a normal rhythm.

A full statutory tax return cannot be produced in 24 hours, and a midnight filing is no substitute for a properly built file. What we guarantee is an honest diagnosis within 24 business hours: what is feasible, what is not, and the best way to limit the consequences of what is not. A firm that promises everything within the hour is mostly telling you what you want to hear.

The quote is firm, issued after the diagnosis, before any commitment. The emergency work is priced on the real scope: a single VAT return, an interim statement and a full financial year do not cost the same. If the assignment continues as regular bookkeeping, the base fee is EUR 258 per month before VAT (full fee schedule). The urgency supplement, when it exists, is a line in the quote.

Describe your emergency in a few lines: within 24 business hours you know what is feasible, what is truly pressing, and what it costs.