How to Choose an Accountant in Cyprus: Services, Fees and Questions to Ask

To choose an accountant in Cyprus, work out exactly what you need, check the person or firm on the ICPAC registers, get a written fixed quote and engagement letter, and give them access through Tax For All rather than your password. Tax advice is not a regulated profession here, so these checks matter more than a polished website.

This year the question is suddenly urgent for many expats. Under the 2026 tax reform, every Cyprus tax resident who is at least 25 and under 71 on 31 December must file a return from the 2026 tax year, even with no income. That return is due by 31 July 2027, and a lot of people who never filed before are now looking for help.

When do expats in Cyprus need an accountant?

You can file a simple employee or pension return yourself on the Tax Department's systems; our guide to filing a tax return in Cyprus walks through it. An accountant earns their fee when your situation has moving parts:

If you are still deciding how to work for yourself, read sole trader or limited company before you pick an accountant, because the two set-ups need very different services.

What kinds of firms are there?

Broadly, you will choose between three types:

• Big Four firms, such as PwC Cyprus, KPMG Cyprus, Deloitte Cyprus and EY. They have private client tax teams, but their fees suit high-value or cross-border cases more than a simple pension return.
• Mid-size and network firms, for example Andersen in Cyprus or Kreston ITH Ioannou & Theodoulou in Nicosia, which handle companies, groups and wealthier individuals.
• Small practices and expat-focused firms, often in Limassol and Paphos, which do personal returns, non-dom applications, sole traders and small companies. Some, such as Philippou Accounting & Tax in Paphos, Fidesta and Zeno, publish package prices.

We name these only as examples of each type, not as recommendations. Size matters less than whether the person handling your file understands your country's tax system as well as Cyprus's.

How much does an accountant cost in Cyprus?

Very few firms publish a fixed price for a simple personal return; most say they quote after seeing your income sources. These are the published 2026 examples we could find:

Remember that 19% VAT is usually added on top, government fees (such as the €20 HE32 filing fee for companies) are extra, and a messy year of bookkeeping can push an audit fee up considerably.

How do you check an accountant's credentials?

The government's Business in Cyprus portal is clear that the tax consultant role is not regulated in Cyprus, and people who are not ICPAC members may also give tax advice. There is no Tax Department register of tax advisers. So check professional status yourself:

1. ICPAC. The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus licenses practising accountants, statutory auditors and administrative services firms. Practising members must follow its code of ethics, hold professional indemnity insurance and keep up continuing training. Ask for the person's membership number and check the firm on ICPAC's lists of audit firms and administrative services firms.
2. CyPAOB. Only licensed statutory auditors may audit a company's accounts. The Cyprus Public Audit Oversight Board public register links to the current lists.
3. ACCA. Many Cyprus accountants qualified through the joint ICPAC–ACCA exam scheme. Use ACCA's Find a member directory to confirm someone's membership.
4. CySEC for company services. Firms that provide registered office, directors, nominee shareholders or trust services are administrative service providers (ASPs). They must be licensed by CySEC, ICPAC (for accountancy firms) or the Cyprus Bar Association (for law firms). Check CySEC's list of approved ASPs.

What should you ask before you sign?

1. Are you, or the person doing my file, a member of ICPAC or ACCA? What is the membership number?
2. Do you regularly handle clients from my country, with my type of pension or income?
3. Is your fee fixed? What exactly is included, and what costs extra (VAT, provisional tax, amendments, letters to the Tax Department)?
4. Will you send me an engagement letter setting out the scope and deadlines?
5. Will I see and approve the return before it is submitted, and get a copy of the final submission?
6. How will you access my tax account? (The right answer is as an authorised tax agent.)
7. Who covers penalties if you file late through your own error?
8. Do you hold professional indemnity insurance?
9. How quickly do you reply in the busy weeks before a deadline?

What are the red flags?

• They ask for your CY Login or TAXISnet password.
• They avoid giving a membership number or a written fee.
• They promise you will pay "no tax at all" or say non-doms do not need to file.
• Cash only, with no invoice.
• They submit without showing you the figures, or leave a return as a provisional submission (it counts as not filed).
• They take on your company work with no anti-money-laundering identity checks; a properly run firm must ask for ID and proof of address.

Which tax deadlines are coming up?

Deadlines are often extended by decree, but a good accountant plans to the original date. For the rule changes behind these dates, see our Cyprus tax reform 2026 explainer.

How do you authorise your accountant in Tax For All?

Tax For All is the Tax Department's main portal, and you log in with CY Login. Instead of handing over your credentials, add your accountant as a tax agent from your own account, following the Tax Department's Adding a Tax Agent user guide. You will need your accountant's details, and you can remove the agent if you change firms. For the 2025 tax year the personal return itself is still filed on TAXISnet, so ask how your accountant will access that too.

Check that the bank account for refunds is registered in Tax For All in your own name: since 5 October 2026 that can only be done there.

What to do next

1. Write down your income sources for 2026, including foreign pensions, rent and dividends.
2. Get two or three written quotes and check each firm on the ICPAC or ACCA registers.
3. Sign an engagement letter and add your chosen accountant as a tax agent in Tax For All.
4. If you have just arrived, read our non-dom guide and get your tax number first.