Consultation

What it means

A consultation is paid professional assessment of a specific situation: how to book an unusual case, what tax effect a planned transaction has, whether the chosen form of engaging a worker will hold. The output is an answer to your case, not a general explanation of a term.

The rate depends on the expertise the topic requires - a routine accounting question, a more complex assessment, or tax advisory. The current rates are published on the services page and in the note under the calculator.

A consultation is not the same as a binding ruling from the financial administration. We assess the situation and recommend a course, but our answer does not bind the tax office; for a large transaction with an unclear reading, a ruling from the office can therefore be requested after the consultation.

How it works in practice

It pays off most where the decision is still ahead: before buying an asset, before a new member joins, before changing how people are paid, before expanding into another EU state. An hour before the decision usually costs less than repairing its consequences.

To be efficient we need the material in advance: the contract, the documents, the numbers. Without them half the time goes on establishing facts you already have to hand.

Another typical case is a letter from the office, such as a request for explanation, or an unusual question from the bank. We go through with the client what exactly is being asked, which documents exist and what answer is correct on the facts, and sum it up in writing so it can be revisited later.

What to watch out for

An answer from an internet forum or from another country does not transfer to a Slovak situation - the law as in force for the period and the specific facts decide. In a tax audit what counts is what is evidenced, not what was read somewhere.

A consultation is only as accurate as the facts we are given. If a material circumstance is left out - a second income, a deal with a related party, a contract in a different wording - the advice fits the situation described, not the real one, and changed facts call for a fresh assessment.