We will do the day to day running work (like VAT and payroll where included) and the year-end work (like accounts and tax returns where included) in line with the proposal you accepted, using the records you give us and the access you grant us.
This agreement sets out how we will work together, what we each need to do to keep filings on time, and how billing and handover works.
What we do
We will deliver the accounting and tax services listed in the proposal you accepted. This usually covers a mix of bookkeeping support, VAT quarter close and submission, payroll runs and RTI filings, year-end accounts, corporation tax computations and returns, Self Assessment returns, and Companies House filings, depending on what you have asked us to take on.
To keep things running smoothly, you will send us what we need each month or quarter (bank feeds or statements, sales and purchase invoices, and any payroll changes) by the cut-off we agree for that period. If you ask us to pick up extra work, clean up earlier periods, or deal with something unexpected, we will confirm what is changing and the fee before we start.
Payment
Because this is recurring work, we invoice at the start of each period for the work in that period. Nothing is paid up front beyond that period’s invoice. Each invoice is payable within 7 days of its date.
If an invoice goes unpaid, we will tell you what is overdue and ask you to bring the account up to date. While an invoice remains overdue, we may pause work that depends on us filing or submitting (for example a VAT return, payroll submissions, or a tax return) because we cannot keep taking on deadlines without payment being kept current. If a deadline is close, we will flag the risk and agree a plan with you.
Keeping things private
We both come across private information while we work together. We will keep your business and personal information confidential, and you will do the same for ours, unless either of us needs to share something to do the work properly (for example with HMRC, Companies House, payroll or pension providers, or our software providers) or where we are required to share it.
When the work ends, you still own your underlying records. If your fees are up to date, you can request copies of the accounts, returns, and working papers we have produced for you. We will return or provide copies in a practical format, and we will keep our own working files for our records.
How we are set up
We work for you as an independent accounting and tax practice, not as your employee. That means we decide how to organise our time and the order we do tasks in, as long as we meet the agreed deadlines and deliver what you have asked for.
We are responsible for our own taxes and insurances, and we use our own tools and software. Your team remain responsible for running the business day to day and for approving key decisions and figures. Where you need us to speak to HMRC or Companies House on your behalf, you will give us the authority we need, and you remain the taxpayer and the legal filer.
Ongoing work
This engagement runs on a recurring basis and renews each period automatically. We invoice at the start of each period, and the work for that period is covered by that invoice.
Either of us can end the recurring arrangement by giving notice. We will agree the notice period with you in writing, because it depends on what deadlines are in play (for example a VAT quarter close, a payroll run, or a year end). If you give notice, we will tell you what is due next, what we still need from you, and what we can reasonably complete before the end date. If we give notice, we will do the same so you have time to move to another adviser.
If something goes wrong
We take care with the filings and submissions we prepare, but we can only work with the information and access you give us. If figures are missing, records are wrong, or approvals are delayed, it can affect the accuracy of what we file and whether it goes in on time. We will flag issues as we find them and tell you what we need to fix them.
We are not responsible for penalties, interest, or costs that come from late or incomplete information, late approvals, or decisions you make after we have advised you. We also cannot cover losses that are indirect or not reasonably foreseeable, like knock-on business costs from a cashflow squeeze or a lost deal.
Ending the agreement
Either of us can end this agreement by giving notice, and we will confirm the end date in writing. Until that end date, you agree to keep sending the records and answers we need so we can either complete the current deadlines or hand over cleanly.
You will pay for work done up to the end date, including any work already completed but not yet invoiced, and any unavoidable costs we have committed to on your behalf. Once your account is up to date, we will provide reasonable handover information to your new accountant if you ask us to, and if you have given them permission for us to speak to them. If HMRC or Companies House write to you about work we filed, you will send it to us as soon as it arrives so we can help you respond.
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