This working agreement sets out how we will prepare your return and related schedules from the information you give us, and what we each need to do to get it filed cleanly and on time.
If you have accepted a proposal from us, this agreement applies to that project and sits alongside the proposal so there are no surprises later.
What we will do
We will provide tax preparation for you as a project, following the steps we set out when we start: records checklist, scope and responsibility sign-off, review of what you send, draft computation and return, a review call, then filing once you authorise submission.
The specific items we will prepare are the ones listed with this agreement. We prepare the tax computation and Self Assessment return from the information you give us, and we check what you send for gaps, category issues, and things that do not tie together. We are not auditing you, and we cannot independently verify amounts where there is no source evidence or third-party statement.
Payment
To book the work, we invoice 30% of the agreed price when you sign. We invoice the remaining 70% when the engagement is complete, which is when we have finished the work in scope and either filed your return with your approval or you have told us in writing not to file.
Each invoice is payable within 14 days of its date. If a payment is late, we will let you know what is outstanding and may pause work until the account is up to date. If pausing puts a filing date at risk, we will tell you as soon as we can so you can decide whether to proceed.
Keeping things private
We both handle private information in this process. We will keep your financial and personal information confidential and only use it to carry out the tax preparation and to communicate with you and, where needed, HMRC. Please also keep our working papers, checklists, and emails confidential if they include our processes or other clients’ information.
When the engagement ends, we will keep a copy of the final return, computation, and key working papers so we can answer later questions about what was filed. If you want copies of anything, ask and we will provide them in a sensible format. We will not share your information with anyone else unless you ask us to, or we are required to do so.
How we are engaged
We are providing tax preparation as an independent business, not as your employee. That means we decide how we organise our time and who on our team does each task, and we use our own systems and tools to do the work.
You are not responsible for our taxes, insurance, or employment matters. If you need us to coordinate with another adviser you use, we are happy to do that, but we still work for you on this project only, and only within the scope you have agreed with us in writing.
What we are responsible for
We take care in how we prepare your return, but we can only work with what you give us. You are responsible for making sure the information you provide is complete and accurate, and for confirming the final return is complete and accurate before you authorise us to file it.
If something is missed because information was not provided, was provided late, or cannot be supported with records, we cannot be responsible for resulting tax, interest, or penalties. If we make a mistake in the preparation based on correct and complete information you have provided, tell us promptly and we will work with you to put it right, including explaining the issue to HMRC and drafting a response where it relates to the return we prepared.
Ending the engagement
Either of us can end the engagement by telling the other in writing. We will agree the notice period with you in writing based on where we are in the process and any filing deadlines. If you end the engagement, you will pay for the work we have completed up to the end date, and we will explain what that covers before we invoice.
If we end the engagement, we will tell you why, what work we have and have not completed, and what you need to do next. Once any outstanding invoices are paid, we will hand over the latest draft return and computation (if prepared), plus a list of open questions or missing items so another adviser can pick up without guesswork.
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