Terms of business

This page summarises our standard terms. When you become a client, we send you an engagement letter setting out the services we’ll provide, with our full terms of business. Those documents form our contract. If anything differs, the engagement letter takes priority.

Before we start

The Money Laundering Regulations 2017 require us to confirm the identity of new clients and, for companies, of the people who own and control them. We can’t begin work until these checks are complete. When you move to us from another accountant, we contact them for any information we need, with your permission.

Our services

Your engagement letter lists the services we’ll provide and what each includes. If you need something that isn’t covered, we’ll tell you the cost before we start.

Your responsibilities

• Give us complete and accurate information and records, in good time before each deadline.
• Tell us promptly about changes that could affect your tax or our work, such as new income, a new business or a change of address.
• Check and approve your accounts and returns before we file them. You remain legally responsible for your tax returns and accounts, even when we prepare them.
• Keep your business and tax records for as long as the law requires.

Fees and payment

Our fees are agreed before we start. Most clients pay a fixed monthly fee by Direct Debit, plus VAT. Extra work is quoted separately. We review fees once a year, and we give you at least 30 days’ notice of any change.

If fees remain unpaid, we may pause work after giving you notice. For business clients, we may charge interest and compensation on late payments under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.

Your right to cancel

If you are a consumer, rather than a business, and you agree our engagement online, by phone or away from our office, you can cancel within 14 days without giving a reason. If you ask us to start work within those 14 days and then cancel, you pay for the work done up to that point.

Confidentiality and your information

We keep your affairs confidential, except where you agree, the law requires us to disclose, or our professional body or insurers need to review our work. See our privacy notice for how we handle personal information.

The law requires us to report any suspicion of money laundering or terrorist financing to the National Crime Agency. We may not be able to tell you we have done so.

Our liability

We carry out our work with reasonable skill and care. Your engagement letter sets out the limit of our liability. We are not responsible for loss caused by information you give us that is incomplete, inaccurate or late. Nothing limits our liability where the law doesn’t allow it.

We hold professional indemnity insurance. The insurer’s details and territorial coverage are on our regulatory information page.

Records and documents

Your original records belong to you, and we return them when the work is finished or when you ask. Our own working papers belong to us. We keep them for the periods in our privacy notice.

Ending our engagement

Either of us can end the engagement by giving written notice, as set out in your engagement letter. We may stop acting immediately if we are required to by law or by our professional rules. When you leave, we answer your new accountant’s professional clearance request promptly.

Professional standards

We are members of our professional body and follow its Code of Ethics.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with our service, please tell us. Our complaints procedure explains what happens next.

Which law applies

Our engagement is governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction.