Standard Terms of Engagement

About these terms

These standard terms apply to all accountancy, tax, payroll, company formation and advisory services we provide. They are read together with your engagement letter and its schedule of services. If they conflict, the engagement letter wins.

Where you are a consumer (for example, an individual using our Self Assessment service), nothing in these terms limits your statutory rights.

Our professional standards

Our practice principal holds a practising certificate from the Association of International Accountants (AIA), and we follow AIA's bye-laws, regulations and Code of Ethics. We also follow Professional Conduct in Taxation and will not take part in tax planning that breaches it, the General Anti-Abuse Rule or targeted anti-avoidance rules. AIA's requirements are at aiaworldwide.com.

Identity checks

UK anti-money laundering law requires us to identify and verify our clients, their beneficial owners and, where needed, the source of funds. We may use electronic identity checks. We cannot start work until these checks are complete, and we may need to repeat them during our relationship.

Your approval before we file

We submit accounts, returns and other filings only after you have seen and approved them. You remain responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the information you give us, and for the returns we file on your behalf once approved.

Fees and payment

Prices on our website include VAT unless we say otherwise. Your engagement letter sets out your fee, or how it is calculated.

Monthly services run on an annual agreement paid monthly. One-off services are invoiced when the work is done, or in stages for larger work. Invoices are payable on receipt unless your engagement letter says otherwise.

Official government fees, such as the Companies House incorporation fee, are paid on your behalf and recharged at cost, without VAT.

For business clients, we may charge statutory interest on late payments under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, and we may pause work if invoices remain unpaid after a reminder.

If you disagree with an invoice, please tell us within 21 days so we can resolve it quickly. This does not affect your legal rights.

Consultations booked online

You book calls and consultations in our Zoom booking calendar, run by Zoom Video Communications. When you book, you confirm that you accept these terms. For a paid consultation you pay the fee in advance by card; payments are processed by Stripe, and your booking is confirmed once payment is made. Your booking confirmation sets out the service, the fee and the time, and together with these terms forms our agreement for that consultation. No signature is needed.

A consultation covers advice given during the call, based on the information you give us, and a short written summary afterwards. Preparing returns, filings or other written work is not included and is quoted separately.

You can reschedule or cancel free of charge at any time before the consultation starts, and we refund the fee in full. Once the consultation has started, or if you do not join, the fee is not refundable. If we need to move a consultation, you can choose a new time or a full refund.

If you are a consumer, you normally have 14 days to cancel a services contract under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. When booking, you ask us to provide the consultation within that period. You lose the right to cancel once the consultation has been given in full.

Client money

We do not hold money on behalf of clients. If we ever need to, it will be held in trust in a separate client bank account, kept apart from the firm's own money and operated in line with AIA's client money rules.

Communication and recordings

We communicate by email, our client portal, WhatsApp and phone, and hold consultations on Zoom. Consultations are recorded and transcribed so that advice is accurate and can be checked, and we tell you before recording starts. Please confirm in writing any advice you intend to rely on that was given only orally.

Confidentiality and data protection

We keep your affairs confidential except where the law, our professional body or you require disclosure. We may use subcontractors bound by the same confidentiality. Our Privacy Notice explains how we handle personal data.

Conflicts of interest

If a conflict arises between your interests and another client's, we will tell you and put safeguards in place. If the conflict cannot be managed, we may need to stop acting for one or both clients.

Our liability

We provide our services with reasonable care and skill. We are not responsible for loss caused by information that was incomplete, inaccurate or provided late, by not following our advice, or by events outside our reasonable control.

Any limit on our liability will be set out in your engagement letter. Nothing in these terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or any other liability that cannot be limited by law.

Our advice is for you only. Others may not rely on it unless we agree in writing, and the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 does not apply.

Investment and insurance advice

We are not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to give investment or insurance advice. If you need it, we will refer you to an authorised adviser.

Records and documents

You must keep your business and tax records for the periods the law requires: for companies, at least 6 years from the end of the accounting period; for individuals with business or rental income, at least 5 years after the 31 January filing deadline. We return your original documents on request.

We keep our working papers for at least 6 years and may then destroy them securely. Copyright in documents we prepare stays with us, but you may use them for the purpose they were prepared for.

Ending our engagement

Either of us may end the engagement by giving 30 days' written notice. For monthly services on an annual agreement, the engagement letter explains any fees due for the rest of the agreed period. We may end it immediately if we are legally or professionally required to, or if you do not cooperate or give us false information.

When you move to a new accountant, we provide professional clearance and the information they need. Where we have finished the work you paid for, we will not unreasonably hold back your records.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with our service, please follow our complaints procedure. If we cannot resolve it, you can refer it to the Association of International Accountants.

Professional indemnity insurance

We hold professional indemnity insurance as AIA requires. Details of our insurer and the territorial coverage are available on request.

Law

These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction. If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland as a consumer, you may also bring proceedings in your local courts.