Our Packages and Pricing

Would you fly on an airline that would charge you £5 per minute of travel?

Of course not, as the main reason you fly on a particular airline is to get you to your destination safely and speedily. Likewise, clients of an accountancy practice like to know how much they will have to pay for a fair and speedy service.

The traditional practice of hourly rates not only does not answer any of these needs but it actually works against the client’s interests! What hourly rates really say - almost comically – is this: the longer you must wait, the more you must pay! Longer is bad enough; but longer and costlier is terrifying. Hourly rates in accounting practices, clearly give incentives for delays; they slow down deliveries and encourage more work.

We do not charge based on the time we spend on a client's affairs. A client does not buy time but results. That is why we always agree the fee with the client in advance (our axiom is "no surprises").

We customise the service we provide to a client, to make sure that every client's needs and wishes are met.

How annual fee is calculated

The annual fee is based on the Peace of Mind Plus Value Package (see summary below). This takes into consideration all your anticipated business requirements and expectations by covering:

  1. All routine work to comply with your statutory needs including annual accounting and tax compliance work,
  2. One value service of your choice, that is most desirable ("want") and anticipated to you at the beginning of each year, based on your circumstances (for instance, Annual Business Tax Planning, Management accounts prepared at regular intervals, Inheritance Tax planning etc).
  3. It also covers unlimited meetings and unlimited phone support throughout the year on business, operations, tax and any other matter.The reason we offer this is because we don’t want you to hesitate calling us when you need to, restricted by the fear that the clock will start ticking away as soon as the phone is picked up. We want our clients to feel comfortable to talk to us whenever they need to. Our experience teaches us that the fear of the phone can lead to a Berlin Wall communication barrier between the business owner and the accountant, with the client even suffering financial loss as result of making ineffective and costly decisions without proper consultation with his adviser.

For any unanticipated services that arise during the year, i.e. work that requires further work or analysis or research beyond a phone call or a meeting covered by the unlimited meetings and phone support included in the Peace of Mind Plus Value, we will agree a price with the client before the work begins.

What we are referring to here are matters such as tax investigation work, business plans requested by lenders, specialist tax planning and advice in view of changes in your circumstances (e.g. inheritance tax, capital gains tax), business acquisitions and disposals, shares valuations for the purpose of employees' incentives, incorporation of business, company formation, other consulting work etc.
HOW IT WORKS
PEACE OF MIND PLUS VALUE PACKAGE
ROUTINE SERVICES ("NEEDS") VALUE SERVICES ("WANTS") UNANTICIPATED SERVICES ("WANTS")
All services below are included in your annual fee Choose and add one value service to the package on the left column as part of your annual fee To agree a price if and when the "want" arises
Annual Accounts (all businesses)
Annual Tax Returns (sole traders/partners & partnerships/company directors
Company Tax Returns
Bookkeeping
VAT Returns
Payroll preparation service
Tax compliance and administration work
Company Secretarial Services
Statutory Audit
Client Monthly Tax & Business Update E-mail service
+ One value service of your choice from the middle column
Annual Business Tax Planning Annual Business Tax Planning
Periodic Management Accounts with Reporting Periodic Management Accounts with Reporting
Inheritance Tax planning Inheritance Tax planning
Capital Gains Tax planning Capital Gains Tax planning
Business Plans & Forecasts Business Plans & Forecasts
Share and business valuations Share and business valuations
Incorporation of a business into a limited company Incorporation of a business into a limited company
Company formation work Company formation work
Sales invoices preparation Sales invoices preparation

Further explanation

To make it clearer, as an indication, services listed in the Routine Services (column A) - see also services page in blue under needs are usually included in your package of services covered by the fixed price agreed with you, unless of course a client does not need any of these services.

One service of your choice from column B - see also services section in red under wants can be included in the bundle of services that your annual fee covers, under the one value service ("want") offer that forms part of the Peace of Mind Plus Value Package at the time when the latter is structured. The chosen value service selected should be anticipated by the client at the time the fixed price is agreed.

Where the need for those services - see also services section in red under wants arises during the year, a separate assignment and price agreement must be negotiated before any work is undertaken.

For a detailed explanation of our Services please see services.

Terms of payment

We work with you to help you find the method of payment that suits you best. Some clients prefer to pay on presentation of our invoice when the work is finalised. Some other clients find it easier to spread payment of the annual fee throughout the year (e.g. by standing order monthly or quarterly - this gives them better control over cash flow).

Please note that we may require a retainer for new clients in order to secure their commitment to the relationship.

We are happy to accept all major credit and debit cards in addition to the normal ways of paying by cheque or cash.