Terms & Conditions

Standard Terms of Business

Effective date: 25 June 2026

These terms apply to all work that we carry out for you unless otherwise agreed in writing. They should be read alongside the Privacy Notice and your service schedules issued with the Letter of Engagement (LOE).

1. Applicable Law and Jurisdiction

This engagement letter, the service schedules and these Standard Terms of Business are governed by the law of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction in relation to any claim, dispute or difference concerning this engagement and any matter arising from it. Each party irrevocably waives any right to object to proceedings being brought in those courts.

2. Professional Status and Regulation

Accounting Inc. Ltd is regulated by the Certified Public Accountants Association (CPAA). Details of our firm can be found in the CPAA register, together with the code of ethics and the regulatory framework with which we comply. We observe the bylaws, regulations and ethical guidance of the CPAA, ensuring adherence to the professional standards applicable to our services.

3. Client Identification and Verification

We are required to identify and verify clients for the purposes of anti-money laundering legislation. Save in exceptional circumstances, we cannot start work until this requirement has been met. We may request information and documentation for these purposes and may make searches of appropriate databases, including identity verification software. Copies of due diligence records will be retained as required by law.

4. Scope of Services and Schedules

The specific work that we will carry out and the respective responsibilities of each party are set out in your service schedules issued with the LOE. Only the services listed in your schedules are included within scope. Schedules may include assumptions on which services are based; changes in assumptions may trigger fee reviews. Additional services require a new or amended engagement letter or a Change of Service Request.

5. Your Responsibilities

You agree to provide complete, accurate, and timely information and to respond to requests within reasonable timescales that we set out in writing. You are responsible for the completeness and accuracy of accounting records and for any submissions made in your name. You are responsible for reviewing returns and filings before approval and for informing us promptly of any changes that affect the services. Where information is provided later than agreed, you accept that deadlines may not be met and that additional fees may be charged.

6. Fees and Payment Terms

• a. Basis of Fees. Our services may be provided on a fixed fee, hourly rate, or recurring package basis. Unless stated otherwise, fees exclude VAT and third-party disbursements. Where a quote depends on transaction volumes (for example, the number of employees or invoices), we will review volumes regularly and adjust the fee accordingly.
• b. Estimates and Variations. Any estimate is based on information provided and on assumptions stated in the relevant schedule. Fees may vary if scope changes, volumes increase, information is incomplete or late, or circumstances change. We will explain any variation and agree on the revised basis before proceeding.
• c. Payments on Account. We may request one or more payments on account of fees and disbursements.
• d. Invoicing and Payment. Invoices are issued at appropriate intervals in accordance with the agreement and payment plan. Invoices are payable within seven days of issue. We may suspend work where any fees remain unpaid after the due date.
• e. Annual Review of Recurring Fees. Recurring fees are reviewed at the appropriate review point for the relevant service, rather than on a fixed calendar date. For companies, this will usually take place after completion of the company’s annual accounts or other annual compliance work. For individuals, this will usually take place after completion of the self assessment tax return or other annual compliance work. For specific assignments or one off work, this will usually take place after completion of the assignment, or before any further work is agreed. As part of each review, we will consider whether the current fee remains appropriate, having regard to the scope of work, complexity, volume of transactions, quality of records, responsiveness, service requirements, software costs, disbursements and any other relevant factors. We reserve the right to increase our fees where we reasonably consider that the current fee no longer reflects the work required or the service being provided. Any revised fee following a service and fee review will apply only to future work, future service periods or future assignments unless otherwise agreed. Any new services, additional work or work outside the agreed scope will be separately scoped and agreed with you in advance, including the related fees where applicable. Where a recurring fee is to be changed, we will notify you before the revised fee takes effect. If you do not accept the revised fee, you may terminate the affected service before the revised fee applies, subject to payment of all fees, disbursements, software costs and work in progress incurred up to the termination date. If you are contracting as a consumer, you may terminate the affected recurring service before the revised fee takes effect.
• f. Third-Party Software and Platform Charges. Some services require third-party software or filing platforms. The charges for those services are set by the vendor and are passed through to you at cost. Where a vendor changes its pricing or applicable taxes, we will apply the change from the vendor’s effective date. We will notify you in advance where reasonably practicable.
• g. Late Payment and Recovery Costs. For business customers, we may charge statutory interest on overdue invoices under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Interest Act 1998 at eight percent per annum above the Bank of England base rate. Interest accrues daily from the day after the due date until payment. We may also charge fixed compensation for recovery costs of £40 for debts under £1,000, £70 for debts of £1,000 to £9,999.99, and £100 for debts of £10,000 or more, together with our reasonable additional recovery costs where these exceed the fixed sums. For customers contracting as consumers, we may charge contractual interest on overdue invoices at two percent per annum above the Bank of England base rate. Any charges applied will be fair and proportionate. Fee disputes may be dealt with through our internal complaints process and, where applicable, may be referred to our professional body or an approved alternative dispute resolution body.
• h. Third-Party Payers. Where our fees are expected to be paid by a third party, you remain liable until those fees have been paid in full.
• i. Clearance. Where we receive a professional clearance or professional enquiry request from a new adviser, we will respond in accordance with our professional obligations once we have received your written authority to communicate with them. Where fees remain outstanding, we reserve the right to disclose the existence of unpaid fees in our response and to exercise any lawful lien over documents or records, subject always to our legal, regulatory and professional obligations.

7. Registered Office and Service Address

Where we provide a registered office, service address or registered email address service, you agree that our address and email details will be used only for the specific statutory purpose agreed. Our address must not be used as your trading address, correspondence address, business address, or on websites, marketing materials, invoices, email signatures, online listings or other public records unless we have expressly agreed to this in writing. We will receive statutory and official mail as agreed. Non statutory post may be refused, returned or securely destroyed after notice. You must keep Companies House, HMRC and all other records accurate and up to date at all times. On termination of this service for any reason, you must change the registered office, service address and any registered email address connected with us within fourteen days and provide evidence of the change. You are responsible for filing the necessary forms and for updating Companies House, HMRC, banks, suppliers, customers and all other relevant parties. If you do not make the required changes within fourteen days, we reserve the right to cease forwarding mail, notify Companies House, HMRC or other relevant bodies that our address or email address is no longer authorised for your use, and, where appropriate, apply to Companies House for the registered office or service address to be changed to an alternative or default address. Any reasonable costs we incur in doing this will be charged to you

8. Electronic and Other Communication

We will communicate with you and with any third parties you instruct us to correspond with by email, client portal, cloud software or post as set out in our covering letter and Privacy Notice. There is a risk of non receipt, delayed receipt, misdirection or interception by third parties when using electronic communication. We use antivirus software to reduce risk, but electronic communication is not totally secure. The recipient is responsible for virus checking emails and attachments. We cannot accept liability for damage or loss caused by viruses or for communications that are corrupted or altered after dispatch. We may record telephone calls and retain emails, portal messages and other electronic communications for quality assurance, training, compliance and record keeping purposes, as detailed in our Privacy Notice. If you prefer us not to use unencrypted email, please inform us, and we will communicate by other means except where electronic submission is mandatory. Any communication by post is deemed to arrive two working days after the date of posting. We accept electronic signatures and approvals for the purpose of these terms and for authorising submissions unless you notify us otherwise in writing.

9. Confidentiality and Data Protection

Communication between us is confidential. We will not disclose information unless required to do so by law, regulation, or professional duty, or as set out in our Privacy Notice. We comply with the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR. Our Privacy Notice sets out how we collect, use, store, and share personal data and explains your rights. Where we act as a processor for you, for example, when processing payroll, a data processing schedule will be provided and forms part of our agreement.

10. Subcontracting and Use of Specialists

We may on occasion subcontract work to other accounting or tax professionals or use specialists. Subcontractors are bound by confidentiality and information security obligations equivalent to ours.

11. Conflicts of Interest

If a conflict of interest arises, we will adopt suitable safeguards to protect your interests. Where a conflict cannot be managed, we will cease to act. We reserve the right to act for other clients whose interests are not the same as or are adverse to yours, subject to confidentiality.

12. Investment and Consumer Credit Matters

If during the provision of services you require advice on investments, including insurance, or services that fall within consumer credit activity, we may refer you to an authorised person. We are not authorised to undertake those activities. For non-public corporate clients, we may provide limited services (e.g., valuations) under CPAA licensing where applicable.

13. Intellectual Property and Use of Our Work

We retain all copyright and intellectual property rights in documents and materials prepared by us unless the law provides otherwise. You may use our deliverables for the purposes for which they are provided. Per CPAA guidelines, deliverables are for your internal use only. You may not provide third parties with copies of our advice or deliverables for reliance without our prior written consent and an appropriate reliance letter.

14. Lien

Insofar as the law and professional guidelines permit, we reserve a lien over all funds, documents, and records in our possession relating to all engagements for you until all outstanding fees and disbursements have been paid in full.

15. Limitation of Liability and Third-Party Rights

We will provide our services with reasonable care and skill. Our liability to you is limited to losses, damages, costs, and expenses directly caused by our negligence or wilful default. Nothing in these terms excludes or limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot legally be excluded or limited. Subject to the above, our total aggregate liability to you, whether arising in contract, tort, negligence, breach of statutory duty, misrepresentation, restitution or otherwise, shall not exceed £250,000 per engagement, inclusive of interest and costs, in line with our professional indemnity insurance arrangements. We shall not be liable for losses, penalties, surcharges, interest, additional tax liabilities, missed deadlines or other costs arising from incomplete, inaccurate, misleading or late information provided by you or others, your failure to act on our advice, your failure to provide information when requested, or circumstances outside our reasonable control. We shall not be liable for indirect or consequential loss, loss of profit, loss of business, loss of opportunity, loss of goodwill, or loss arising from the acts or omissions of third parties, except to the extent that such liability cannot legally be excluded. Our advice, reports, accounts, tax returns, computations, schedules and other deliverables are prepared for your use only and may not be relied upon by any third party without our prior written consent and a separate reliance letter. You agree that you will not bring any claim personally against any of our principals, directors, members, employees, consultants, subcontractors or agents. Any claim must be brought only against the firm or company that is party to the engagement. Where you are contracting as a consumer, this clause applies only to the extent that it is fair, reasonable and legally enforceable.

16. Notification and Knowledge

We shall not be treated as having notice, for the purposes of our responsibilities, of information provided to members of our firm who are not engaged on the specific assignment.

17. Money Laundering, Proceeds of Crime, and Sanctions

We comply with the Proceeds of Crime Act, the Terrorism Act, and the Money Laundering Regulations. You agree to waive confidentiality to the extent of any report made, document provided, or information disclosed to the National Crime Agency. We are required to make a report without prior reference to you if we become suspicious of money laundering. We also comply with applicable sanctions legislation and may be required to cease work where sanctions apply.

18. Professional Rules and Statutory Obligations

We will observe and act in accordance with the bylaws, regulations, and ethical guidance of our professional body, the CPAA. You are responsible for bringing to our attention any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in returns after submission so that we can assist with voluntary disclosure. We will not undertake tax planning that breaches professional conduct in relation to taxation.

19. Provision of Services Regulations and Insurance

We are required to hold professional indemnity insurance (PII) as a condition of our CPAA membership. Our cover is provided by CNA Insurance via Generis Underwriting Ltd, arranged through Howden UK Brokers Limited (FCA No. 307663).

The policy provides:

Professional Indemnity: £250,000 any one claim, including defence costs
Public Liability: £2,000,000 any one claim
Employers Liability: £10,000,000 any one claim
Office Contents: £2,500
Commercial Legal Protection: £65,000 per incident and £500,000 aggregate

Worldwide cover is provided, excluding the USA and Canada. Our insurance is written on a claims made basis, meaning claims must be notified during the period of insurance. f you would like confirmation of our insurance arrangements, please contact Neil Graham, Client Partner, who will provide details on request. These insurance details are provided for transparency only and do not create any direct right of claim against our insurer. Any complaint or claim should be raised with us in the first instance.

20. Quality of Service and Complaints

We aim to provide a high quality service at all times. If you wish to discuss how our service can be improved, or if you are dissatisfied with the service you have received, please contact Neil Graham, Client Partner. We will investigate carefully and promptly, acknowledging complaints within seven days and aiming to resolve them within twenty eight days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may refer the matter to our professional body, the CPAA. We can also provide details of an approved alternative dispute resolution body on request.

21. Reliance on Advice

We will endeavour to record advice on important matters in writing. Advice given orally is not intended to be relied upon unless confirmed in writing. Advice is valid at the date it is given. We are not obliged to update advice for changes in law or practice after that date unless we agree to do so in writing.

22. Retention of Papers and Access to Records

During our work, we may collect, receive, create and store information, documents, correspondence, records, working papers, file notes, emails, approvals, identity checks and other materials relevant to your affairs.

You remain responsible for keeping your own accounting, tax, company, payroll, VAT and business records for the periods required by law. Our retention of documents or records does not remove or reduce your own legal responsibility to keep adequate records.

We will return original documents to you on request, provided that all outstanding fees and charges have been paid and subject to any right of lien, legal obligation, regulatory requirement or professional obligation that applies.

We may retain copies of documents, records, correspondence, working papers, advice, file notes, emails, identity checks, approvals, portal records and other information relating to our engagement for as long as we reasonably consider necessary. This may include retention for legal, tax, accounting, regulatory, professional, anti money laundering, audit, insurance, quality control, dispute resolution, debt recovery, legitimate business or compliance purposes.

We will retain personal data only where we have a lawful basis to do so and only for as long as is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose, subject to any legal, regulatory or professional requirement to retain it for a longer period. Where we are no longer required or entitled to retain personal data, we will delete, anonymise or securely destroy it in accordance with our data protection obligations and our record retention policies.

Unless a longer retention period is required or justified, we may destroy correspondence, records and other papers that we store, whether electronically or otherwise, which are more than seven years old. We may also retain records for longer where we reasonably consider this necessary for legal, regulatory, professional, insurance, anti money laundering, dispute resolution, debt recovery or legitimate business purposes.

Our working papers, internal notes, calculations, checklists, correspondence, file notes, risk assessments, review notes and internal records remain our property. We are not required to provide copies of our internal working papers unless required by law, regulation or professional obligation.

When we cease to act for you, we will seek to agree the position regarding access to cloud accounting records, software, client portals, shared folders and other systems. This may require you to enter into direct contracts with software providers or to arrange your own access before our engagement ends.

On or after termination, we may suspend or withdraw your access to our client portal, cloud software, shared folders, communication channels and any other systems made available through us. You are responsible for downloading or requesting copies of any documents or records you require before the termination date. After termination, access may be removed without further notice.

We are not responsible for any loss, cost, penalty, filing failure, missed deadline or inability to access records arising from your failure to download, request, transfer or retain records before access is withdrawn, except to the extent caused by our own negligence or breach of duty.

23. Force Majeure

We are not liable for delay or failure to perform our obligations where the delay or failure is caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including power outage, systems failure, industrial action, acts of government, epidemic or pandemic, denial of service attacks, failure of suppliers or utilities, or extreme weather.

24. Disengagement and Termination

Either party may terminate this engagement by giving not less than thirty days’ written notice.

Where you give notice to terminate, the notice period will begin on the date we receive your written notice. The notice period will not be delayed by any request for professional clearance, professional enquiry, handover information, transfer of records, access to software or appointment of a new accountant or adviser.

We may terminate this engagement immediately by written notice where you fail to cooperate, fail to provide information when reasonably requested, fail to pay our fees when due, act in an abusive, threatening or unreasonable manner, create an actual or potential conflict of interest, fail to comply with your legal, tax, accounting, company or regulatory obligations, or where we reasonably believe that you have provided misleading, incomplete or inaccurate information to us, HMRC, Companies House or any other authority.

We may also terminate this engagement immediately where continuing to act would, in our reasonable opinion, cause us to breach any legal, regulatory, professional, ethical, anti money laundering, sanctions or other compliance obligation.

Termination is without prejudice to any rights, obligations, claims or fees which have accrued before the termination date.

On termination, we will invoice you for all work carried out, time incurred, advice given, services provided, disbursements, software costs, subscription costs and other charges incurred up to the termination date, to the extent not already invoiced. All outstanding sums will become payable immediately.

Recurring monthly fees are earned as each service period elapses and are not payments held on account solely for the next annual accounts, tax return or other year-end deliverable, unless the relevant service schedule expressly states otherwise. Fees for elapsed service periods are not refundable merely because you terminate the engagement before that deliverable is completed. Fixed fees and other advance payments may be retained to the extent they relate to work carried out or commenced, services or access provided, capacity specifically reserved that we cannot reasonably reallocate, or costs incurred or committed. This applies even where an assignment remains incomplete on termination. Nothing in this clause affects any statutory right to a refund.

If you terminate during a recurring monthly fee period, we reserve the right to charge fees up to the end of the notice period and to recover any work in progress, disbursements, software costs, subscription costs and other costs incurred on your behalf.

When we cease to act for you, we may issue a disengagement letter confirming the termination date, the work completed, any work not completed, any outstanding fees, any upcoming deadlines of which we are aware, your ongoing responsibilities and any matters to be dealt with by you or your new accountant, tax adviser, bookkeeper or other adviser.

You agree to review the disengagement letter promptly and notify us within seven days of receipt if you consider that it contains any factual inaccuracies or if there are any specific matters you wish to raise.

If we do not receive any comments, corrections or objections from you within seven days of receipt, we will place the disengagement letter on our file and proceed on the basis that it represents our final written record of the disengagement arrangements and the position notified to you.

For the avoidance of doubt, your failure or refusal to sign or acknowledge the disengagement letter will not delay or prevent termination of our engagement, the effective termination date, the issue of our final invoice, the transfer or handover process, the suspension or removal of portal access, or the cessation of our responsibility to act for you.

Where you appoint a new accountant, tax adviser, bookkeeper or other adviser, we will respond to professional clearance or professional enquiry requests after we have received your written authority to communicate with them. We will provide reasonable handover information in accordance with our professional obligations.

We reserve the right to charge a reasonable fee for handover work, including time spent preparing information, responding to enquiries, exporting records, providing copies of documents, dealing with software access, liaising with your new adviser or dealing with matters arising after termination.

You are responsible for ensuring that any new accountant, tax adviser, bookkeeper or other adviser is appointed in sufficient time to meet your filing, payment and compliance obligations.

We are not responsible for any failure by you or your new adviser to meet filing deadlines, payment deadlines, tax obligations, company law obligations, payroll obligations, VAT obligations or other compliance obligations after the termination date, except to the extent caused by our own negligence or breach of duty.

Access to portals, software, records and retained documents following termination will be dealt with in accordance with clause 22. You are responsible for downloading or requesting any documents or records you require before the termination date. We may suspend or withdraw access to our client portal, cloud software, shared folders, communication channels and any other systems made available through us on or after termination.

Our engagement will cease on the termination date, unless we agree in writing to continue acting for a specific limited purpose. After termination, we owe you no further duty to act, advise, monitor deadlines, submit filings, correspond with HMRC or Companies House, maintain software, maintain portal access, provide ongoing support or remind you of future obligations.

If you engage us for a one off assignment, the engagement ceases once that work has been completed, unless terminated earlier in accordance with this clause. Where recurring work is provided, the engagement ceases on the termination date unless a later date is agreed in writing.

25. Interpretation and Precedence

If any provision of the engagement letter, the schedules, or these terms is held to be void, that provision will be deemed not to form part of this contract, and the remainder will continue in force. In the event of any conflict between these terms and the engagement letter or schedules, the engagement letter or schedules take precedence.

26. Updates to These Terms

We may update these Standard Terms of Business from time to time. The latest version will be published on our website at https://www.accountinginc.co.uk/terms-and-conditions/ and will apply automatically from the effective date stated.

We will notify you of any material changes in advance, but your continued use of our services after the effective date will constitute acceptance of the updated terms.