Process
How an engagement works, start to finish.
What happens between the first call and the annual review, and how fees work.
Discovery
A thirty-minute call about the business, the state of the records and anything overdue.
The first conversation is about fit: what the business does, how many staff, what system the books are in, when the last statements were prepared, and whether anything is overdue. If it is not work for the practice, we say so and suggest where else to go.
You provide
- Thirty minutes
- A rough picture of the business and its records
- Anything you are worried about
You receive
- An honest view on fit
- An outline of what the work would involve
- A suggestion of where else to go, if the work belongs elsewhere
Onboarding
Read-only access to the books, a written engagement letter, and a filing calendar for the year ahead.
Before quoting we look at the actual books in read-only access. Then the engagement letter: deliverables, deadlines and fee, signed by both sides before anything is billed. Onboarding is a checklist: CRA authorisation, bank feeds, prior-year files, and a calendar of every filing date for the year.
You provide
- Read-only access to the accounting system and bank
- Prior-year returns and statements
- CRA authorisation for the firm
You receive
- A signed engagement letter
- A compliance and reporting calendar
- A single point of contact
Ongoing work
The close runs on the agreed dates and returns go in ahead of time. Questions are answered by whoever prepared the numbers, usually the same day.
Each month follows the calendar: transactions recorded, accounts reconciled, the close completed by the agreed date, the reporting pack sent. Questions are answered by the person who prepared the numbers, usually the same day.
You provide
- Receipts, invoices and approvals through the agreed channel
- Answers to queries within a few days
- Notice of anything unusual: a new hire, a loan, a large purchase
You receive
- Monthly financial statements and commentary on a fixed date
- Filings confirmed as they go in
- A reply to any question, usually within one business day
Annual review
The year so far, the tax position, and what changes for the next twelve months.
In the autumn, while there is time to act, we review the year to date and the tax position for the corporation and its owners. The same meeting resets the engagement and agrees next year's calendar.
You provide
- An hour or two in October or November
- Plans for the coming year: hires, purchases, financing, expansion
You receive
- A written year-end planning note
- Next year's compliance and reporting calendar
- Any changes to scope agreed in writing
Fees are fixed before work starts.
Ongoing work is a monthly fee. Projects are quoted as a whole. Returns are priced per return. Hourly billing only by prior agreement.
Ongoing
Monthly retainer
Bookkeeping, controllership and payroll. The close on a fixed calendar, the reporting pack on the same date, filings met without a reminder.
Project
Fixed scope, fixed end date
A system implementation, a catch-up, a controls review, a diligence package. Priced as a whole, with a finish date.
Seasonal
Year-end and filing
The year-end file, the returns, and the schedules your external accountant needs. Also personal returns each spring.
The first step is a thirty-minute call.
Describe the business and the state of the records. You get a straight answer on fit and what the work involves.
We usually reply within one business day.