These terms and conditions are common for all clients with exceptions, if any, mentioned with Client Engagement letter.
General Terms and Conditions applicable to all Clients
1 Responsibilities
Our responsibilities are to:
1.1 Observe the Laws of CIMA.
1.2 keep and maintain records of work completed and make them available to you upon request.
1.3 provide regular reports on the progress of any work being completed on your behalf.
1.4 raise any issues or concerns that may be found during the term of the engagement.
1.5 return any information owned by you within 15 working days upon termination of the engagement and once payment for work carried out by the practice has been made.
1.6 keep records in compliance with the Data Protection legislation, GDPR.
1.7 Formal clearance will be requested from previous accountant, if applicable
Your responsibilities as the client are to:
1.8 provide the following proof of identity, current address and business details as required by anti money laundering regulations.
- A utility bill dated within the last three months
- Passport or driving licence of all named directors/partners/ principles.
- Certificate of Incorporation (ifaLtd company).
1.9 ensure that records of your business activities are correct and maintained to meet the requirements of regulatory authorities.
1.10 disclose all relevant information to enable us to complete the work within agreed timescales;
1.11 allow full and free access to financial and other records held by yourselves or third parties. And
1.12 You agree to allow us to go for electronic verification from a third party, if we think needed.
2 Ethical conduct
2.1 All CIMA management accountants work within the framework of the CIMA Code of Ethics (www.cimaglobal.com). The code requires accountants to comply with the principles of integrity, objectivity, professional competence and due care, confidentiality and professional behaviour.
2.2 As a CIMA management accountant I have a duty to observe the highest standards of conduct and integrity, and to uphold the good standing and reputation of the profession.
2.3 The duty of a professional accountant is not exclusively to satisfy the needs of an individual client or employer. In complying with the ethical requirements of the CIMA Code of Ethics the professional accountant is obliged to act primarily within the public interest.
3 Holding Client Monies
3.1 Client money is held in an account separate from the practice. Interest will only be paid once it exceeds 1000.00 to avoid disproportionate administration costs. We recommend that you also view CIMA’s Client Money Regulations which can be found on the Institute’s website. However we are not providing this service of holding clients money at the moment to our clients.
4 Retaining and Accessing Records
4.1 Any information produced or relating to the work we undertake for you will be returned to you and should be kept for a period of no less than 6 years from the end of the tax year in question.
4.2 You agree that any work completed and work in progress for which payment is outstanding will be held by us until all fees relating to it have been paid.
5 Confidentiality and conflicts
5.1 We agree never to share information relating to your business with any third party without prior consent, unless required to do so by law or to comply with regulations or quality control reviews. Likewise you agree not to use or copy or allow use of the output of the work we do for with a third party without our prior permission.
5.2 You recognise that we may have to stop providing services to you in the event that a conflict arises between our duties to you and to another client. You will notify us if you have any reason to believe that such a conflict has arisen or may arise.
5.3 We may communicate with you electronically and you accept the risks associated with such communications, except anything arising through our negligence or wilful default.
6 Legislation and compliance
6.1 We are obliged by law and by CIMA to undertake checks to ensure that you and your business are operating lawfully. By agreeing to our terms of engagement you accept that we are authorised to complete such checks as necessary.
6.2 Under Money Laundering Regulations it is a criminal offence if we do not report suspicious transactions or if we inform a client that a report has been made against them.
7 Liability
7.1 As Chartered Management Accountants, we have a duty of care to you and we must observe the highest standards of conduct and integrity Our services to you will only be completed by an accountant fully competent to perform such work and who holds current Professional Indemnity Insurance.
7.2 Where any loss or damage occurs as the result of you providing misleading, incomplete or false information no liability will be accepted.
7.3 The advice we give you is not to be used by a third party without written consent. The practice also accepts no legal responsibility from third party use of the financial information provided by us.
8 Complaints and disputes
8.1 We want you to be entirely satisfied with the services provided to you. If,however, you are not, please refer to the Complaints Handling Procedure at Annex 1 below. Any disputes arising from our engagement by you will, subject to the procedure at Annex 1, be governed by English law.
9 Continuity Arrangement
9.1 In the event that we become unable to provide the services agreed through incapacity or death, a Continuity Arrangement has been made with
Mr. James Foxton FCA
