Terms & Conditions
1. Quick Accountants Ltd (QA) is a party to any contract, agreement or other commercial relationship between QA and their client.
2. All assignments will be the subject of either:
• a previously agreed fee or an hourly rate, or
• a variable fee based on an agreed rate per 50 transactions processed during the course of the assignment.
Any quotation or estimate of fees will be based upon information provided by the client and is accepted in good faith.
3. The basis of payment of fees will be agreed before the commencement of any assignment.
4. Monthly instalments are payable by standing order. In the event of any monthly instalment not being paid within seven days of the due date all work on any assignment(s) will cease until a deposit, equivalent to three months’ instalments, has been paid by the client. All other fees will be paid on the basis agreed otherwise all work will cease
5. Any assignment will be on the basis of an Assignment Specification supplied by QA or as otherwise agreed in writing by the client and QA
6. QA does not hold itself out as auditing the client's records. Reliance is placed upon the client's explanation of transactions and of their value where they are not supported by independent evidence (e.g. cash sales). QA cannot, therefore, warrant the absolute accuracy of any accounts, returns, computations or other documents supplied to the client or to third parties on the client's behalf.
7. Although every effort will be made to meet critical deadlines, where timing is critical to the performance of any assignment QA will be unable to guarantee to meet any deadline if the client does not meet any deadlines agreed to by him. In particular it is stressed that a day's delay on the client's part could mean that, because of work scheduling, QA has to delay performance of the assignment by a considerably longer period.
8. To enable QA to provide the services which you have agreed and for other related purposes including updating and enhancing your records, analysis for management purposes and statutory returns, crime prevention and legal and regulatory compliance, QA may obtain, use, process and disclose personal data about you. You have a right of access under Data Protection legislation to the personal data that he holds about you. For the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998, Stuart A Williamson of QA is the Data Controller in relation to personal data supplied about you.
9. It is the professional duty of every practising accountant not to act or continue to act for clients who commit crimes, including deliberately underpaying tax or failing to rectify the situation having inadvertently underpaid tax. As well as ceasing to act for such clients, all accountants have to report the matter to an organisation called the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS), or the Serious Organised Crimes Agency-SOCA, QA has no discretion in the matter; it is an absolute obligation imposed upon them by law and failure to comply is punishable by imprisonment. Furthermore, accountants are absolutely forbidden to “tip off” clients that they have been reported to these organisations
.10. QA will observe the by-laws, regulations and ethical guidelines of the ICAEW and accept instructions to act for you
on the basis that they will act in accordance with those guidelines. In particular you give them authority to correct HMRC
errors. If you would like to see a copy of these guidelines, QA can make them available for your inspection.
11. During the course of their work QA will collect information from you and others acting on your behalf and will return documents to you from time to time. You should retain any documents which are returned to you until the date which QA indicates to you. Whilst certain documents may belong to you, QA intends to destroy correspondence and other papers that he stores which are more than seven years old, other than documents which they consider to be of continuing significance. You must tell them if you require them to retain a particular document.
12. QA aims to provide a high quality of service at all times. If you would like to discuss how his service could be improved or if you are dissatisfied with the service you are receiving, please contact them. QA undertakes to consider any complaint carefully and promptly and do all they can do to explain the situation to you. If they do not answer your complaint to your satisfaction you may always take the matter (and any concerns at all that you have about the service or performance of QA up with their professional body, the ICAEW.
13. As internet communications are capable of data corruption, QA does not accept any responsibility for changes
made to such communications after their dispatch. For this reason it may be inappropriate to rely on advice contained in an email without obtaining written confirmation of it. All risks connected with sending sensitive information relating to you or your business are borne by you and are not the responsibility of QA. If you do not accept this risk, you should notify them in writing that email is not an acceptable means of communication.
14. This Agreement is governed by and construed in accordance with English and Scottish law.