A monthly accountancy fee should come with a list, not a label. “Full accounting package” tells you nothing; a scope that names each filing, each recurring service, the support you can call on and the things that cost extra tells you everything. This guide walks through the four layers a proper monthly scope contains, so you can hold any proposal up against it.
Where the fee level itself comes from is covered in the pillar guide to small business accountancy costs; this page is about what the number should buy.
Layer one: the statutory filings
The non-negotiable core. For a limited company that means annual accounts prepared and filed, the Company Tax Return, and the confirmation statement. For a sole trader it means the Self Assessment return. Two checks matter here:
- “Prepared” versus “prepared and filed.” Some packages hand you documents to submit yourself. Filing responsibility should be explicit.
- How many personal returns are covered. One director’s return is commonly included; a spouse’s or second director’s often is not.
Layer two: the recurring services
This is where packages genuinely differ, and where price differences usually come from:
- Bookkeeping: included, reviewed-only, or entirely yours to do
- VAT returns: all quarters or billed per return
- Payroll: how many employees and pay runs
- Pension duties: assessment and submissions each pay period, or extra
- Software: a subscription provided, or bring your own
- Management reporting: periodic figures, or year-end only
A package excluding bookkeeping is not wrong (many owners prefer doing their own), but two quotes are incomparable until you know which side of that line each sits on.
Layer three: support and access
The quiet differentiator. What can you actually ask, and how fast is the answer?
- Are routine questions unlimited, or does each call become a line on an invoice?
- Is there a named person, or a rotating inbox?
- What response time is committed to?
- Is there a periodic review conversation, or contact only at year end?
Unlimited routine support is one of the strongest arguments for the monthly model: it means you ask the question in March that prevents the problem in January. If support is metered, factor that behavioural cost in, not just the fee.
Layer four: the named exclusions
A trustworthy scope says what is out as plainly as what is in. Standard exclusions to expect: HMRC enquiries and investigations, catch-up work on backlogs, references for lenders and landlords, one-off advisory projects, additional companies, and rectifying errors made before the engagement. The presence of an exclusions list is a good sign, not a bad one. It means the firm has thought about the boundary and will quote before crossing it rather than surprising you. The habits that keep an exclusions list from turning into surprise invoices are set out in what fixed-fee accountancy should include. Why firms draw these lines so differently is explored in why accountant fees vary.
Reading a proposal: a quick method
- Find each layer above in the document; note anything absent
- Turn every vague phrase (“tax support”, “help with payroll”) into a written specific
- Ask the change question: what happens to the fee if my situation changes mid-year?
- Ask the process question: is out-of-scope work quoted before it is done?
- Only then compare prices, using the comparison method covered fully in how to compare accountant quotes
Frequently asked questions
Should software subscriptions be inside the fee?
Either arrangement works; what matters is knowing which applies and who owns the data if you leave. Firm-provided subscriptions are convenient but check your access survives a switch of accountant.
Is a periodic review meeting worth insisting on?
For most businesses, yes: an annual or twice-yearly conversation is where planning happens. Packages that are pure filing services miss the point at which an accountant adds value beyond compliance.
What does “unlimited support” exclude in practice?
Routine queries are covered; substantial pieces of work dressed as questions are not. A fair firm tells you when a question has become a project and quotes it, and that boundary being explained upfront is the sign to look for.
Do monthly fees cover the accountant’s year-end work even though it happens once?
Yes. The monthly amount spreads annual work across the year. This also means leaving mid-cycle can trigger a balancing charge for work done but not yet fully paid, so check the exit terms in the engagement letter.
My package quietly grew over the years. Is that normal?
Fees should track workload, and workload grows, but each change should have been flagged at the time. If you cannot map your current fee to a current scope, ask for a re-quote or see how to reduce accountancy fees.
Compare your current scope against ours
Our small business accountancy packages publish all four layers openly, and the fees page shows exactly what sits inside and outside each. Request a quote and you will get a written scope you can hold us to.