Who this service is for

This service is for Birmingham and Midlands businesses whose finance workload has outgrown an ad-hoc approach but does not yet justify a full in-house team. It suits owners who are spending too much of their own time on finance admin, businesses that have been relying on one part-time bookkeeper and need more resilience, and companies that want consistent management information and reporting without the cost and management overhead of building a department.

How we can help

We take on the running of your finance function and operate it to an agreed, consistent standard. Depending on the scope we set with you, that can span everyday bookkeeping, support with accounts payable and receivable, credit-control reporting, payroll, VAT, regular management accounts and cash-flow forecasts, right through to your annual accounts and the coordination of your tax. Because one team runs these together, the figures stay joined up, the month-end becomes a routine rather than a scramble, and you get reporting you can actually plan from.

What’s included

The precise scope is agreed per engagement; a typical arrangement draws from:

  • Day-to-day bookkeeping and bank reconciliation
  • Accounts payable support, including processing and preparing supplier payments for your approval
  • Accounts receivable support and credit-control reporting
  • Payroll processing and related submissions
  • VAT return preparation and submission
  • Regular management accounts on an agreed timetable
  • Cash-flow forecasts and reporting
  • Preparation of your annual accounts
  • Coordination of your tax filings and deadlines
  • Finance-process documentation so the work is repeatable and reviewable
  • Virtual finance-function support as a single, coordinated service

What’s not included

  • Finance-director or strategic financial leadership as standard. FD-level support is available separately by arrangement
  • Bespoke, one-off advisory or transaction projects, which we scope and price on their own
  • Statutory audit work
  • Legal, investment or regulated financial advice
  • Any function outside the scope agreed for your engagement, unless we add it by agreement

How it works

  1. We review how your finance work is currently done and where the pressure points are.
  2. We agree the scope (which functions we run, which you keep) and document who is responsible for what.
  3. We set up access, secure ways to exchange documents and a calendar of recurring deadlines.
  4. We take on the agreed functions, bringing records up to date and establishing a steady cycle.
  5. We produce your management accounts, cash-flow reporting and other outputs on the agreed timetable.
  6. We review the arrangement with you periodically and adjust the scope as your business changes.

What we’ll need from you

  • A clear picture of how your finance processes work today
  • Access to your accounting system, bank and card accounts and relevant records
  • Agreement on approval steps, especially for supplier payments and payroll
  • Timely supply of invoices, receipts and payroll information
  • A named contact on your side for approvals and queries so nothing stalls

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Leaving the scope vague, so tasks fall into the gap between what you assumed we do and what we assumed you do
  • Expecting finance-director-level strategy from an operational engagement that was not set up to provide it
  • Skipping documented approval steps for payments, which weakens financial control
  • Letting management accounts slip, then trying to make decisions from out-of-date figures
  • Treating outsourcing as a one-off handover rather than a relationship that needs a named contact and periodic review

Serving Birmingham and the Midlands

We run finance functions for businesses across Birmingham and the wider Midlands entirely through cloud systems, so your records and reporting are available online rather than tied to a filing cabinet. When you want to sit down together to review the numbers or reset the scope, we arrange that to suit you.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly does an outsourced finance function cover?

It covers the recurring financial operations a business needs to keep running: typically bookkeeping, purchase and sales ledger support, credit-control reporting, payroll, VAT, management accounts and cash-flow reporting. We agree the precise scope with you at the outset, because no two businesses need exactly the same set, and we document who is responsible for what.

Is this the same as having a finance director?

No. Outsourced accounting runs your day-to-day finance operations and reporting; it is not a finance director service by default. FD-level input (strategic financial leadership, board-level involvement and major decision support) is available separately by arrangement rather than being assumed within a standard engagement.

Can we outsource only part of our finance work?

Yes. Many businesses keep some tasks in-house and pass the rest to us, for example raising their own sales invoices while we handle bookkeeping, payroll and reporting. We define the boundary clearly so nothing falls through the gap between us, and we revisit it as your needs change.

How do you keep everything consistent and documented?

We document the finance processes we run for you, so the work does not depend on any single person's memory and can be picked up reliably. Clear records of how invoices are processed, how approvals happen and how the month-end is closed also make the whole function easier to review and improve.

How is this different from just doing our bookkeeping?

Bookkeeping is one part of it. An outsourced finance function joins bookkeeping up with payables and receivables support, payroll, VAT, management accounts and cash-flow reporting into one coordinated operation, so information flows through rather than sitting in separate silos that have to be reconciled later.