Terms of Engagement

1. About these terms

These Terms set out the general basis on which ABL Accounts Ltd ("we", "us", "the firm") provides professional services to you ("you", "the client"). They apply to all clients and all engagements.

Where we have issued you a written engagement letter or schedule of services, that document forms part of your contract with us and, in the event of any conflict, takes precedence over these Terms.

If you instruct us without a formal engagement letter in place, these Terms govern the engagement in full. By instructing us, you confirm that you have read and agree to these Terms.

2. Our services

We provide accountancy, tax, payroll, bookkeeping, and business analytics services to individuals and businesses in the United Kingdom. We are members of the Institute of Certified Practising Accountants (ICPA) and carry out all work in accordance with its professional standards and ethical guidelines. We are registered as an agent with HMRC.

The specific scope of services for your engagement — and any limitations on that scope — will be confirmed in writing before work commences, either in an engagement letter or equivalent written communication.

Our services are provided solely for your benefit. We accept no liability to any third party who may see, rely upon, or use our work product.

3. Your responsibilities

To enable us to provide our services effectively, you agree to:

• Provide all information, records, and documents we reasonably require, promptly and in a complete and accurate form
• Notify us promptly of any changes in your circumstances that may affect the services we provide
• Maintain your own accounting and business records as required by law
• Review all returns, accounts, computations, and documents we prepare on your behalf before submission, and notify us of any errors or omissions
• Respond promptly to our requests for approval or additional information
• Meet all relevant statutory deadlines — we will advise you of these, but ultimate responsibility for compliance rests with you

We accept no liability for penalties, interest, or other charges arising from your failure to provide information on time, or from inaccurate or incomplete information you supply to us.

4. Fees and payment

Our fees are agreed and confirmed in writing before work commences. Unless your engagement letter or written confirmation of scope states otherwise:

• Invoices are payable within 30 days of the invoice date
• We reserve the right to charge statutory interest on overdue invoices at 8% above the Bank of England base rate under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998
• We may suspend or terminate services where invoices remain unpaid for more than 60 days, without prejudice to any other rights we may have
• All fees are subject to VAT at the prevailing rate where applicable
• We review our fee schedule annually and will give at least 30 days' written notice of any increase

5. Anti-money laundering

As a regulated firm of accountants, we are subject to the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 (MLR 2017). We are required to:

• Verify the identity of all clients before commencing services (client due diligence)
• Conduct ongoing monitoring throughout the engagement
• Report any knowledge or suspicion of money laundering or terrorist financing to the National Crime Agency (NCA) — we are legally prohibited from informing you if such a report is made ("tipping off" restriction)

We may be unable to accept an engagement, or may need to pause services, while identity verification is completed. We accept no liability for any loss arising from our compliance with these statutory obligations.

6. Confidentiality

We treat all client information as strictly confidential and will not disclose it to third parties, except:

• With your explicit consent
• Where we are legally or professionally required to do so (e.g. HMRC, NCA, ICPA, or by court order)
• Where disclosure is necessary for the delivery of agreed services (e.g. payroll bureaus, cloud accounting software providers)

This obligation of confidentiality continues after termination of the engagement.

7. Data protection

We process personal data in accordance with UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, and our Privacy Policy. By engaging us, you acknowledge that we may process personal data relating to you, your business, and where relevant your employees and directors, for the purposes described in the Privacy Policy.

8. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law:

• Our total aggregate liability to you arising from or in connection with any engagement shall not exceed the total fees paid by you to us in the 12 months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim
• We are not liable for any indirect, consequential, special, or punitive losses, including loss of profit, loss of revenue, or loss of anticipated savings
• We rely on the accuracy and completeness of information you provide; we are not liable for losses resulting from inaccurate, incomplete, or late information supplied by you or on your behalf

Nothing in these Terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited by law.

9. Professional indemnity

We maintain professional indemnity insurance as required by ICPA. Details of our cover are available on request.

10. Intellectual property

All work product, reports, analyses, templates, and other materials we create remain our intellectual property until all outstanding fees are paid in full. Upon full payment, you receive a non-exclusive licence to use those deliverables for the purposes for which they were prepared.

11. Term and termination

Either party may terminate an engagement by giving 30 days' written notice. On termination:

• All outstanding fees and disbursements become immediately due and payable
• We will make available all documents and records that are your property
• We may retain copies of documents as required by our professional and regulatory obligations
• We may complete work in progress at your written request, subject to payment in advance

We may terminate immediately if you fail to cooperate, provide false or misleading information, or if continuing the engagement would require us to breach a legal or professional obligation.

12. Complaints

We are committed to providing a high-quality service. If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our work, please write to us at info@ablaccounts.com. We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days and aim to resolve it within 28 days.

If we are unable to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, you may refer the matter to the ICPA via icpa.org.uk.

13. Governing law and jurisdiction

These Terms and any engagement to which they apply are governed by the law of England and Wales. Any dispute that cannot be resolved through negotiation or our complaints procedure shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.