Direct answers to the questions most businesses ask when considering outsourced bookkeeping and finance operations.
Yes. Aicountants runs day-to-day bookkeeping and reconciliations; your accountant keeps year-end accounts, Corporation Tax and advisory work. The two roles work alongside each other. We prepare clean books; your accountant builds the formal accounts from them.
It depends on the controls, not the location. Named access, reviewer separation and access revocation matter far more than where the team physically sits. See our Trust & Security page for how we handle this — it's the same approach a UK bookkeeper would use.
Pricing is scoped to transaction volume, number of accounts, and whether VAT or payroll are in scope. A discovery call establishes the real scope before we quote. See Pricing for the framework — it's transparent and based on what actually happens in your business.
A one-off catch-up pass reconciles and brings records current before moving into a recurring monthly rhythm. This is scoped separately from ongoing bookkeeping. Most businesses can be caught up in 4-8 weeks.
Yes. Bookkeeping and reconciliations are run directly inside your existing software account — you don't need to move to a new platform. We're expert with all three.
Onboarding moves in controlled stages rather than a single cutover, so nothing falls through during the handover. See How We Work for the full process. Your current books are handed over cleanly, and we pick up from there.
Your data stays in your accounting software — we never take custody of it. You maintain your login and access at all times. If we part ways, you simply revoke our access. Nothing is locked down.
Yes. You get a monthly reconciliation report, a summary of work completed, and flagged items needing your attention. You can review the actual transactions in your software at any time.
Mistakes happen, whether in-house or outsourced. We have a review process to catch them before submission. If we do make an error, we fix it — that's part of the service.
Initial setup usually takes 2-4 weeks. We need access to your accounts, software, and historical records, plus time to understand your business and processes. After that, you're into the regular monthly cycle.
Payroll is offered as an add-on to core bookkeeping. We manage the monthly PAYE cycle and MTD reporting. This is scoped separately from bookkeeping costs.
Yes. VAT management is included if your business is registered for VAT. We track VAT in your software, prepare the quarterly return, and make sure it's filed on time.