When you sign up with a local accountant, the word "package" can mean very different things depending on exactly who you ask. Some firms bundle almost everything into one straightforward monthly fee, while others charge separately for nearly every individual service they provide. Understanding what is genuinely standard practice, and what tends to be treated as an add-on, makes it far easier to compare providers fairly and avoid unwelcome surprises months down the line. Here is a realistic, honest look at what most London small business accountancy packages actually include, and where the boundaries usually sit in practice.
The Compliance Core Almost Every Package Covers
At the heart of nearly every accountancy package sits the essential compliance work: preparation and filing of annual accounts, corporation tax computations and returns for limited companies, and self-assessment tax returns for directors or sole traders alike. This is the legal minimum required to keep your business firmly on the right side of HMRC and Companies House, and it forms the baseline that almost every reputable firm builds their pricing structure around from the outset. If a quote does not clearly and explicitly include these core items, that alone is worth treating with real caution before you proceed any further.
Within this compliance core, standards of service still vary considerably from firm to firm. Some practices simply process the numbers they are given and file on time, while others review your figures critically as they prepare the accounts, spotting anomalies, unusual patterns, or genuine errors before anything is submitted to HMRC. That extra layer of scrutiny rarely appears explicitly in a price list, but it makes a real difference to the quality and reliability of what you ultimately receive for your money.
Bookkeeping: Usually In, Sometimes Out
This is where accountancy packages tend to diverge quite significantly from one firm to the next. Some firms include ongoing bookkeeping as a standard part of the package, keeping your records genuinely up to date throughout the year using modern cloud accounting software. Others treat bookkeeping as an entirely separate matter, expecting you to hand over organised records at year end yourself, or charging an additional monthly fee specifically to maintain them properly on your behalf. For busy business owners, having bookkeeping bundled in tends to be well worth the extra cost, since it keeps your numbers accurate in real time rather than being painfully reconstructed under pressure many months later.
There is also a practical knock-on effect worth considering here. When bookkeeping is handled properly throughout the year, your annual accounts and tax return can usually be prepared quickly and smoothly once the year ends, because the groundwork has already been done. When records are handed over incomplete or disorganised, the accounts process slows down considerably, deadlines become tighter, and the risk of errors or late filing rises sharply as a direct result.
VAT and Payroll: The Common Add-Ons
If your business is VAT registered, quarterly VAT return preparation and submission is usually available either as a standard inclusion within higher pricing tiers or as a clearly defined add-on to a more basic package. The same general principle applies to payroll: running weekly or monthly payroll, handling pension auto-enrolment duties correctly, and issuing accurate payslips is typically priced per employee, added on top of the core compliance fee. Neither of these additions should come as a genuine surprise, but it is always worth confirming exactly how each one is priced before you sign any engagement letter.
Pension auto-enrolment in particular is an area where costs can be underestimated. Beyond simply enrolling eligible staff, there is ongoing assessment each pay period, correspondence with the pension provider, and re-enrolment duties every three years that a good payroll service should handle as a matter of course. Ask specifically whether this is included in the quoted payroll price, since it is often treated as a separate task that catches business owners out later.
Ongoing Advice and Everyday Communication
One of the biggest practical differences between a bargain-basement package and a genuinely useful one is access to advice throughout the working year. Some firms limit meaningful contact to the few weeks surrounding your filing deadline, while others include reasonable phone and email support as part of the standard fee, so you can ask questions about a big purchase, a new hire, or a sudden change in trading pattern as they naturally arise. A package built around ongoing bookkeeping and accounting support rather than a once-a-year transaction tends to deliver considerably more practical, day-to-day value for a growing small business.
Software and Technology Included
Most modern accountancy packages now include, or at the very least strongly recommend, a cloud accounting subscription such as Xero or QuickBooks as standard. Whether this licence cost is fully bundled into your overall fee or charged as a separate line item varies noticeably by firm, so it is genuinely worth clarifying this detail upfront before committing. Access to good, well-supported software matters well beyond simple convenience: it gives you real-time visibility of your own numbers rather than relying entirely on your accountant to tell you how things currently stand, and it makes ongoing Making Tax Digital compliance considerably more straightforward to manage.
Beyond compliance, decent software also gives you practical, everyday tools such as mobile invoicing, automatic bank feeds, and simple expense capture through a phone app, all of which save genuine time for a busy owner juggling several roles at once. When comparing packages, it is worth asking for a short demonstration of the actual software included, since the practical usability of the platform matters just as much as the compliance box it ticks on paper.
What Typically Sits Outside a Standard Package
- One-off advisory work, such as business valuations or due diligence support
- Company secretarial changes, like share transfers or new director filings
- Research and development tax relief claims and supporting documentation
- Dedicated support through a formal HMRC enquiry or investigation
None of this is remotely unreasonable to charge separately for, since it genuinely falls outside routine annual compliance, but a properly transparent firm will tell you this clearly upfront rather than letting you discover it only when an unexpected invoice eventually lands.
How to Read a Package Properly Before You Sign
Ask for a written engagement letter that spells out exactly what is included, precisely what triggers an extra charge, and how any such extra charges are actually calculated in practice. Compare this carefully, line by line, against any competing quotes you have received, rather than comparing headline prices alone, since a lower fee with a noticeably narrower scope can easily end up costing considerably more once every gap is eventually filled in. A clear, properly itemised proposal is usually a genuinely good sign of a firm that values transparency from the very start.
The Bottom Line
A genuinely good accountancy package should feel comprehensive rather than skeletal, covering your compliance essentials thoroughly while giving you real room to ask questions throughout the year without fear of an extra charge for every single conversation. Look for a firm offering clearly defined accounting and bookkeeping services with an honest, upfront breakdown of what is and is not included, so you can budget with genuine confidence rather than crossing your fingers nervously at renewal time each year.
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