I have just started my bookkeeping business and have a new client. Does any one have plain english Terms and Conditions I could adopt, I'm struggling with mine
By terms and conditions do you mean for a letter of engagement? Or something else?
If it's for the letter of engagement I can't imagine you'll have much luck. This tends to be something that most of us take a huge amount of time over and is therefore worth a lot to us. I know when I was starting out I couldn't find a single person willing to share. Now that I have designed my own I can understand why.
The reason we don't really want to share isn't that we're mean, it's that we're bookkeepers not solicitors. We're scared that what we have cobbled together wouldn't stand up and so we don't want to be responsible for anyone elses downfall.
Payments Terms ie 7 days or say 30 days. Hours of work (if you have kids it may be school hours) place of work (ie home) MLR Photo and address ID your holidays (notifying them when you are on hols) What work is expected. VAT returns, Tax if you do it. Rate you charge Client confidentiality
These ar just a few pointers, can't think of too many off the top of my head at the moment.
Very true Sheila, I have got it in mine though, I was just being lazy in doing it off the top of my head, didn't have a letter of engagement handy to clarify all the points!
Its quite personal really as people offer different services and charge different rates etc for their services. (god that doesn't sound that good when you read it back!) Good job this is 'Bookkeepers' forum. People may wonder what service we offer!
