I have recently qualified as a Level 2 and have a AIAB membership, and have been reading all the advice given regarding setting up in practice....which has been most helpful and informative!!
As a working mother I am thinking of going down this road, looking at doing some part time mainly for small sole traders, so I can manage my time to suit my family, but just had a couple of questions I wondered if someone could help me with.....
Firstly, do you still need to register as ICO for Data Protection if you are NOT holding company information on your personal; ie if it is just kept in paper format and any financial info on a memory stick is given back to the client?
Also to begin with I would look to charge on an hourly basis, rather than a fixed fee; can anyone give me a guide of what the current market hourly rate is for a self employed bookkeeper?
I called the ICO a year ago and they told me that bookkeepers don't have to register but accountants do. When I asked how they distinguish one from the other they couldn't tell me. So that was helpful then.
Its down to the different perceptions as to what each do.
The perception is that accountants control data where bookkeepers process data.
General rule is that if information on a client is kept electronically and controlled by you then you need to register.
If all records are manual then you don't (but who keeps manual records now?).
Most bookkeepers will be told that they do not have to register because of the way that the profession is perceived. The reality is that so many are now working as cheaper accountants that a good many more than are currently registered should be.
kind regards,
Shaun.
p.s. Wonder if I should apply for a job with the ICO now?
__________________
Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
Thanks for the info.......had looked on the ICO website but there was no simple answer and their questionnaire was very generalist!!!
Coula anyone help me with my other question regards fees??.... what is the going 'market rate' for a self employebooked keeper, I realise a lot of the more experienced of you are on a fixed rate, but if anyone could give me a rough guide would be most helpful. I don't know any self employed bookkeepers, only accountants and off course they are in a totally different league!!
It seems to me that, if a bookkeeper prepares a set of records from information provided by the client, he is merely processing that data for the purposes of the DPA. However, if an accountant uses the bookkeeper's records to prepare the same client's tax return, where he recommends (say) how certain income should be recognised, and how assets should be written-down, his role is more that of a data controller: he says how the data is to be treated to achieve the best result. Thus a bookkeeper who merely writes up the books shouldn't have to register, but an accountant whose role is more "active" (I hope that is the right word to use) should. At some point, a bookkeeper who assumes an advisory role will have to register.
It is also my impression that manual records do come within the DPA's provisions if they are organised so that they form a "structured filing system" - say a card index containing individuals' names and some further information about them (such as addresses, hair colour and favourite brand of toothpaste) - then the data controller will have to register.
I note that you envisage storing data on a memory stick. If you do, make sure it is protected in case you lose it on the train or at an airport! You can get encryption programs that protect the data from being accessed by unauthorised people.
As for rates, how much do you want to earn, and what is your service worth? I suggest you look at other bookkeepers' websites to see what they are charging and base your fees on your goals modified by what seems realistic.
I have just been asked about this, did a search and came across this old post. I have just been asked by a client if they should register for this, looking at the self-assessment questionnaire, I went on to the self-assessment questionnaire (http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_organisations/data_protection/notification/need_to_notify.aspx) to see if he needed to register his company (cleaning business), and went through the online test, which told me he did, but according to the downloadable self-assessment pdf, he didn't (Question 9 on this clarified that anyone who is only holding personal info for staff payroll for example is exempt).
Confusing government speak at its best, it makes the HMRC site look like plain English.
I actually called them when trying to fill out the online form as it confused me and they said I didn't have to register. Am going with that at the moment.
