Bookkeeping Services Agreement
The data protection provisions in this document have been reviewed and updated for Brexit. References to data protection legislation have been updated with reference to the UK GDPR.
This Bookkeeping Services Agreement is designed for use where a freelance bookkeeper provides his/her professional services to any business client.
This document contains various optional data protection and data processing provisions (in Clause 15 and Schedule 5) which you can adopt as appropriate. These provisions have alternative clauses within them from which you can select the relevant clauses.
The main body of the document is a set of terms and conditions, and the form of the Agreement is set out in Schedule 3 to those terms and conditions. The form of Agreement, entitled “Letter of Engagement”, is only suggested as a form that you might use, and you can adapt or add to it to meet your requirements. We recommend that in all cases you use a document headed "Letter of Engagement" which clearly states that the Terms and Conditions form part of it.
This Bookkeeping Services Agreement template can be used either as the standard form that you use in every case when you provide your services, or you can adapt it in relation to each client.
The document includes a further schedule containing a list of bookkeeping tasks and duties. The list is non-exhaustive and you will need to add, delete and amend it to reflect all of the particular services to be offered (and so that it does not include any which are not offered).
There is also a schedule containing suggested provisions for structuring fees, but there are a number of ways of charging for bookkeeping services, and so you may wish to alter this or substitute your own fee provisions.
In the interest of avoiding misunderstandings and disputes, the terms and conditions set out in detail the responsibilities of the client and the limits on the bookkeeper’s responsibilities. They also include provisions covering the bookkeeper’s obligations under money laundering legislation.
Where your bookkeeping services involve use of software to record or process transactions or to carry out other tasks, you might arrange to use either your client’s software (i.e. software owned by your client or licensed to it by a third party) or your own software (i.e. software owned by you or licensed to you by a third party). If you use any such software, we recommend that you take advice as to any additional provisions that you might need to insert into Schedule 4 (or elsewhere in the template), or any other steps that you might need to take, to ensure that your use of the software does not give rise to any liability to the supplier of the software or any other software licensing or other legal risk or problem. Whilst the template contains some incidental references to use of accounting software in the course of carrying out bookkeeping tasks, its scope does not extend to covering such software issues.
There are optional alternative clauses dealing with the fact that the bookkeeper is either a member of the Association of Accounting Technicians or the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers or that he/she is not a member of any professional organisation.
The template contains a number of other optional clauses and/or phrases. Optional phrases/ clauses are enclosed in square brackets. These should be read carefully and selected so that they are compatible with one another. Unused options should be removed from the document.
This Bookkeeping Services Agreement contains the following clauses:
- Definitions and Interpretation
- Appointment
- Term
- Remuneration
- Payment of Invoices and Lien over Records
- Client Cooperation, Responsibilities, Approvals and Authority
- Anti Money Laundering Legislation
- File Destruction
- Warranties, Limit of Bookkeeper’s Obligations etc.
- Legal Liability
- Sub-contractors
- Insurance
- Termination
- Confidentiality
- Data Protection [and Data Processing]
- Force Majeure
- Entire Agreement
- Assignment
- No Waiver
- Severance
- Nature of Relationship between the Parties
- Third Parties
- Governing Law and Jurisdiction
Schedules:
- Services
- Fees, Expenses, Costs, VAT
- Model Letter of Engagement
- Provisions Relating to Bookkeeper's Use of Software
- [Data Protection] [and][Data Processing]
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