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FAQs
Need some help? Below you can find answers to frequently asked questions.
If you can't find what you are looking for, or if you need help on a specific topic, then feel free to get in contact with us and we will be more than happy to help.
If your query relates to our portal software or if you want to understand how certain processes work e.g. how our bookkeeping services work, then you can also refer to our how-to videos section, which includes a number of tutorial and infographic-style videos to illustrate various processes and softwares.
If you want to learn more about a particular service, then you can visit our services page and select the service you are looking for. Unlike many firms, we try to explain each service area in a more details and structured way, so that our clients (and prospective clients) can understand their needs better. If you can't find what you are looking for, or have further questions on anything related to the services we offer, please don't hesitate to get in contact with us. Alternatively, you can use our book consultation page to arrange a consultation to discuss your needs and how we can help.
Frequently asked questions:
FAQ QUICK NAVIGATION
Fees & payment plans
Q: If I opt for a monthly payment plan, how does this work?
Answer: If you opt for a monthly payment plan, you can choose how you pay this. You can either pay via Direct Debit (DD), or choose to receive monthly invoices from us.
If you want to pay via DD, then we will send you a DD instruction which you simply complete and return to us. The DD payment date will always be set to the last day of the month, so that you always know when your payments are going out.
If you would prefer to receive monthly invoices, then we will invoice you 7 days prior to the end of the month, with payment always due on the last day of the month (the same date as the DD option).
Fees & payment plans
Q: Will my fees ever increase?
Answer: We periodically increase our fees by a very small amount to stay in line with UK inflation (circa. every one to two years). The amount by which we might update our fees is based on the UK Retail Price Index (RPI Index). We will never increase our fees more than once per annum and all fee updates will be communicated to you at least 3 months prior to any change. We will never invoice you for fees which you have not expressly agreed to as part of our terms of engagement with you.
If you pay annual fees and we communicate an RPI-adjustment, you will not pay the increased fees until the next year (all work we are currently engaged to provide to you will be billed in accordance with the amounts which you agreed with us for that work).
If you pay fees on a monthly basis, with both the monthly direct debit and monthly invoice options, the amount you pay on a monthly basis is locked for one year from the date of your first invoice, and any updates we make to fees will be communicated to you at least three months in advance. We will never collect any payments via DD (if you opt for monthly DD), or invoice you (if you opt for monthly invoicing) for different amounts, without your express agreement to the updated fees.
You can see our fees for all of the services which we offer, on both a monthly and annual basis, at our fees page.
Q: Why does Waite Financial offer monthly payments?
Answer: We offer our clients the option of paying their fees on a monthly basis, for the following reasons:
1) Feedback from our clients suggests that the majority of individuals and small business owners prefer monthly payments so that they can better manage their cash flow. Having fixed monthly payments provides our clients with certainty over the timing and amount of their fees, allowing them to better plan how they spend money in their business.
2) When making annual payments, these usually fall due around the same time of year as your tax liabilities. This means that clients are often hit with huge payments all in one go. Spreading the cost of accountancy by accruing evenly over the year, reduces the large cash burden at the year end.
3) Unlike many firms, we offer a package of services (including our end-to-end solution), which is designed to work with you constantly throughout the year, rather than just once a year during tax season or during your annual accounts filing. In the same way in which you would pay for on-going services like software support or internet, we like to bill monthly to reflect the pattern of consumption of our services. This avoids us having to charge extra fees (or 'overruns') which is what happens with many high street accounting firms. This is because by working with you constantly throughout the year, we keep everything up to date and reduce the initial work required before preparing your annual accounts etc.
Information and requests
Information requests and requirements
Q: How would I know what information to provide you e.g. for my tax return?
Answer: For every service which we are engaged to provide to you, we will send to you, a complete list of information which we will require, prior to completing the work.
For example - if you require us to complete you Self Assessment tax return, we will send a complete list of all the potential items/sources of income required to complete the return. This means that you can browse the complete list and ensure you include all the information necessary to complete an accurate return.
Q: How do I send information to you?
Answer: We use a client portal to request and send you information. When you become a client of Waite Financial Ltd, we will create and sent you login details to your own personal portal. You can simply upload documents or send us requests directly in the portal (in the same way as you would using normal email services). See our Client Portal FAQs below for more details on the client portal.
Client Consultations
Q: What is the purpose of a client consultation?
Answer: We recommend having an initial phone consultation so that we can learn about your business and so that you can let us know your accounting needs. If you are unsure about what services you or your business requires, then we can also provide more details about what might be best for you. After the initial consultation, we can provide you with a tailored solution for your business.
Q: How long does the initial consultation take?
Answer: We recommend c. 20 minutes for an initial consultation - this gives us enough time to discuss your business and your needs, and also provides us time to highlight some of the key areas in which we can help you.
If you already have a good understanding of the services you require e.g. if you are switching from another accountant, then there is no need to waste time - just let us know what you would like us to do for you, and we can get started and set you up as our client.
Alternatively, if you are unsure what services you need or, if for any reason we need more time to discuss things with you, we can take as much time as needed.
Client Portal
Client Portal
Q: Why do I need to use your client portal?
Answer: New GDPR (Data Protection) regulations require that confidential information is transmitted securely. As a firm, we also need to ensure that we hold complete records of how information is obtained and processed. Using portal software allows us to remain compliant as a firm, and increases the level of protection provided when it comes to your personal data.
Q: Is my information safe in 'the cloud'?
Answer: Transmitting information via email is subject to a much higher risk of risk of interception by third parties. By working in the cloud with both our portal & bookkeeping softwares, we mitigate the risks of cyber crime when it comes to your personal data. The cloud technologies which we use are hosted on some of the world's most secure servers (Amazon Web Servers /'AWS'), and are subject to the highest cyber security rating (ISO 27001) available. Working in the cloud is the future.
Q: How do I use your Portal, and is there any training available?
Answer: Our portal is designed for ease of use and works in a very similar way to other secure data sharing platforms which you might be more familiar with - like DropBox, or Google Drive.
We include a 'How-to' video on how to use our portal on our videos page which our clients find very helpful. We recommend you view this video, but if you do have any further questions or experience any technical difficulties when using the portal, please don't hesitate to get in contact with us on 020 8062 5903.
Q: How will I know when you send me documents via the portal?
Answer: Our portal software is integrated with email for information notifications and requests. This means that whenever we request information from you, or if we send you documents to review or sign, you will receive an email notification to an email address of your choosing. The emails you receive will contain no confidential information, but will include a link directly to our client portal where you can view our information request, or view the documents we have sent you.
Xero bookkeeping software
XERO Bookkeeping Software
Q: Why does Waite Financial recommend Xero for bookkeeping?
Answer: We recommend and work with Xero because it is a market-leading software which allows us to not just bookkeep for our clients, but collaborate and provide real-time reporting.
Xero invests heavily in development, which is why it is one of the world's leading softwares, and this also means that the software always improving and offering improved functionality. The functionality offered by Xero will help you understand your business, make decisions and grow.
Q: Can I do my own bookkeeping, or use another software?
Answer: We recommend you outsourcing your bookkeeping to us - by looking after your books and records, we can produce your annual accounts and corporation tax computations much faster and more easily, as we are in control of the data and can make adjustments for accounting purposes throughout the year - however, if you want to use another software, we have staff who are trained on a variety of market leading bookkeeping software, including: Quickbooks, Wave & Kashflow. If you want to keep your bookkeeping in-house but you still want to receive a packaged solution for our other services e.g. our standard package, then we can simply deduct the cost of our bookkeeping fee from the package price. In fact, all packages are completely flexible.
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