Outsourced services built around your practice
Every engagement is staffed by qualified, practice-trained accountants working as an extension of your in-house team, not a generic call-centre model. Full scope, deliverables and turnaround for each service line below, so there are no surprises in scope.
Three simple pricing models
Every proposal uses one of the models below, quoted after a short discovery call. No hidden set-up fees, no long lock-in contracts.
Per-File / Per-Transaction
A fixed rate per return, file or payslip processed. Suited to firms with variable or seasonal volume who want costs to move directly with workload, such as self-assessment, corporation tax or 1040 season.
Fixed Monthly Retainer
A flat monthly fee for an agreed scope of ongoing work: bookkeeping, payroll or management reporting for a defined client roster. Predictable for budgeting, reviewed quarterly as volume changes.
Dedicated FTE Pod
A named team of one or more full-time-equivalent staff working exclusively on your practice, at a fraction of the fully-loaded cost of hiring. It's the model most practices move to once volume is steady.
What affects your price
- Volume: how many files, returns or payslips per period
- Complexity: multi-entity structures, multiple VAT schemes, or group companies
- Software and file quality: a clean, up-to-date file costs less to work than a backlog needing clean-up first
- Turnaround urgency: standard turnaround is included; rush requests during peak season are scoped separately
Pricing FAQ
Do you publish a rate card?
No. Volume and complexity vary too much practice to practice for a flat rate card to be meaningful. Every proposal is scoped after a short discovery call and quoted against one of the three models above.
Are there setup fees or long contracts?
No setup fees, and no long lock-in contracts. Most engagements start with a short trial batch, then move to a rolling monthly arrangement reviewed as your volume changes.
Can pricing change as our volume grows or shrinks?
Yes. Fixed Monthly Retainers and Dedicated FTE Pods are reviewed quarterly, so pricing tracks your actual volume rather than locking you into a number set at the start of the year.
Bookkeeping
Xero · QuickBooks · Sage · FreeAgentOngoing bookkeeping reconciled and reviewed to your practice's standards before it reaches your desk. We work directly inside your existing software and chart of accounts, so there is nothing to migrate and nothing for your clients to notice changing.
- Daily or weekly bank and credit card reconciliation
- Supplier (AP) and customer (AR) ledger maintenance
- Month-end close checklist with accruals and prepayments
- Chart of accounts clean-up and categorisation review
- Multi-entity and multi-currency bookkeeping where required
- Query log with same-day turnaround on clarification requests
VAT & MTD Compliance
MTD for VAT · HMRC-ReadyVAT return preparation for UK practices, built to MTD and HMRC standards, covering quarterly returns, partial exemption workings and flat-rate scheme calculations prepared to slot straight into your review and submission process. Need self-assessment or corporation tax support too? See our dedicated MTD ITSA & Corporation Tax service.
- Quarterly VAT return preparation under MTD for VAT
- Partial exemption and flat rate scheme calculations
- VAT registration, de-registration and scheme-change guidance
- Digital record-keeping set-up and MTD software configuration support
- Deadline tracker shared with your team ahead of each filing window
- Review-ready output formatted for your existing sign-off process
MTD ITSA & Corporation Tax
Personal Tax (MTD ITSA / SA100) · Company Tax (CT600)Personal and company tax return preparation for UK practices, covering self-assessment (SA100) working papers for sole traders, partners and directors, alongside corporation tax (CT600) computations for limited companies, both prepared to HMRC standard and ready for your review.
- SA100 working papers for sole traders, partners and directors
- Employment, dividend, property and capital gains pages
- CT600 working papers and corporation tax computations
- Capital allowances review and claims preparation
- Director's loan account and benefit-in-kind reconciliation
- Backlog clearance ahead of the 31 January filing deadline
US Tax Preparation
1040 · 1120 · 1065Individual and business return preparation support for CPA firms, ready for partner review and e-file. First-pass preparation frees your senior staff for client-facing review work instead of data entry during the busiest weeks of the year.
- Individual return preparation (Form 1040 and supporting schedules)
- Business return preparation (1120, 1120-S and 1065)
- Source document organisation and workpaper tie-outs
- State return preparation alongside federal filings
- Diagnostic review flagged before the file reaches a partner
- Extension tracking and season-long capacity surge support
Payroll Processing
RTI · Auto-Enrolment · US PayrollEnd-to-end payroll runs, RTI submissions and payslip management for your clients, processed accurately and on schedule every period. Payroll is deadline-driven work. We build a shared calendar so nothing slips close to a submission date.
- Full payroll run processing, weekly, fortnightly or monthly
- RTI submissions to HMRC and payslip generation and distribution
- Pension auto-enrolment assessment and contribution processing
- Starter, leaver and statutory pay (SSP/SMP/SPP) processing
- Year-end payroll processes including P60s and P11Ds
- Shared pay-date calendar with two-week advance risk flagging
Year-End Accounts
Sole Traders · Partnerships · Ltd CompaniesStatutory and management accounts preparation, working papers, and file-ready packs so your partners can focus on review, not data entry. Everything is built around your existing template library and review checklist.
- Statutory accounts preparation for Companies House filing
- Full working papers file with lead schedules and reconciliations
- Fixed asset register maintenance and depreciation schedules
- Sole trader and partnership accounts to your template standard
- Disclosure checklist review against current FRS 102/105 requirements
- Trial batch review before scaling to full year-end volume
Management Reporting
Monthly Packs · KPI DashboardsMonthly management accounts, cash flow summaries and KPI packs to help your clients and your firm see the bigger picture. Formatted to match your existing reporting templates, so what your clients receive doesn't change, only who prepares it.
- Monthly management accounts with variance commentary
- Cash flow summaries and short-term forecasting support
- Custom KPI dashboards built to your client's sector
- Budget vs. actual tracking on a rolling monthly basis
- Consolidated reporting across multi-entity client groups
- White-labelled formatting so packs read as your firm's own output
A clear-eyed comparison
Use this as a starting point for your own build vs. buy decision, or run the exact numbers for your practice with our savings calculator.
| Consideration | Hiring In-House | APEX KPO Services |
|---|---|---|
| Time to add capacity | 6–12 weeks (recruitment) | 2–3 weeks |
| Cost per unit of delivery | Full salary, NI, benefits | 40–60% lower on average |
| Flexes with busy season | Fixed headcount | Scales up and down |
| Built-in second review | Depends on team structure | Standard on every file |
| Risk if a hire doesn't work out | Redundancy, re-recruitment | Swap within the engagement |
Onboarded in four simple steps
Discovery Call
We learn about your software stack, client mix and current bottlenecks.
Scope & Pricing
A tailored proposal with clear pricing per service line, and no long lock-in contracts.
Secure Onboarding
Access set up under strict data-security protocols; a trial batch reviewed together.
Go Live
Your dedicated team takes on regular workflow, with weekly check-ins early on.
Common questions about scope
Can we mix service lines, e.g. bookkeeping plus payroll?
Yes. Most practices start with one service line and add others once they've seen the file quality and turnaround. Bookkeeping and payroll is a common pairing, as is VAT prep alongside year-end accounts. Each line is scoped and priced separately, so you only add what you need.
Do you work with our existing software and templates?
Yes. We work directly inside Xero, QuickBooks, Sage or FreeAgent and follow your existing chart of accounts, working paper formats and reporting templates rather than asking you to adopt ours. If you use something less common, we'll confirm compatibility on the discovery call.
Can we use you for just one busy season?
Yes. Engagements are typically month-to-month, and seasonal support (around Self-Assessment, VAT quarters, or 1040 season) is one of the most common ways practices first work with us before deciding whether to extend it year-round.
Who reviews the work before it reaches us?
Every file passes through a second-level review by a senior team member before it's sent to you, regardless of service line. This is included in every engagement, not an optional add-on, and is one of the main reasons practices tell us their own partner review time drops.
Not sure which service line fits?
Take our two-minute quiz and get a tailored recommendation, or book a free capacity review to talk it through.