SLA’s and TOS for add on services

Accounts and Corporation Tax returns - Limited company only

Ember offers a full financial accounts and corporation tax return service for clients. Clients can request this via Intercom where they will be sent full terms of service. We also directly approach clients to offer to complete the accounts.

The service includes preparing statutory accounts and corporation tax return based off the information inputted into the Ember app by clients. Ember will only be able to start this service if clients have categorised their transactions up to at least the financial year end date that needs filing.

As part of this service we will complete a sanity check of clients balances and send queries to clients where appropriate. Once the draft financial accounts and tax returns are prepared we will send to the client for review. We will then file the financial accounts with Companies House and file the Corporation Tax return with HMRC once these documents have been approved by the client. Once filed we will confirm successful filing and send over payment details for HMRC for Corporation Tax (assuming there is tax payable).

Anyone using Ember is strongly recommended to use us to complete their financial accounts and corporation tax return. Clients who complete this themselves will often file incorrectly which can lead to queries from HMRC as well as further cost/issues in the future to correct previous mistakes.

Agreed SLA and terms - £200+VAT

• Six week turnaround for production of annual financial statements and the corresponding corporation tax return
• Measured from the later of 1. The date payment is made by the client and 2. The client categorising all transactions in Ember up to their financial year end to Ember sending this to the client to review.
• This is on the assumption that clients respond in a reasonable time to basic production queries from an accountant (reasonable would be defined in these instances as responding within 72 hours to Ember’s queries)
• Agreed 24 hour turnaround for filing of accounts and corporation tax return - measured from the time the client emails in confirming their approval to an Ember accountant filing the accounts and tax return/s.
• Accounts that are due in less than the agreed 8 week SLA are not guaranteed to be filed by the deadline date
• If a company engages in activities that are complex from an accounting perspective, we reserve the right to extend the planned SLA time to ensure that these are correct and prepared in line with the relevant accounting standards. Examples of these activities would include but are not limited to Investments, Share Options, Ownership of Land and Buildings etc.
• Ember is not liable for penalties unless there is evidence that Ember are at fault for delaying the return to the point where it falls outside of the agreed SLA. Ember will pay penalties for any human errors that result in a non filing.

Closure accounts - additional £300+VAT (£500+VAT in total)

If a client indicates to us that they wish to close their company, we can prepare closure accounts for the company.

We charge an additional £300+VAT for this service on top of the £200+VAT standard charge which covers the following:

• VAT and PAYE deregistration if appropriate
• Tax efficiency advice - our accountants will confirm the most efficient means of closure.
• Make relevant adjustments to ensure remaining funds are distributed as tax efficiently as possible.
• If closing via a liquidation, we will offer clients a referral to our third party liquidator and liaise with the liquidators to ensure a pain free closure of the business.
• If closing through a company strike off, Ember will submit the DS01 form on the clients behalf with Companies House which will start the process to dissolve the company.
• Make relevant adjustments needed to the financial accounts and corporation tax return to allow for the company closure
• Advice clients of relevant personal tax implications of the company closure.

If the closure requires less work from Ember, we may at our discretion reduce the overall fee of either the accounts or the closure add on fee.

If a client is on our unlimited yearly package and have accounts included, we will charge an additional £300+VAT for a company closure.

Express services

We understand that clients may want their financial accounts and corporation tax return to be filed in a shorter timeframe then our standard SLA of 6 weeks. We therefore offer a couple of solutions for clients looking for a shorter SLA.

We see these services particularly benefitting those clients who have accounts that are due very soon/already overdue or client’s needing accounts urgently for a mortgage application/R&D claim or any other valid business reason.

This service is open to all clients who are using Ember to complete their accounts and corporation tax.

The two price points we have for clients are as follows:

1. £275+VAT - guaranteed 2 week turnaround SLA
2. £325+VAT - guaranteed 1 week turnaround SLA

For clients who have accounts included as part of the unlimited yearly plan:

1. £125+VAT - guaranteed 2 week turnaround SLA
2. £200+VAT - guaranteed 1 week turnaround SLA

Ember has the right to refuse to offer such services, if we believe that based on the information in Ember/ complexity of the accounts that we will be unable to meet the guaranteed SLA.

The SLA’s are based around the assumption that client’s will also respond and provide relevant documentation when requested by our accountants within a reasonable timeframe.

Self assessments (Sole Trader and Ltd)

Ember offers a full self assessment service for clients. Clients can request this directly through the app by clicking on the reminder on the home page for the relevant tax year or going to the taxes tab and clicking on the relevant tax year.

The app will present clients with different income options to select. It is vital that all relevant income sources are selected by clients to ensure the app provides them with the correct questions. The questionnaire will need to be completed by clients and it is important the clients provide accurate information and attach relevant documentation when requested to do so. Once all questions are completed it will take clients to a payment page to make

Ember accountants will prepare the self assessment tax return based on the information provided on the questionnaire. For Limited company directors we will check the information in Ember to confirm salary and dividend amounts received. For Sole Traders, we will check and confirm with clients regarding the sales and expenses that have been recorded in Ember.

The service includes production of a client self assessment by an Accountant. As part of the production of the self assessment, the producer will consider if there are any ways to improve the tax efficiency for the client as well as come out to the client with any relevant queries. Once the self assessment is finalised it will be reviewed by a more senior Accountant who will check the return has been prepared in accordance with HMRC guidelines and that we have provided tax efficiency advice if appropriate to do so. Once the reviewer is happy this will be sent to the client to approve the return. Once approved by the client, Ember will file the self assessment on behalf of the client and then send over the tax filing receipt along with the finalised documents.

The service does not include Ember paying Income Tax on behalf of the client.

Agreed SLA and terms - Price will vary depending on submission date (starts from £99+VAT)

• three week turnaround for production and review of the self assessment.
• Measured from the date payment is made to the date we send this to the client for review.
• This is on the assumption that clients respond in a reasonable time to basic production queries from an accountant (reasonable would be defined in these instances as responding within 72 hours to Ember’s queries)
• Agreed 24 hour turnaround for filing of self assessment - measured from the time the client emails in confirming their approval to an Ember accountant filing the self assessment.
• If client’s submit the questionnaire to us within two weeks of the self assessment deadline for that tax year, we will do everything we can to get this filed before the deadline for clients but cannot guarantee this.
• Ember reserves the right to refuse a self assessment after submission if there are areas within this self assessment that are not within Ember’s area of expertise. Examples include Inheritance Tax, foreign share options and exceptionally complex capital gain calculations. We will refund any clients for self assessments we are unable to complete.
• Ember reserve the right to increase the price if the return is deemed by to us to be exceptionally complicated. We will contact clients directly if this is the case to agree a price.
• Ember is not liable for penalties unless there is evidence that Ember are at fault for delaying the return to the point where it falls outside of the agreed SLA. Ember will pay penalties for any human errors that result in a non filing.

Express services

We understand that clients may want their self assessment in a shorter timeframe then our standard SLA of 2 weeks. We therefore offer a couple of solutions for clients looking for a shorter SLA.

We see these services particularly benefitting those clients who are submitting their self assessment close to the deadline or clients who may need the self assessment for a third party reference.

This service is open to all clients who are using Ember to complete their self assessment.

The two price points we have for clients are as follows:

2 day turnaround - Between April and December - additional £100+VAT

2 day turnaround - Between January and March - additional £125+VAT

Ember has the right to refuse to offer such services, if we believe that based on the information in Ember/ complexity of the self assessment that we will be unable to meet the guaranteed SLA.

If we believe a self assessment return is exceptionally complex or requires more senior resource, we may need to reach out to clients to agree an additional fee or provide a refund.

The SLA’s are based around the assumption that client’s will also respond and provide relevant documentation when requested by our accountants within a reasonable timeframe.

Accountancy chats (Free and Pro clients)

Ember offers video support for our Unlimited clients. The terms for this are laid out in more detail here:- https://www.notion.so/emberhub/Terms-of-service-Responsibilities-of-Ember-and-the-client-ebcf0a0f6a534944b5bd50d4f743acfd#472fc24f3e6a43feb60e5d2a901f78f9

Sole Traders

Sole Traders on our Free and Pro packages are only offered accountancy support via the Intercom chat in the Ember app. If they wish to have a video consultation with one of our accountants we have a couple of different options:

15 min catch up - (£25+VAT)

This will be a 15 minute call with an accountant with knowledge of sole traders.

Content this would likely cover:

• Registration for self assessment
• What expenses can I claim
• Questions on using the app
• Questions on one off services
• Treatment of assets

Would not cover (would need a 30 minute call)

• Looking for tax predictions
• Advice around multiple income sources
• Residency implications
• Sole trader vs Ltd comparison.

No Follow up email will be sent.

This list is by no means exhaustive so clients should carefully consider which call to book in to ensure we have enough time to answer any queries they may have.

30 min catch up - (£40+VAT)

This will be a 30 minute call with a more senior accountant with advanced knowledge of sole traders. This call’s length allows us to cover more complex queries/areas.

Content this would likely cover:

• All the above
• Sole Trader vs Ltd comparison
• Residency issues
• Multiple income sources and tax advice
• Looking for a tax prediction/estimate

Follow up email - will be offered to the client if needed and will be sent within 5 working hours post the call.

Limited companies

Limited companies on our free and Pro packages are only offered accountancy support via the Intercom chat in the Ember app. If they wish to have a video consultation with one of our accountants we have a couple of different options:

15 minute catch up - £25+VAT

This will be a 15 minute call with an accountant with knowledge of limited companies.

Content this would likely cover:

• PAYE registration
• VAT registration
• Confirmation statements
• Questions for one off services
• Self assessment registration and details of how this works
• Expense queries
• HMRC Letters and correspondence

Content this would not cover:

• Detailed tax efficiency
• Complex tax advice
• Residency
• Share structure and appointment of directors/shareholders
• Lot’s of individual queries
• Compliance checks
• IR35 queries

This list is by no means exhaustive so clients should carefully consider which call to book in to ensure we have enough time to answer any queries they may have.

No Follow up email will be sent.

45 minute catch up - £60+VAT

This will be a 45 minute call with a more senior accountant with advanced knowledge of limited companies. This call’s length allows us to cover more complex queries/areas.

Terms

• The accountancy chats will be booked in via Calendly to allow clients to select a time that suits them. This will set up a google meet video meeting with an accountant
• If client’s do not attend the google meet we will do everything we can to rearrange this with the client.
• There may be times when an accountant may not be able to answer certain queries and may seek advice after the call to come back with a detailed response.
• Ember can also confirm on the call if the subject a client wishes to discuss is outside the scope of our areas of expertise. If this is the case we will issue a full refund if we have been unable to help the client at all or agree a partial refund based on a reasonable apportionment of what percentage of the queries we were able to support with.
• Ember accountants reserve the right to stop the call once clients reach the end of the allotted time.
• Ember accountants can extend the call at their discretion beyond the agreed timeframe.
• The details of any follow up email should be agreed by the client and the accountant in the call.
• If clients decide to upgrade to Unlimited within one week of the call taking place, we will issue a full refund for the call.

Bookkeeping

Generally speaking, our clients are responsible for the categorisation of any transactions that feed into the Ember app via the live bank feed. This is more colloquially referred to as “bookkeeping” and this term would tend to include clients attaching relevant invoices and raising invoices.

Ember offers bookkeeping services to those clients who wish to pay for this service (currently we have a waiting list system)

Ember would be responsible for the receipt management and transaction categorisation for those clients who pay for this service. Ember will complete a monthly run of bookkeeping for these clients whilst requiring the client to send all relevant receipts and supplier invoices for the prior month (Ember will send reminders). For those clients who are VAT registered, Ember will also review and submit the VAT returns for bookkeeping clients.

We have no set pricing yet for this service and instead will provide a quote based on a client’s individual circumstances and needs. This This quote is based on factors such as the number of transactions, external sources that need be to reconciled and turnover. If a client is interested in this service they should reach out to one of our advisors via the Intercom chat to have a quote provided.

Ember may also quote for a “Catch up charge” which will be a charge to reconcile all historical transactions, being those prior to the date that the bookkeeping starts.

There would then be a recurring monthly fee for this service as agreed subject to price revisions based on the above factors.

Confirmation statement

Confirmation statements need to be filed annually by limited company directors (this does not apply to sole traders).

A confirmation statement is completed with Companies House and is done to ensure that Companies House is up to date with any changes to your company.

Ltd Unlimited - Confirmation statement filing is included within your package so if a client wants Ember to file this on their behalf they should contact us via Intercom and we will file this.

**Other packages -**We do not file confirmation statements for clients as part of other packages. Clients will need to file this themselves and we have prepared useful articles on how to file a confirmation statement to help clients in this area.

If a client would still prefer Ember to file this for them, we can file this for these clients for £75+VAT. We will assume there has been no company changes when making the filing unless clients specifically make us aware of changes to directors/shareholding etc.

References

Clients will sometimes require third party references from their accountant for various reasons. The most common in Ember’s client base is Mortgage and Lettings references.

We will need to agree an ad hoc charge for completion of references. These are not included in any of our clients plans.

Terms:

• We do require that we receive a formal request from the third party and that we are given detailed information as to what is required.
• We will add standard industry wording to reference letters to ensure that Ember protects itself from any liability on providing a reference to a third party.
• We reserve the right to charge an amount for a reference if there is a large amount of work involved such as a Visa reference. This judgement is down to the discretion of Ember and the accountants reviewing the reference request.
• We do not promise specific timeframes for response but will do what we can to respond in an appropriate timeframe to ensure the client is able to secure the property/visa etc.
• We reserve the right to refuse to complete a reference if we have inadequate evidence to complete this to the standard required. This will often be the case if we are approached by a client who has only recently signed up to Ember with a reference request asking to confirm historical financial information that either the client or the previous accountant would be better placed to provide.