Outsourced Finance

Outsourced Finance for Growing SMEs

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For Ambitious SMEs

A proper finance team, without the in-house cost...

A UK-based finance team for SMEs that need more than a basic accountant, but don’t want the cost or hassle of hiring in-house.

  • Named finance contacts
  • Regular check-ins
  • Live Xero reporting
  • Bookkeeping, payroll, VAT, management accounts and cash flow support
  • No faceless handover, no disappearing act
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Why Outsourced Finance Works

Managing your full finance function takes a lot of time and effort, and if you’re hiring internally, it can also end up costing. We combine bookkeeping, payroll, VAT, management accounts and board-level finance into one joined-up service, so you can make faster, better decisions. Best of all, it’s cheaper than hiring someone in-house and you’ll also have a full team at your disposal.

Outsourced finance department online

Tidy, centralised, under control

If your finance function is all over the place, things tend to slip. Our outsourced service puts everything under one roof:

  • One point of contact to support your business whenever you need it
  • One dashboard to make reporting simple, reliant on up to date figures so you can always see how your business is performing.
  • Regular check-ins to analyse your numbers and help put in place changes to help you achieve your goals.

The result: everything in one place, a greater understanding of the numbers and a team that becomes a part of your business.

Hiring a Finance Manager? Here’s an Alternative.

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All Your Finance Needs in One Place

Here’s the scope, delivered as one joined-up service:

  • Bookkeeping & bank reconciliations

  • Sales invoicing & accounts receivable, including credit control/collections

  • Supplier bills & accounts payable, including payment runs and approvals

  • Payroll, PAYE and pensions, to ensure staff are paid on time

  • VAT returns (MTD), including partial exemption and group VAT

  • Monthly management accounts with clear commentary

  • Cash-flow forecasting and scenario planning

  • Budgeting & variance analysis, including rolling forecasts

  • KPI dashboards & board-level reports tailored to your business

  • Year-end statutory accounts preparation

  • Corporation tax coordination and R&D tax relief support

  • CFO support for fundraising, lender reporting and ad-hoc projects

 

Outsourced finance team

Who We Work With

Our outsourced finance department is built for established SMEs that need more than basic accountancy support, but are not ready to hire a full finance team in-house.

We work with businesses across sectors like design, IT, property, construction and professional services, helping owners get cleaner numbers, better reporting and more time back.

It’s a good fit if:

  • Finance admin is taking up too much time
  • You want monthly reporting, not just year-end accounts
  • You’re considering a finance manager, controller or FD
  • You need better cash flow visibility
  • You want UK-based support that works closely with your business

You can start with the areas causing the biggest headache, then add more support as the business grows.

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Our Process

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We start by understanding how your finance setup works now, what is taking up too much time and where the gaps are.

Review your setup

We look at your systems, bookkeeping, payroll, reporting, cash flow and existing finance support, then work out what needs fixing, improving or handing over.

Build and hand over

We agree the right level of support, manage the switch from your current setup and make sure everyone knows who is responsible for what.

Run and improve

Once everything is in place, we become an extension of your business, handling the finance work each month and keeping the numbers moving properly. You stay close to what matters, with clearer reporting and regular advice as the business grows.

Can we keep using our current systems?

Although we are a Xero first firm, there are some instances where we use other accounting software.

We always encourage our clients to use Xero, as it not only speaks the language of business owners but also has an impressive app infrastructure that integrates seamlessly. This means your accounting function can be scalable, with everything from receipt scanning, invoice chasing, and cash flow forecasting all in one place.  We’ve also handled hundreds of conversions to Xero from other platforms, it’s a common first step in the onboarding process. However, we do have some clients who use other software, so get in touch to find out how we could work together.

Hiring a Financial Controller? Here’s an alternative.

Will I still see what's happening?

Of course, you will get a customised dashboard with all the KPIS you'd like to track, a monthly pack and regular check-ins to discuss progress.

The point of outsourced finance is that we become a part of your business in the same way that a permanent member of staff would. We want to empower your team to understand the numbers in jargon-free terms, with full visibility at all times. You’ll have:

  • A named Finance Manager, shared inbox, and clear points of contact

  • Regular check-ins

  • A simple live dashboard plus a consistent monthly report you’ll actually read

  • Rolling cashflow forecast so you know where you’re up to

  • Real-time access to  Xero

  • A tidy approvals flow so you can see what’s awaiting sign-off and what’s paid

  • Agreed response times for queries and a clear escalation route to a senior accountant/CFO

In short: you keep control and clarity; we do the heavy lifting and make the numbers easy to act on.

Hiring a Finance Director? Here’s an Alternative.

Can we keep some tasks in-house?

Yes, common splits are invoicing or bill approvals in-house, with bookkeeping and close handled by us.

Every business is different but some teams may already have bookkeeping in place, or perhaps they have an existing payroll team. The point of outsourcing is that we want to be a useful addition to your team, slotting in however works best for you.

How do we switch from our current accountant/bookkeeper?

We manage the handover: request data, collect working papers, map balances, and agree a start date, so you don’t have to chase.

We handle this all the time; it’s a part of our onboarding process, so rest assured, it will be carried out effectively. To get started, we’ll ask for the essentials: read-only bank access or recent statements, access to your accounting/payroll tools (e.g., Xero/QBO), your latest trial balance and prior working papers, customer and supplier lists with any open invoices/bills, VAT and payroll details (including deadlines), HMRC agent authorisations, and key contacts for approvals.

Is this the same as offshoring?

No. Our outsourced finance department is not about sending your finance work to a faceless team you never speak to.

You get named contacts, regular check-ins, clear reporting and access to people who understand your business. We work as an extension of your team, handling the finance work that needs doing while keeping you close to the numbers.

Emma Williams - Seene Digital

Accounts and Legal have been fantastic to work with over the last few years. Kath Meehan-Lacitignola, who handles our bookkeeping, is incredibly thorough, efficient and friendly. She’s quick to respond, genuinely cares and is always ready to help with any question. Special thanks to Jack Dawber-Axon, Senior Manager, who is our go-to for tax and accounting queries. Jack is exceptionally talented, thinks outside the box and has been instrumental in increasing our tax efficiency & saving us money. Both Kath and Jack make a real difference to our business.

Emma Williams

Emma Williams, Founder of Seene Digital

What Our Clients Say: Leopold Forest

I have been using A&L for my business since launch for more than 2 years and it has been working very efficient. They are very proficient in using the latest technologies, from helping me with my accounts, managing better my costs, helping with my payroll, but also on the legal side, helping me understand better legal documents and registering my trademark. Cannot recommend more !

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Meet Our Team

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Jack Dawber-Axon

Jack Dawber-Axon

Head of Accounting
Jack Dawber is our Head of Accounting at Accounts & Legal, leading the...
Accounting Knowledge100
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Neil Ormesher, FCCA, CTA

Neil Ormesher

CEO
Meet Neil Ormesher, CEO of Accounts and Legal. Neil has been in the...
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Accountancy Knowledge 1000
Tax Skills10000
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Neil Nichols

Founder
Neil Nichols, Founder of Accounts and Legal set up the business after successfully...
Corporate Finance Expertise1000
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Jessica Hall

Jessica Hall

Business Development Consultant
Meet Jessica, Our new Business Development Consultant. Jess joins the Accounts and Legal...
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Rachel Duncan

Head of Legal
Theatre Lover:89
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