How Much Do You Charge

This has got to be one of the most common questions we get asked..... and the answer is.... it depends!

Our fees are tailored to each individual, their business, and their needs. So there is no one price fits all solution.

We have a minimum monthly fee of £100 plus VAT for sole traders and £200 plus VAT for limited companies, so this would be a starting point for the smallest of companies and minimal services.

Below are some example packages of some typical businesses we work with, showing you how we’re able to help and a guide of the costs involved.

Prices shown are minimum prices, based on the details shown. Prices are per month, based on a 12 month minimum term, in line with your financial year.

All of our invoices are collected via Direct Debit and invoices go out on the first of each month and are collected on the 7th of each month.

If you start with us part way through the financial year, there will be an alignment fee (catch up fee) up front to cover the period from the 1st day of your financial year, until the Direct Debit starts - this is so the full years accounting and taxes fees have been collected by the end of the financial year.

Paying by Direct Debit monthly helps your cashflow (as well as ours) and helps you to plan your money better - no large bills, you'll have smaller, more manageable bills each month instead.

Limited Company Pricing Examples

Every business is different, but here are a few example packages with estimations of price:

From £200 + VAT p/m

ESSENTIALS

Gain clarity on your finances and set up strong foundations for growth

Who It’s For:

Businesses that need to stay compliant but aren’t ready for financial strategy or growth planning.

💼

Includes:

✔ Annual Accounts & Corporation Tax Return

✔ VAT Returns & Compliance

✔ Director Only Payroll Processing

✔ Directors’ Tax Returns

✔ Confirmation Statements

📍

Potential Add-On:

Bookkeeping services for those who don’t have systems in place but
want clarity on financial performance and make informed decisions

"Stay compliant and stress-free - your accounts, tax, and payroll are handled without hassle"

Book A Discovery Call

From £400 + VAT p/m

GROWTH

Understand your numbers, stay compliant, and free up time to grow

Who It’s For:

Growing businesses that need to free up time by outsourcing finance admin.

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Includes:

Essentials plus -

✔ Bookkeeping & bank reconciliations (based on number of transactions)

✔ Xero support & transaction processing

✔ Quarterly reports

✔ Pre-Year-End Tax Reviews

📍

Potential Add-On:

Increase reports to monthly rather than quarterly.

“No more finance admin stress - focus on running your business while we handle the numbers.”

Book A Discovery Call

From £750 + VAT p/m

SCALE

Gain financial visibility, make informed decisions, and scale profitably

Who It’s For:

Established businesses looking for

strategic financial management

to improve profits & scale.

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Includes:

Growth plus -

✔ Business Growth Planning

✔ Budgeting & Forecasting

✔ KPI Dashboards & Performance Tracking

✔ Monthly Management Accounts (clear financial insights)

✔ Quarterly Finance Strategy Meetings

📍

Potential Add-On:

Additional VFO support - for paying suppliers, or chasing late payers to manage your cash flow.

"Gain complete financial clarity, scale confidently, and make better business decisions with expert insights.”

Book A Discovery Call

From £1350 + VAT p/m

SCALE & STRATEGY

Scale with clarity, make data-driven decisions, and increase profitability

Who It’s For:

Established businesses needing

Virtual FD support

(Turnover over £1m, up to 10 staff).

💼

Includes:

Scale plus -

✔ VFO support - for paying suppliers, or chasing late payers to manage your cash flow.

✔ Virtual Finance Director Support

✔ Monthly or Qtrly Financial Strategy Meetings

📍

Potential Add-On:

Funding & Investment support, Merger & Acquisition Support, Exit Strategy Support

“Scale with clarity, make data-driven decisions, and increase profitability with expert strategic financial management.”

Book A Discovery Call

Sole Trader Pricing Examples

Every business is different, but here are a few example packages with estimations of price:

From £100 + VAT p/m

START

You are probably a new business.

You are making a relatively small turnover, but your business is scalable, you see the potential and you are considering incorporating in the future!

Examples include:

Xero cash book Non VAT Xero Training

Quarterly Business Summaries

Annual Year End Tax
Review

Self Assessment Tax Return Submission Business and Strategy Review Quick Queries & Support

Book A Discovery Call

From £150+ VAT p/m

STRENGTHEN

You’ve been in the game for a while now.

Your business is really starting to growand you plan to continue that growth.

Examples include:

Xero cash book OR Standard

Apron or Dext

Xero & Apron/ Dext Training

Quarterly Business Summaries

Annual Year End Tax Review

Self Assessment Tax Return Submission Business and Strategy Review

Quick Queries & Support

Book A Discovery Call

From £250 + VAT p/m

SOAR

Your turnover is surpassing £50k.

You are contemplating things like VAT registration or taking on employees or whether its time to be a Limited Co.

Examples include:

Xero cash book OR Standard

Dext Prepare

Xero & Dext Training Annual Year End Tax Review

Self Assessment Tax Return Submission

Business and Strategy Review Annual Business Plan

Quarterly Management Accounts

Quick Queries & Support

Book A Discovery Call

Price on Request

OPTIONS

Other potential options to bolt on:

Bookkeeping - based on transactions numbers.

VAT registration

VAT returns

Payroll

Credit Control

Budgeting

Forecasting

Mentoring

Monthly or Adhoc Meetings

Book A Discovery Call

Workshop Examples

These workshops are bespoke to your organisation and your needs and can be for any size of business from micro to large business and will be scoped and priced accordingly.

We also do mentoring for those that have a business idea and need to flesh it out. Just book a discovery call and see where we can help.

From £500+ VAT

WORKSHOPS

Examples could be -

Setting up software

Training on software

Training staff on bookkeeping / management reporting

Training on sound financial processes

Creating a Finance & Operations Manual

Creating KPI’s

Understanding Financial Statements

Understanding your Taxes

Risk management Financial & Business Strategy

These are just examples and can be designed to exactly what you need for your business.

Book A Discovery Call

These packages are guidelines, so you have an indication of what we can offer. We would discuss

your needs and tailor the package that suits you.

As part of our prospective client process we will first have a 15 minute discovery call. This is where we

will just have a quick chat and get a feel for whether we feel we'll be the right fit for each other.

If the chemistry is right between us, then we will arrange a proposal meeting either via Zoom, or f2f, depending on where you are based and we discuss your business goals and then we will go through all of our services, how they work and the value they bring to you and your business.

Together we will then put together a package tailored to you and your business needs, and you will have a full proposal there and then in the meeting, detailing all the services we will be supplying to you, along with the associated fixed fees, as well as additional services that you may wish to consider for the future as your business grows and your needs change.

So how do we work out fees for our clients?

Our fees are based on various factors, such as the number of transactions, based on size of business, and the amount, type and complexity of work we complete each month/quarter. Some services will take into account your turnover.

We also take into account the quality of records – it’s not fair we charge same price for client whose records are complete and of good quality (completed by us or another bookkeeper) and for another client whose records are incomplete and incorrect and need working on before we can do anything!

For this reason, it could be worth us doing the bookkeeping as in the long run it could keep the costs down – you don’t want to spend the time doing it yourself, then pay us to sort it out! It often works out cheaper for us to do your bookkeeping, as it saves on the year end accounting fees, so please do consider this before you decide to do the bookkeeping yourself, when you could be spending that time either growing your business or spending time doing things you love!

There may also be fees outside these packages and such as when an sole trader may want to incorporate into a limited company, or other additional advice outside the scope of these packages. These can all be discussed and scoped separately, you will never have a surprise bill.

How Often Do We Review Fees?

We review software and payroll fees each month, so if you employ more staff, we'll increase the payroll fees, equally, if you reduce your headcount, your payroll fees will go down. We then review bookkeeping fees each quarter and update your monthly invoices going forward as required.

We will then review your accounts fees and VAT fees annually at a review meeting around 3 months prior to your year end.

Fees will increase and decrease as your business fluctuates in size and transactions.

Obviously if you choose additional services then these will be charged in addition to your current services.

If the software providers increase their fees, we may have to pass this cost on – but it will always be at providers increase – no extra mark up.

We are committed to giving our clients transparent and clear pricing and giving you value for your business every step of the way.

We’re not the cheapest accountants, and that’s a good thing! You won't just speak to us once a year and get forgotten about. We want to be part of your growth journey and for this we need to provide a Gold Star service and build a relationship with you. If you are paying the cheap fees, you can't get this level of service.

If you’re interested in working with us at Sterling Financial Management please visit our Contact page to book a 15 minute discovery call with us, there will be a few questions in the form to complete.

We look forward to speaking with you.