Finance and payroll services

We can help with most aspects of charity accounting, from bookkeeping and year end accounts to payroll, Independent Examinations and one-off queries, taking the worry out of your legal duties.

Bookkeeping

We offer bookkeeping services tailored to suit each individual group or organisation. Working in either Quickbooks, Excel or your own software, we can help with the record keeping, finance reports and supplier payment runs all the while ensuring you retain control and oversight of your finances.

There is a charge for the bookkeeeping service and if you are VAO member you will benefit from a reduced rate. Once we have talked through your requirements, we will be able to let you know the cost.

Bookkeeping Client's Story

As the charity's new treasurer felt the they needed support to regularly maintain their bookkeeping records, the trustees asked us to assist with their bookkeeping. The treasurer said:

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Payroll

We offer a comprehensive payroll service for charity organisations, community groups and individuals who get the Self-Direct Support/Independent Living Funding. This service includes calculating wages/salaries and statutory deductions like pension contributions, PAYE and National Insurance. We issue electronic payslips, P45s and year end P60’s to employees as well as detailed electronic payroll reports to employers.

There is a charge for the payroll service. The cost depends on the number of employees and how often they are paid. We can provide more information about the cost once we know more about your requirements.

Payroll Client's Story

Following changes in their staff, the charity* asked us to process their payroll. We had helped them with this before and have continue to provide them with the service since they approached us.

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Annual accounts and Independent Examinations

The structure of your group or organisation, your governing documents and the yearly income determines which type of annual accounts and year-end examination your organisation requires. Our team is qualified to prepare accounts and carry out Independently Examinations for groups and organisations with income up to £500,000 a year.

If your organisation is not registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR), it is good practice for accounting records to be checked periodically. This gives you the confidence that your records are accurate. We can do this for you.
If your charity is registered with OSCR and has an annual income of less than £250,000, you are required to prepare ‘Receipts and Payments’ accounts unless your constitution says otherwise. These have to be independently examined by someone completely separate to the running of the group or organisation and who the trustees believe has the skills and experience required to carry out a competent examination.
If your charity is registered with OSCR and has annual income over £250,000 you are required to prepare ‘Accrued’ accounts. These are more in-depth and consider additional elements not included in ‘Receipts and Payments’ accounts.
If your group or organisation is registered with Companies House, you need to prepare ‘Accrued’ accounts regardless of how much your annual income is. These provide more information than you would find in ‘Receipts and Payments’ accounts which cannot be submitted to Companies House. These should be Independently Examined unless your constitution says differently.

There is an hourly charge for this service and if you are VAO member you will benefit from a reduced rate. We can give you an idea of how much time we will need once we have some information from you.

Independent Examination of Accounts Client's Story

During their first year, the charity's secretary/treasurer* approached us for bookkeeping advice and asked to carry out their Independent Examination. The secretary/treasurer said:

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General finance support

We can provide support on a one-off, short or long term basis. In the past we have helped groups and organisations with things like reports for meetings, producing management accounts and financial training. If we cannot help, we will direct you to someone who can. Depending on whats involved there may be a charge and we will let know if there is and how much when you contact us.

Get in touch

If you would like more information about our services or have a question about any aspect of your charities financial management, you can contact us by filling out the form at the bottom of this page or call 01856 872897 (option 4).

FAQs

- Are there any additional bookkeeping charges?
  We prepare a quote for any group or organisation who requests bookkeeping services and there are no additional charges for the work included. If any additional work is requested, we will issue an additional quote.
- Do VAO pay my suppliers directly?
  We are not able to pay suppliers directly. We can assist by setting up fortnightly or monthly payment runs which can be authorised by the group's/organisation's signatories.
- Will VAO be a signatory on our bank account?
  No, we are not able to be signatories on a group or organisations bank account.
- Can you prepare our accounts as well as carrying out the Independent Examination?
  Yes, we can provide this service, please contact us for further details and a quote.
- What paperwork do you need to carry out an Independent Examination/accounts preparation?
  We have prepared a list of the different items we need to work on an Independent Examination/accounts preparation:
  - Accrued accounts
  - Receipts and payments accounts
- When should we contact you about carrying out accounts preparation or an Independent Examination?
  Ideally, we ask for your paperwork to be handed into us 6 weeks before your AGM so we can carry out the work for you. If we have not worked on your accounts before, it would be useful if you could get in touch 8 - 10 weeks ahead of your AGM.
- Why do you ask questions when carrying out the Independent Examination/accounts preparation?
  Each group or organisation's accounts are unique to them. It is important for us as the Independent Examiner, to understand how your income and expenditure relates to the activity of your group or organisation. The paperwork we review goes a long way to help with this but the best way for us to do this is to discuss the day to day running with you. We will often ask questions to make sure that the income and expenditure has been accounted for in the right way.
- When do I submit my accounts to OSCR?
  Your annual return for OSCR includes a signed of copy of both your accounts and your Trustees Annual Report (TAR). To do this, the accounts first need to be Independently Examined and both documents must approved at your AGM. We would then sign the Independent Examiners reports within you accounts and you can submit the documents to OSCR. This process has to be fully complete no later than 9 months after your year-end.
- Do you submit our accounts to OSCR?
  We can help you to submit your accounts to OSCR but we cannot do it for you. This is because the submission process asks questions about your policies and processes, which only the trustees are able to answer.
- Should we prepare Receipts and Payments accounts or Accrued accounts?
  Broadly speaking the following applies.
  Receipts and payments accounts:
  - Income in financial year between £0 and £250,000
  - Governing document does not specify accrued accounts
  - Trustees have not decided accrued accounts are required
  - No legal obligation to prepare accrued accounts
  Accrued Accounts:
  - Income in financial year over £250,000
  - Governing document specifies you need accrued accounts
  - Trustees have decided accrued accounts are required
  - There is a legal obligation to prepare accrued accounts
  - Your charity is registered with Companies House
  For further information you can contact us or visit the OSCR website.
- How do I register as an employer?
  You can find information on how to register as an employer the HMRC website.
- If my employee has questions about their pay, can they contact you directly?
  It is our policy to have named people within the group or organisation who we take instruction from and can discuss the payroll with. This helps to ensure that the people who oversee the payroll are kept up to date with the information being shared. If an employee has queries about their pay, we can discuss it with the named contact but we are not able to speak to them directly.
- Can you arrange payment to HMRC and our employees?
  We are not able to make payments to your employees or HMRC but we can help you set up your payment systems.
- Are there any additional charges for the payroll service?
  The cost for this service is based on the number of employees your group or organisation has. This includes calculating the payroll figures, issuing payslips, P45s and P60s, then sending reports to HMRC. If you ask us to set up a workplace pension account or you need us to provide extra copies of your payroll reports after the year end there are additional charges.