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Outsourced admin support for UK accounting practices

We run the back office. You run the practice.

AML checks, HMRC and Companies House portal work, penalty appeals, MTD quarterly records, onboarding and billing, handled by a dedicated team on UK hours, inside the software your practice already uses.

Book a 20-minute consultation See how a handover works
This week's deskExample practice, 40 clients
AML CDD packs completed for 4 new clientsFor MLRO review
Companies House 6 confirmation statements preparedFor approval
MTD ITSA Q2 records chased and categorised, 11 clientsDue 7 Nov
HMRC Late filing appeal drafted with evidenceFor review
Billing September invoices issued, 9 reminders sentDone
Illustrative example. Each practice agrees its own task list and reporting format.
  • On GMT all yearGhana keeps GMT, so we work your office day.
  • Inside your systemsIRIS, BrightManager, QuickBooks, Staffology and more.
  • You keep sign-offWe prepare and chase. Your team reviews and submits.
  • Engaged as a B2B supplierNo payroll, employer NI or pension to run.
Where partner time goes

Admin that should never reach a senior desk

Most practices we speak to are not short of technical skill. They are short of hours, because qualified people spend their week on work that needs care and accuracy but not their judgement.

  1. Chasing ID so an AML file can close

    New clients wait for engagement because proof of identity and address is still sitting in someone's inbox.

  2. Checking portals after hours

    Agent authorisations, filing statuses and HMRC correspondence get looked at in the evening because the day was full.

  3. Quarterly MTD records arriving late

    Making Tax Digital for Income Tax means four updates a year per client, and the chasing lands on the same people who do the tax work.

  4. Invoices going out a month behind

    Billing slips while client work takes priority, and cash flow pays for it.

What we take off your desk

Day-to-day operations, covered

The recurring, time-consuming work that keeps senior staff from billable advisory hours, grouped the way your practice runs it.

Compliance and regulatory

Tax and reporting preparation

Client and practice admin

View all services and what each includes
Getting started

Three steps to handover

Most practices move from first call to live work within the first couple of weeks.

  1. Scope the handover

    We go through the tasks you want off your team's desk, how your practice does them today, and how you want work reported back.

  2. Set up access

    You issue logins to your own systems and agent portals, so access is visible to you and can be removed at any time. We learn your templates and checklists.

  3. Run the work

    Tasks run on an agreed weekly rhythm. Anything that needs a professional decision comes back to your team for review before it goes out.

Who does what

We do the preparation. You keep the judgement.

Regulated decisions stay with your practice. That keeps your professional and AML responsibilities exactly where your supervisor expects them.

We handle

  • Collecting ID, address and source-of-funds documents, and running checks in your AML tool
  • Preparing Companies House filings and HMRC forms from your client records
  • Drafting penalty appeals with the supporting evidence attached
  • Chasing and categorising MTD quarterly records
  • Bank reconciliations and payroll inputs
  • Onboarding packs, first-line client emails and invoicing

Your practice keeps

  • Risk assessment and the AML decision to accept a client
  • Review and approval of anything filed with HMRC or Companies House
  • Submission under your agent credentials
  • Tax advice and client relationships
  • Your engagement letters and fee decisions
  • Final say on every process we follow
The cost of a local hire

What an in-house admin role really costs

Salary is only the start. Employer National Insurance and pension contributions sit on top, before recruitment, equipment, software seats and holiday cover.

When you engage us, you pay for the hours your tasks need. We are a supplier to your practice, so there is no payroll, employer NI or pension to run, and no recruitment if workload changes.

Get a quote for your task list
Worked example using an illustrative £26,000 salary and 2026/27 rates: employer NI at 15% above £5,000; employer pension at the 3% auto-enrolment minimum on earnings between £6,240 and £50,270. If your practice can claim Employment Allowance, the NI line may be lower.
Cost of one in-house hirePer year
Example salary£26,000
Employer National Insurance£3,150
Employer pension contribution£593
Recruitment, equipment, software seat, desk space, holiday and sickness coverOn top
Before overheads£29,743

Sources: GOV.UK rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027; GOV.UK automatic enrolment earnings thresholds review 2026/27.

On your clock

The same working day as your office

Ghana keeps Greenwich Mean Time all year. From late October to late March our hours match London exactly. During British Summer Time we are one hour behind, so the working day still overlaps almost completely.

London09:00Your office opens
Accra, Ghana09:00Our team is at work
Mumbai14:30Afternoon, 5.5 hours ahead
Manila17:00End of day, 8 hours ahead

Same-day answers

Questions raised in the morning are answered the same day. Urgent items get same-day attention.

Live, not overnight

We can join your Teams or Zoom calls in normal hours instead of working from notes left the night before.

Deadline weeks

HMRC and Companies House services are open during our working day, so filings and checks happen while your team can still review them.

Data and continuity

How client data is handled

You are trusting us with your clients' financial records. This is how that trust is protected in practice.

  • Work stays in your systems. We work inside your practice software and portals through logins you issue, so records stay where they already live.
  • Secure connections. Access runs through secure connections, with GDPR-conscious handling procedures throughout.
  • Access you control. Because the logins are yours, you can see who has access and remove it at any time.
  • Built for continuity. Dual-fibre internet and backup power keep work moving through local outages, so deadlines are not at the mercy of a power cut.
  • Agreed in writing. Before access is set up, we agree what data we handle, for which tasks, and how it is reported back.
Working in your systems

Familiar with the tools you already use

No new software for your team to learn. We fit around the stack you have.

  • QuickBooks
  • Bright Manager
  • Staffology
  • IRIS
  • HMRC Portal
  • Companies House
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Zoom
  • Monday.com
  • SignWell
Client feedback

What clients say

Excellent service. Provided me with the perfect specialised accountant. Very professional outfit, easy system to deal with. Wouldn't hesitate to use them again

Karen Smoult

I find William and his Virtual Services and Business Advisers helpful and truly professional in the services that they provided to me from the initial enquiry to delivery. The Management Accountant that supported me went the extra mile in providing clear and detailed answers in a timely manner to all the questions that I had raised. My expectations were exceeded, for which I am grateful. I have no hesitation in recommending their services to others.

Biodun Badmas
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can accounting work be outsourced, and what should stay with the practice?

Yes, much of it can. Admin and preparation work such as AML document chasing, HMRC and Companies House portal tasks, penalty appeal drafts, MTD records, bank reconciliations, onboarding and billing can all be handed to an outsourced team. What should stay with the practice is professional judgement: review, client sign-off, AML risk decisions and submitting returns under your own agent credentials.

What does a virtual assistant for accountants do?

A specialist virtual assistant for accountants handles practice admin rather than general diary work. We chase records and ID, prepare drafts and schedules, track HMRC, Companies House and MTD deadlines and answer routine client queries, all inside your practice software through logins you issue. Your team reviews and approves anything that leaves the firm. More on our accounting VA support.

Do you provide outsourced bookkeeping for accountants?

We support your bookkeeping rather than replace it: bank reconciliations, transaction categorisation, payroll input preparation and records chasing, carried out in the software you already use, such as QuickBooks, IRIS or Staffology. Your accountants keep the review, the adjustments and the final accounts, so the work stays under your practice's quality control.

Can you outsource AML checks?

You can outsource the administration, but not the responsibility. Under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 your firm remains liable for customer due diligence and decides whether to take on a client. We collect ID and supporting documents, run checks in your AML tool, file the evidence, diarise ongoing monitoring and flag anything unusual for your MLRO. How our AML support works.

Is outsourcing GDPR compliant if client data is handled outside the UK?

It can be, when the arrangement is set up properly. Your practice stays the data controller and the work needs written processing terms. Because Ghana has no UK adequacy decision, the transfer also needs a recognised safeguard, such as the ICO's International Data Transfer Agreement. We agree the terms in writing before access is set up, and work inside your systems so client files stay in your software.

Is Ghana in the same time zone as the UK?

Ghana uses Greenwich Mean Time all year and does not change its clocks. From late October to late March our working day matches the UK exactly, and during British Summer Time we are one hour behind London. In practice that means same-day replies, live calls during your office hours and no overnight handovers.

If you can't find the answer you are looking for, call or email us and we will be glad to help.

Get in touch

Tell us the three jobs taking most of your team's time

We will come back within one working day with how we would run them and what it would cost.