Got Questions? We've Got Answers!
Find answers to frequently asked questions about Outbooks policies, processes and services.
Once you sign the agreement, our team will request all the documents required for the job. The papers are required to be shared digitally as only then can we access the paperwork that we need to complete the work.
You can share the paperwork using either of these ways:
- If you use a document processing platform such as Dext, Hubdoc, AutoEntry or any any other similar platform, you can upload your paperwork there or you can invite us using an Outbooks generic email address or you can create a dedicated email under your own domain and give us access through that. Most of these platforms connect with email and WhatsApp so you can also directly upload the required papers through these channels and the platform collects them automatically.
- If you store your documents in cloud storage such as Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox or any such platform you can store the paperwork in a client-specific folder and share that folder with us.
- If your files are on a local server, you will have to give us access using some remote desktop or VPN solution so that we can access folder on your local server.
- If any paperwork is in physical, form someone at your end scans it and uploads it to your server or storage platform and we access it from there.
Because of our strict adherence to GDPR policies, we only use the software that is licensed to you, the software which you and your team is already using. You can invite us to your software platforms using either of the following ways:
- For cloud-based software, you can add us as a user and send an invitation to an Outbooks generic email address. If your firm requires us to hold your company’s email address, you create a dedicated email address under your own domain and share those credentials with us.
- For desktop software, you can provide access through remote desktop tools such as Microsoft default remote desktop application, AnyDesk, TeamViewer or any similar tool, and then we can work directly within your software. If remote desktop is not something your practice is comfortable with, you can share the database credentials, server details and connection information with us, and we connect to the data directly using those.
Everything is agreed before we begin and handled in line with your firm's security requirements.
There are three pricing structures and you choose the one that suits your practice.
- The first is Hourly. You provide a budgeted number of hours, we complete the work within that budget and invoice based on hours used. If no budget is set, we work as efficiently as possible and charge for actual hours consumed.
- The second is a Fixed Monthly Fee. We agree a defined scope and volume of work, which can include bookkeeping, VAT returns, year-end accounts, CT returns, payroll or personal tax returns. You pay a single fixed fee for that volume each month, making cost predictable and easy to plan around.
- The third is a Dedicated Team Member. We allocate a specific staff member to your practice and charge a fixed monthly fee for that member. This suits practices with a consistent ongoing workload that benefits from the same person handling their jobs each month.
We prepare the reports. For instance, for Year End Statutory Accounts, this can include producing working papers, drafting the accounts and CT return, filing with HMRC and Companies House, making opening balance adjustments and more.
However, we don’t send these reports directly to your end clients. We hand over the completed report/work to you and then you can send these further to the clients. The client relationship stays with your practice at all times.
Outsourcing lets you add capacity. Your work gets done quickly and efficiently, you get ready-to- use reports and the work is handled by a trained team, with faster turnaround on routine jobs and the capacity to absorb busy periods such as Self Assessment season.
It improves operational efficiency too, because the jobs move on a predictable schedule rather than competing with everything else on your desk. The team runs on UK working hours, so work progresses in step with your day and savings reach up to 50% on cost.
That frees your time to focus on the core work of your business or practice, while your records stay accurate, up to date and handled through GDPR-compliant controls.
We are helping UK accountants and businesses since 2011 and from a start of six people we are now a team of more than 500, headquartered in the UK with offices in London, Australia and India. We are supporting over 150 practices and 25,000 end clients.
With more than 15 years of industry expertise, our accountants are trained to UK standards and are updated with UK reporting requirements regularly through our in-house training team. Whoever works on your task, an independent quality assurance team reviews the output before it reaches you, so that the standard is maintained.
We are an ACCA Approved Employer and has been recognised with ACCA award for Innovation in Learning and Development 2025-26. You get flexible capacity that scales with your requirements, with no long-term commitment, dedicated offshore support and savings of up to 50% on cost. Your data is protected, with GDPR-compliant controls over how your information is stored and shared.
Our team member receives 24 leaves per year.
Our team brings together qualifications and hands-on experience. It includes ACCA-qualified professionals, qualified Indian Chartered Accountants now working in the UK market and commerce graduates, alongside experienced accountants who have built their knowledge through years of working on UK accounts.
Everyone is trained to UK standards and are updated with current and upcoming UK accounting regulations.
On top of that, whoever completes your job, an independent quality assurance team reviews the output before it reaches you. That means the standard stays consistent in every output that we deliver.
PAYG/Fixed Fee/Managed Service: We allocate a dedicated Account Manager, single point of contact, for your practice. This Account Manager generally has a team of 5 to 6 individuals working for them. Account Manager will choose two individuals in their team to work on your jobs. One individual is the main processor and the other one is shadow or contingent resource. Account Manager will review the job and then pass it on to independent quality assurance team that reviews the work before it reaches you.
FTE/Staff Augmentation: Your dedicated team member who will be allocated to your account will be working on the jobs. You can set up daily calls, meetings as you wish with them.
Once you sign the onboarding paperwork, you will be introduced to your AM or the FTE. During the onboarding call, account manager or FTE will discuss the workflow, process and other delivery related details and agree timelines and deadlines.
Yes. With a team of more than 500, we can handle the work and can easily add capacity. Our flexible models are built for this kind of seasonal need.
You can outsource a single service or as many as you need. There is no minimum requirement in this part, you can choose to outsource the services you want to basis on your requirement.
Staff augmentation means adding dedicated professionals to your existing team, while your business/practice manages their day to day work and responsibilities. Outsourcing means handing an entire function or process to us, with our team managing the people, the process and the delivery on your behalf.
The main difference is control. With staff augmentation, you manage the resource. With outsourcing, we manage both the resource.
Yes. We can manage payroll for your clients or for your own employees, from setup and processing to year-end and pension administration.
We serve all the major industries across UK.
Yes. We can can file Self Assessment tax returns on your behalf using your credentials, covering income from property, capital gains, dividends, salary and foreign income.
Yes. We prepare statutory year-end accounts and corporation tax returns for accountants.
Our team works across the main UK accounting software, including Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, IRIS, TaxCalc, FreeAgent, KashFlow, Nomi, CCH, Absolute, Digita and more. We are also Xero and QuickBooks certified.
Yes. Because of our strict adherence to GDPR policies, we only work in the software that is licensed to you, the software already used by you and your team. We never move you onto a new platform, since your data stays within your own systems rather than being copied across to ours. In practice, we work much like a member of your team working from home, using the same systems you already use.
How we get access depends on the type of software. For cloud-based software, you add us as a user and send an invitation to an Outbooks email address. If your firm requires all users to hold a company email address, you create a dedicated one under your own domain and share those login details with us.
For desktop software, you provide access through remote desktop tools such as the Microsoft default Remote Desktop application, AnyDesk, TeamViewer or any similar tool, and we work directly within your existing environment. If remote desktop is not something your practice is comfortable with, you can share the database credentials, server details and connection information with us, and we connect to the data directly using those.
Yes. Protecting your data is central to how we work and we are fully GDPR compliant. Your records are stored on the servers located within the UK, reachable only through secure VPN connections and access is limited to the team members who require it for their work. All transfers run through secure, encrypted channels and are actively monitored, with uploads and downloads restricted to authorised routes only.
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We help accountants and businesses scale their work quickly and efficiently.