Whose books does the office keep?
Small local trade, mostly: shops, workshops, kitchens, single-site practices, sole traders and households with a couple of rental units. Groups with subsidiaries, several currencies or consolidated statements belong with a firm that does that work every week rather than twice a year.
Is the work done in person or at a distance?
In person for the first meeting, for the handover of documents, and again whenever a month refuses to agree. The routine entry and reconciliation happen at the office in between, which is precisely why the round is drawn tightly around it.
How far does the round go?
It is built around the office address and the streets within a short walk or drive of it. If you are unsure whether yours sits inside that circle, ask before you plan anything: the answer is a yes or a no, never a maybe.
The books are months behind. Is that a problem?
It is the most common reason somebody walks in, and it is a job rather than a crisis. Catching up starts from the last month that reconciles and moves forward in order, and it is scoped separately from the monthly work so a backlog stays visible.
Who keeps the documents, and for how long?
You keep the originals unless you ask the office to hold them; either way an indexed copy stays here for the retention period that applies to each kind of record. If you leave, the index and the copies leave with you.
Does the office audit, or advise on tax planning?
No. This is a bookkeeping and payroll office. An audit needs an independent auditor, a return needs the professional who signs it, and anything that amounts to legal or investment advice belongs to somebody licensed to give it. We say which is which rather than blurring the line.
What happens at the end of the year?
The ledger is closed, reconciled and turned into a pack for whoever signs the return, with a note of what was assumed and what is still open. If you already work with an accountant, they receive the pack in the form they ask for.
How is the work agreed?
In writing, before the first month is touched: what is in scope, what is not, which dates are fixed, and what has to reach the office by when. Nothing is billed that was not agreed first, and the scope does not move partway through a month without being written down again.