How to choose an outsourced accounts production provider: twenty questions

Twenty questions to put to any provider, grouped by people, work, money, data and relationship, with what a good answer looks like and a scoring sheet.

22 September 202611 minute read

Provider websites read alike: in our September 2026 audit of 68 sites, 56% use the word "dedicated", 75% carry testimonials and 26% offer a free trial. None of that separates one from another.
The questions that do are about the people, the work, the money, the data and the relationship. There are twenty of them below, each with what a good answer looks like.
Score the answers, weight the people and the work highest, and then run twenty sets as a pilot before you commit.
Ask every provider the same questions in writing. The ones that answer plainly are the ones to shortlist.

Why the websites all read the same

We captured the home page and pricing page of every UK-facing accountancy outsourcing provider we could find on 21 September 2026: 76 other companies, of which 68 were readable that day. The full table is on the provider comparison page. On those 68 sites, 56% use the word "dedicated", 75% carry testimonials, 26% offer a free trial or pilot, 32% mention AI, 32% mention GDPR and 13% mention ISO 27001. ACCA is mentioned by 13%, ICAEW by 3% and AAT by none. Eleven publish a price.

So the words on the site are the entry ticket to the market. What separates providers is what they say when you ask the questions the site does not answer. Ask all twenty, in writing, of every provider on your list, and keep the answers side by side.

The people

Who employs the person who will do my work? A good answer names the employer and the office. Direct employees in the provider's own office are one thing; freelancers on a platform, or staff supplied by a third party, are another, and the difference shows in turnover and in who is accountable when something goes wrong.
Where do they sit, and what are their working hours in UK time? A good answer is a city and a shift pattern. India is four and a half to five and a half hours ahead, the Philippines seven to eight, South Africa one to two. Ask whether the hours quoted are a day shift in the person's own time zone or a shift arranged to match yours.
What are they qualified in, and who trained them on UK standards? A good answer names the home qualification, the UK training and how many UK sets the person has prepared. Country averages tell you nothing about the individual.
Can I interview the person before I commit? A good answer is yes, on a video call, with the actual preparer.
What happens when the person is off, or leaves? A good answer describes the cover for leave, the handover period on a departure, and who bears the cost of the dip while a replacement learns your clients.

The work

Is the work done in my software, under my logins? A good answer is yes, and names the packages the team works in daily. An export to the provider's own system means a copy of your client records sits abroad and the file is theirs if the arrangement ends.
What working-papers standard do you use? A good answer is "yours, and if you do not have one, here is ours", with a sample file: lead schedules, cross-references, a query log and a review notes sheet. Our working papers guide sets out what to look for in the sample.
Who reviews the work before it reaches me? A good answer names the reviewer's qualification and confirms the preparer and the reviewer are different people. If the answer is that you review, price your own time into the comparison.
How long does a set take, and what changes in January? A good answer gives a turnaround for a straightforward set from clean records, says how an estimate is given for a messy one, and explains how the peak is staffed.
How do queries reach me? A good answer is one list per job, each query with a date the answer is needed by, and a choice about whether the list goes to the client from you or from the preparer.

The money

Is the price per job, per hour, per person or per seat, and what does it include? A good answer is a written price with the seven items from our costs guide marked as included or extra: preparation, queries, review, cover, continuity, management and software.
What is the notice period, and is there a minimum term or a set-up fee? A good answer is a month's notice on a rolling monthly arrangement, or a clear reason for anything longer.
How are hours recorded, and can I see them as they are used? A good answer is a portal or a report you can open any day, showing hours against the seat or the job.
When does the price change? A good answer is a date and a notice period, and confirmation that a change of preparer does not change the price.

The data

Which transfer mechanism covers my client data? A good answer names the International Data Transfer Agreement or the UK Addendum, and offers the transfer risk assessment and a data-processing agreement before the first file moves. Our data security guide lists what the agreement should cover.
How is access removed when a person leaves? A good answer is named logins, removed the same day, with a list of who currently has access available on request.
What insurance do you carry? A good answer is a professional indemnity certificate with the level of cover and the insurer's name on it.

The relationship

Who do I speak to when something is wrong? A good answer is a named person, their hours in UK time, and what happens if they are not available.
How do I see progress without asking? A good answer is a portal or a weekly report showing each job's stage, its due date and its hours.
Can I speak to two practices like mine that have used you for more than a year? A good answer is two names and their permission to call.

The scoring sheet

Score each answer 0, 1 or 2: 0 for no answer or a vague one, 1 for a clear answer with a gap, 2 for a clear answer you can check. Weight the groups so the people and the work decide the outcome.

Group	Questions	Maximum points	Weight	Weighted maximum
The people	1 to 5	10	3	30
The work	6 to 10	10	3	30
The money	11 to 14	8	2	16
The data	15 to 17	6	2	12
The relationship	18 to 20	6	2	12
Total				100

A provider that scores a 0 on questions 1, 6, 8 or 15 comes off the list whatever the total, because those four decide who is accountable, where your data is, and whether the work is checked. Between two providers that both clear 70, price decides, and the costs guide shows how to compare two quotes on the same hours and scope.

Then run twenty sets

Scores on paper get you to a shortlist of two. A pilot decides. Send twenty sets that represent your book, with a handover pack for each, and count three things: the preparer's hours per set, your review time per set, and the number of review points, comparing the twentieth set with the first. On our figures a set that takes five hours in the first month is closer to three and a half to four by the third. The handover guide sets out the pack and the counting.

How we answer the twenty

The team are our own employees in our own office in Pretoria, one to two hours ahead of the UK all year, working a day shift that covers your working day. Each seat is one named person in one role, and you meet them before you commit. Accounts and tax work is reviewed by our own UK practice before it reaches you, and the preparer and the reviewer are always different people. The work is done in your software under your logins. Queries arrive in one list per job. The price is on the pricing page, billed monthly with a month's notice, and the portal shows the hours as they are used. The data-processing agreement, the transfer paperwork and the insurance certificate are sent before the first file moves. References are available on the call.

Where to start

Copy the twenty questions into an email and send them to everyone on your list, including us at hello@muckin.co.uk. Then put your client numbers into the capacity calculator so the quotes you compare are for the same hours.

Published 22 September 2026. Tax rules and rates change, so check current figures on gov.uk before relying on anything here. This is general information for practice owners and is not advice.

Questions

What questions should I ask an outsourced accounts production provider?

Twenty, in five groups. The people: who employs the preparer, where they sit and their hours in UK time, their qualifications and UK training, whether you can interview them, and what happens when they are off or leave. The work: whose software and logins, the working-papers standard, who reviews before delivery, turnaround and the January plan, and how queries reach you. The money: the price model and what it includes, notice and minimum term, how hours are recorded and when the price changes. The data: the transfer mechanism, how access is removed, and insurance. The relationship: who you speak to, how you see progress, and references from practices like yours.

How do I check who will do the work?

Ask to interview the actual preparer on a video call before you sign, and ask the provider in writing who employs them and where their office is. A good answer names the employer, the city and the shift pattern in UK time. Ask how many UK sets the person has prepared and who trained them on FRS 102 and FRS 105. Then ask what happens when that person is on leave or leaves, and who pays for the dip while a replacement learns your clients. A provider that supplies staff from a platform or a third party will answer differently from one whose people are direct employees in its own office, and the difference shows in turnover.

Should I run a trial before signing with an outsourcing provider?

Yes, with numbers attached. Send twenty sets that represent your book, some clean and some untidy, each with a handover pack of last year's accounts and working papers, the trial balance or the login, the scope and the client's known quirks. Answer the queries list within two days. Count the preparer's hours per set, your own review time per set and the number of review points, and compare the twentieth set with the first. On our figures a set that takes five hours in the first month takes closer to three and a half to four by the third. If the numbers move that way, extend; if they do not, you have the evidence and a month's notice.

What should the contract with an outsourced accounts provider include?

The price and what it includes, item by item: preparation, queries, review, cover, continuity, management and software. The notice period and any minimum term or set-up fee. The working hours in UK time and the turnaround for a straightforward set. Who reviews the work and their qualification. A data-processing agreement, the transfer mechanism for client data leaving the UK, and how access is removed when a person leaves. The provider's professional indemnity cover. And the practice's own responsibilities: it keeps the client, the engagement letter, the final review and the filing. Ask for all of it in writing before the first file moves.

How do I compare an offshore provider with a UK hire?

On cost per hour of finished, reviewed work, with the same scope on both sides. A UK part-qualified costs £44,000 to £52,000 a year all in and delivers about 1,500 productive hours, which is £29 to £34 an hour, with the practice doing the review. A dedicated offshore accountant runs from about £8 to £20 an hour on the published monthly bands, before review; our 160-hour Accounts seat is £16.56 an hour with review by our own UK practice included. A UK hire also gives you a person in the room, client relationships and a future manager, which is worth something the sheet cannot score. Put both numbers beside what you need the person for.

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