FD-LED OUTSOURCED ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT
Your Outsourced Accounts Department, Run to Finance Director Standards
Accurate books, on-time VAT returns and monthly management accounts for UK SMEs turning over £1m to £20m+.
Led by Kimberley Lock, a Chartered Certified Accountant with 20+ years of senior finance experience.
Chartered Certified Accountant (FCCA)
AAT Licensed Accountant
Xero, QuickBooks & Sage
Somerset based, covering the whole of the UK
What is an Outsourced Accounts Department?
An outsourced accounts department runs your day-to-day finance function for a fixed monthly fee: Bookkeeping, sales and purchase ledgers, VAT returns and monthly management accounts.
At Lock & Ledger it is FD-Led, so every month's numbers are checked by a Chartered Certified Accountant with Finance Director experience before they reach you, not just processed
What's Included
Everything your business needs from a finance office, except payroll.
Bookkeeping & Bank Reconciliations
Transactions processed weekly or monthly, bank and card accounts reconciled and receipts captured digitally. Your books stay current, not caught up at quarter end.
Monthly Management Accounts
Profit and loss, balance sheet, cash position and KPI commentary, delivered by working day 15 each month.
Numbers you can run the business on.
VAT Returns & Making Tax Digital
Quarterly VAT returns prepared, reconciled and submitted through MTD-compatible software, with clear notice of what you owe and when.
Credit Control & Sales Ledger
Invoices raised, debtors chased and aged debt reported, so cash comes in on time.
Purchase Ledger & Supplier Payments
Bills processed, approval routes set up and payment runs prepared, with supplier statements reconciled.
Year End File & Audit Prep
Reconciled books and a complete working papers file, handed to your accountant or auditor so year end runs faster.
Cloud Accounting Setup & Migration
Xero or QuickBooks set up properly, with bank feeds, app integration and a chart of accounts that suit your reporting.
What We Do Not Do
Payroll: We work alongside your existing payroll provider and post the payroll journals into your books, so your management accounts stay complete.
Statutory accounts and corporation tax returns: We prepare the year end file and working papers. Your accountant or auditor prepares and files the statutory accounts and CT600.
Who It's For
Owner-managed businesses turning over £1m to £20m+ that need more than a bookkeeper but not yet a full in-house finance team.
-
Businesses that have outgrown a part-time bookkeeper
-
Teams covering a finance vacancy, long-term absence or maternity leave
-
Owners who want monthly numbers, not a year end surprise
-
Businesses moving from spreadsheets or desktop software to Xero or QuickBooks
-
Companies preparing for growth, funding or audit that need clean books first
How It Works
1
Discovery Call
A free call to understand your business, your systems and what you need each month.
2
Health Check and Onboarding
We review your books, fix historic issues and agree a fixed monthly timetable and scope.
3
Monthly Close
Bookkeeping, reconciliations and ledgers kept current, with management accounts delivered by working day 15.
4
FD Review
Every month's figures are reviewed by a Chartered Certified Accountant at Finance Director level, with issues and opportunities flagged in plain English.
Why an FD-Led Accounts Department?
The difference is who checks the numbers before you see them.
The Results Behind Our Approach
CASE STUDY - MANUFACTURING
Debtor Days
How tighter controls and sales ledger discipline brought cash in faster for a UK manufacturer.
CASE STUDY - ENGINEERING
Financial Foundations
How rebuilt reporting and month-end processes gave an engineering business numbers it could trust.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an outsourced accounts department cost? Packages start from £495 + VAT per month. Your fixed monthly fee depends on your transaction volume, number of bank accounts and which package you choose, and is confirmed in writing after a free discovery call.
Do you do payroll? No. We work alongside your existing payroll provider and post the payroll journals into your accounts, so your management accounts stay complete.
Which accounting software do you use? We work in Xero and QuickBooks. If you use another package or spreadsheets, we can migrate you as part of onboarding.
Do you prepare statutory accounts and corporation tax returns? We prepare a complete year end file and working papers for your accountant or auditor, who prepares and files the statutory accounts and corporation tax return. A clean file reduces the time they need to spend.
How is this different from a bookkeeper? A bookkeeper records transactions. An FD-led accounts department also produces monthly management accounts with commentary, reviewed by a Chartered Certified Accountant at Finance Director level, so problems with cash or margin are spotted early rather than at year end.