Our fees depend on the work your file requires. Here is how we set them, followed by an estimator that gives you a first order of magnitude.
How we set your budget
Preparing and supporting a set of accounts means, among other things, dealing with each accounting cycle: cash and financing, purchases and suppliers, sales and customers, fixed assets, equity and provisions, taxes, and where relevant stock and payroll costs. This foundation sets a minimum budget, which then varies according to:
- The frequency of your tax obligations: annual, quarterly or monthly
- The volume of transactions to process and check
- The cycles involved: employees, stock, fixed assets, loans…
- Technicality: contracts, provisions, international or exceptional transactions
- The time spent on exchanges your file requires
- The split of tasks between you and the firm
It takes the form of an annual budget paid monthly, based on the information you give us: volume of transactions, activities, employees, organisation. We regularly monitor the time actually spent on your file and review it with you at the latest when the annual accounts are prepared. If your activity turns out to be larger than expected or involves more complex transactions, your budget is reviewed: we tell you as soon as we notice it and present the details of the adjustment before invoicing. Conversely, a more autonomous organisation on your side can lighten your budget.
It is also a safeguard for you: a budget in line with the real workload means your file gets the time it needs to be handled on time, with the rigour it deserves.
A first indication of budget
Estimate your accounting and tax budget in a few questions
The accounting and tax engagement generally covers bookkeeping and review, annual accounts (balance sheet, income statement, notes), the corporate tax return and income statement for tax, and VAT returns; its exact scope is set by the engagement letter.
This estimator, purely indicative and not binding, cannot take every specific feature of a file into account: international operations (imports, exports, intra-EU trade), special tax schemes, group membership, several establishments, research and analysis needed to qualify some transactions…
No personal data is requested.
Budgets for support in English include the time needed to explain the French environment and relate it to your own practices, more extensive client identification (KYC) and a bilingual team.
In the first year, set-up fees for your file may apply; they are specified in our proposal.
Indicative, non-binding estimate for the accounting and tax engagement defined in the engagement letter: excluding specific features of your file and exceptional operations, and excluding additional services (payroll, corporate…) quoted separately.
This estimate is a starting point: at the introductory meeting, we refine it together according to your file, up or down, before sending you a written proposal.
Receive the details of your estimate
The line-by-line calculation based on your answers, what the engagement includes and does not include, and the levers to lighten your budget. The details are displayed immediately and also sent to you by email.
Good to know
- Budgets are shown excluding VAT (20% VAT on top) and are indicative: only the chartered accountant’s proposal is binding.
- In the first year, set-up fees for your file may apply: review of your articles of association and history, set-up of the file and tools (secure space, bank feeds), organisation of exchanges. They are specified in our proposal.
- Exceptional transactions are subject to separate fees, announced before any work.
- Each file has its own fees, set by its engagement letter: these indications cannot be transposed from one file to another.
- The engagement letter sets out the split of work between you and the firm: some items always remain your responsibility.
Already have an accountant?
You can change firm at any time, and we organise the transition with you:
- You sign the engagement letter online, by electronic signature.
- You inform your current firm, respecting the agreed notice period: we provide an example letter pre-filled with your details, to adapt to your situation.
- We contact your previous accountant, as the profession’s rules require, and obtain what we need: accounts and tax returns, trial balance, general ledger, accounting entries file (FEC), returns in progress.
- We check the deadlines in progress and present a takeover timetable.
Your fees, optimised by your organisation
- Tools to be autonomous Invoice upload platform, invoicing app on your smartphone, practical guides.
- Commitments kept Documents sent regularly and quick answers to our questions.
- A fair budget Less time spent on your file: at the annual review, your budget can be adjusted, including downwards.
Is our support right for you?
It will suit you particularly if you want:
- an available chartered accountant who follows your file over time;
- to anticipate your deadlines and steer your business with reliable figures;
- support at key stages: first hire, investment, growth, handover.
Our positioning is ongoing support, with fees set as fairly as possible according to the work your file requires. To compare, the most reliable basis is our written proposal, for an equivalent scope: a budget can only be judged against the work it covers. If you expect closer follow-up, we can provide that too.
Specific situations. Some files call for very specific expertise. We discuss it openly from the first conversation and, when it is in your interest, we refer you to the colleague or professional best placed to help, independently.
Check in two minutes whether our support suits you.
What you receive in practice
Each business owner has their own needs: your engagement letter sets out what is planned for your file.
With the accounting and tax engagement
- Your chartered accountant as single point of contact, whatever the subject: they know your file and assess with you the accounting, tax, social and legal consequences of your questions.
- Your VAT and profit tax returns, prepared and filed on time, at the frequency of your regime: monthly, quarterly or annual. Your documents are sent at the same frequency.
- The amount of your instalments (corporate tax, VAT…), indicated with the final return they derive from.
- Your annual accounts (balance sheet, income statement, notes) and tax return package, with a presentation booklet of the annual accounts.
- A discussion of your accounts at year end, whenever they include important points to share with you.
- A secure document space and synchronised bank entries, always reviewed by a professional.
Depending on your needs
Interim accounts and commented dashboards, monthly general ledger and trial balance or reporting in your group’s format, payslips and social filings, approval of the accounts, a package of advisory hours: your engagement can be completed by the services below.
Additional services, quoted for each need
Depending on your needs, your accounting and tax engagement can be completed by dedicated services, always proposed and quoted in advance.
Payroll and HR filings
Set-up or takeover of the payroll file, monthly payslips (price per payslip), DSN filings, staff arrivals and departures. Learn more
Annual corporate work
Approval of the accounts, minutes, filing with the commercial court registry. Learn more
Exceptional corporate work
Dividend distributions, changes to the articles, transfer of registered office, capital transactions.
Interim accounts
Closings during the year and dashboards to steer your business, quoted. Learn more
Package of advisory hours
For the businesses we support: a dedicated volume of hours for your questions, depending on their technicality or volume.
Forecast and business plan
Support in building the financial part of your project. Learn more
Bringing accounts up to date
Late accounts or returns: an update at the start of the engagement, before ongoing follow-up of your accounts. Learn more
The steps of working together
- Introductory meeting Free and without obligation: we introduce ourselves to each other, frame your needs and check together that our support suits you.
- Prompt written proposal Usually within 2 working days, once we have the information we need: scope of work, split of tasks, timetable and budget.
- Engagement letter, signed online It sets out our mutual commitments, the services and the fees. Electronic signature avoids any printing, and set-up starts as soon as it is received.
- Set-up Takeover of the file from your previous firm, secure space, bank feeds.
- Ongoing follow-up Accounts, returns and regular monitoring of your budget.
See also our collaboration charter: the mutual commitments behind a smooth relationship.
Our tools
Secure document space, bank feeds, a platform centralising your purchase and sales invoices that is compatible with e-invoicing, an invoicing app, electronic signature, video calls: we use modern, secure tools and adapt to the ones you already use whenever possible. Pre-accounting and bank entries are automated, but always checked by a professional: automation saves time, human review secures your accounts. See the tools and platforms we work with
Frequently asked questions
Is the first meeting charged?
No. It is a mutual introductory meeting, free and without obligation: we get to know each other, frame your needs and check that our support suits you. It is not a consultation: tailored advice and recommendations are part of an engagement, formalised by a proposal and then an engagement letter.
How much does an accountant cost in France?
It depends on the work your file requires: VAT frequency, volume of transactions, employees, technicality. The estimator on this page gives you a first order of magnitude; your budget is set with the chartered accountant at the introductory meeting.
Why can there be a difference between your fees in French and in English?
Support in English requires more time and technicality: the time needed to explain the French environment and relate it to your own practices, client identification checks (KYC) that are often more extensive, especially when partners or funds come from abroad, and skilled bilingual staff, who are rarer and therefore more costly.
Why does a business with employees cost more, even if payroll is done elsewhere?
Payroll costs are an accounting cycle in their own right: they must be recorded, checked and supported in the balance sheet, whoever prepares the payslips.
Can my budget change?
Yes. Your budget is based on the information you give us. If your activity turns out to be larger than expected (volume of transactions, new activity, new employees…) or involves more complex transactions, it is reviewed: we tell you as soon as we notice it and present the details of the adjustment before invoicing. Conversely, a more autonomous organisation on your side can lighten your budget.
Do I have to take all your services?
No. Our services are à la carte: we tell you what your obligations require, propose what we can take on, and you choose.
Can I get an opinion on a specific question without an engagement?
We reserve our opinions for the businesses we support: reliable advice requires good knowledge of your file, your activity and your history. The introductory meeting lets us check whether our support suits you.