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• # 54242
• Sat 05 Feb 2011 11:15 AM

Hiya can anyone advise me what is an acceptable time to complete a whole year's accounts? I've recently taken on a job where the accounts are 4 years behind. I have been asked to bring it up to date.

The receipts and invoices have been put in month order but that's about the size of it. I'm still being given additional paperwork as and when the lady finds it. I started out by combining the receipts/invoices into alphabetical then month order so I could find them easier when trying to code to the correct nominal code from cheque books/statements. The lady is NOT VAT registered.

I have set this new job up on Sage, so far I have completed 2006-2007 that is I've reconciled the bank account, credit card both business and personal (the lady uses her personal card to pay for business expenditure too), petty cash, I've analysed the PC and credit card spend using excel as there were quite literally hundreds of cash receipts, all low in value, total cash spend £6.5k so this shows the number involved. I'm ready to submit the account to TB with a backup to the accountant.

This 1 year has taken me 2 and half days or rather 19 hrs I have been based at the client's premises so she knows the hours I've been there. The reason I have posted this is that I came across the previous bookkeepers invoice and she charged £180 to complete 2 years bookkeeping. That means that either I'm really slow or she works for £4.70 per hour!! 

I'd appreciate some feedback



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• Donna
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• # 54244
• Sat 05 Feb 2011 11:20 AM

Hi Donna

Sounds like the previous bookkeeper didn't do a very good job if you're having to do that much work to bring it up to date?? Or her invoice is from more than 4 years ago in which case your client should understand that rates rise!

Has your client actually complained about the hours you've spent on this?

It very much depends on the client how long a years work would take but I have done a lot of work for an accountant recently in a similar vein and the time taken to produce a years accounts has varied from 8 hours to 24 hours depending on the volume of transactions.

Do you need to analyse the cash and card spend in Excel? This sounds like maybe a task that isn't absolutely necessary unless the client has specifically asked for this analysis.

Hope this helps a little
Clare

• Bruton Young Bookkeeping
  
  

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• # 54246
• Sat 05 Feb 2011 11:32 AM

Thanks Clare no the client hasn't complained, but I just can't explain the huge difference in time taken if she asks. She knows my hourly rate and must know the hours I've done so she should have some idea of what my bill should be, when I do submit it.

I do know of the previous bookkeeper she has an awful lot of clients, mainly through a local accountant, she uses excel rather than a computerised package which is why I can't quite believe she can do the job quicker than me when I use Sage.

The reason I analysed the PC and card spend was so I didn't have to enter each receipt onto Sage individually.  I did it on excel then data sorted it and entered 1 figure per category of spend.

Thanks again

• Donna
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• # 54247
• Sat 05 Feb 2011 12:13 PM

Hi Donna,

Seems to me the client knows what to expect, given hours x price.  You worked at her premises so she knew the cost as it was accumulating. I know she hasn't complained but she certainly had the opportunity to as you went along. 

If she does complain, I'd tell her she help keep costs down by organising her paperwork properly. 

In addition to Clare's point - maybe her business has grown from two years ago?


 

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• # 54252
• Sat 05 Feb 2011 03:54 PM

Thanks Tony for replying.

• Donna
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