Is my accountant doing enough?
How often should my accountant be in touch?
How often you hear from your accountant depends on what you agreed with them. If you expect more contact than you get, start by checking that agreement.
The short answer
We have not found any official standard for how often an accountant should contact a client. It depends on the work in your engagement letter and the level of service you pay for. If you expected more contact than you get, check what was agreed, then ask your accountant directly.
What decides how often you hear from them
Contact follows the work you agreed. ACCA says the letter of engagement should set out the work to be performed and the basis on which fees will be charged.1 If that work is a set of year-end accounts and a tax return, contact may cluster around those deadlines. If it includes monthly figures or regular meetings, you would expect to hear from them more.
Look in your engagement letter for:
- what work is included, and how often it is done (yearly, quarterly, monthly)
- whether meetings, calls or advice during the year are included or charged extra
- any response times the firm has promised
What contact can look like
This table is our judgement of how contact can follow the work agreed. It is not a rule or a professional standard, and your arrangement may differ.
| Work agreed | Contact you might expect |
|---|---|
| Year-end accounts and tax returns only | Before and after each year-end, asking for records and going through the accounts and tax due |
| VAT returns as well | Around each VAT return, plus the year-end contact |
| Payroll as well | Each pay period, mostly about pay and staff changes |
| Management accounts | Each month or quarter when the figures are sent, ideally with a short conversation about them |
| Regular advice or a part-time finance director | Planned meetings during the year, as set out in the agreement |
Beyond what you agreed, it is reasonable to expect a reply when you ask a question, and a warning when a deadline is coming that needs something from you. How quickly is something to agree with your accountant.
For the standard we describe for contact during the year, see How often your accountant should be in touch.
If the contact is not happening
- Check what was agreed. If the contact you expect is in your engagement letter, you have something specific to point to.
- Ask in writing. Say what contact you expected and ask what they can offer. Some firms provide regular meetings or figures during the year if asked, sometimes for an extra fee.
- Agree it. If you want more contact, ask for it to be added to the engagement letter, with any change in fee.
- If replies have stopped, see My accountant isn't responding.
- If they cannot offer what you need, you can choose to change accountant, subject to any notice period or other terms. See Have I outgrown my accountant?
Sources
- ACCA, "Obtaining professional work" guidance factsheet, issued 1 July 2025, section "Letters of engagement". accaglobal.com. Checked 12 October 2026.