Services

Frequently Asked Questions About Our Services

What accounting and financial services does FD Works provide?

FD Works provides an integrated suite of accounting, finance, and advisory services built to scale with ambitious businesses. Our core services span four key areas:

• Outsourced Finance Department: Complete operational finance including day-to-day bookkeeping, automated receipt capture, supplier payment runs via Telleroo, payroll and pensions through Paycircle, VAT returns, and credit control.
• Advisory Services: Strategic finance led by experienced Fractional CFOs, driver-based cash flow forecasting, budgeting, board reporting packs, and exit planning.
• Scaling Services: Specialized support for high-growth ventures, including SEIS and EIS advance assurance, HMRC-approved EMI share option schemes, cap table management, and R&D tax credit claims.
• Tools & Technology: Bespoke systems architecture, financial modeling, tech stack audits, revenue recognition automation, and seamless migrations to Xero.

How do your service level packages (Foundation, Clarity, Focus) differ?

We structure our services into three distinct, transparent tiers to align with your current operational complexity and budget:

• Level 1 (Foundation): Covers all your essential legal, statutory, and tax compliance. This includes monthly bookkeeping in Xero, VAT returns, payroll processing, and statutory annual accounts.
• Level 2 (Clarity): Adds deeper financial insights to compliance. You receive monthly revenue recognition, structured quarterly Health Checks, and proactive management accounts to help you spot opportunities and eliminate financial blind spots.
• Level 3 (Focus): Provides dedicated Fractional Finance Director (CFO) leadership, driver-based 3-way financial modeling, rolling cash flow forecasts, and investor-ready board reporting to guide high-stakes strategic decisions.

Can we upgrade or adjust our service level package as our business grows?

Yes, absolutely. Our service packages are designed with complete flexibility. We recognise that business needs evolve rapidly—whether you are closing an investment round, expanding your team, or entering new markets. Through our regular quarterly cadence check-ins, we review your operational requirements, transaction volumes, and strategic goals. You can seamlessly transition between Foundation, Clarity, and Focus, or incorporate targeted scaling projects (such as EMI share schemes or R&D tax credit submissions) whenever required.

How does the cadence of monthly, quarterly, and annual support work?

Our structured cadence ensures your financial records remain accurate and actionable 12 months a year, rather than just at year-end:

• Monthly: We continuously reconcile your transactions in Xero, process payroll, and apply proper revenue recognition so your financial dashboard reflects true commercial performance, not just cash in the bank.
• Quarterly: We conduct structured check-ins—ranging from light-touch Health Checks to comprehensive Management Accounts reviews—to analyse margins, monitor cash runways, and address emerging risks before they escalate.
• Annually: Because your finances are reconciled and verified throughout the year, we deliver draft statutory year-end accounts within 3 months of your financial year-end, giving you clear foresight for tax liabilities and forward planning.

How does an outsourced finance department compare to hiring an in-house team?

Building an equivalent in-house finance team requires recruiting and managing multiple specialized roles—a bookkeeper, payroll administrator, management accountant, and a senior Finance Director (who command £100k+ salaries alone). You also bear the overheads of employer National Insurance, pension contributions, recruitment fees, software licenses, and the vulnerability of key-person absence. With FD Works, you gain access to an entire multidisciplinary team and seasoned fractional CFO leadership at a fraction of the cost, backed by resilient continuity, institutional knowledge, and robust internal controls.

What cloud accounting software and tech stack does FD Works use?

FD Works is an award-winning Xero Platinum Partner firm, with Founder Jonathan Gaunt recognised as Most Valuable Professional at the Xero Awards 2024. We build cloud-first, automated accounting ecosystems tailored to your specific workflows. We integrate Xero with best-in-class applications including Dext for frictionless digital receipt capture, Telleroo for secure batch supplier and payroll disbursements, Paycircle for automated payroll, and custom financial modeling engines. If your existing systems are disjointed or hosted on legacy software, we manage the complete migration and API integrations.

How do we transition our accounting from our current provider to FD Works?

Switching to FD Works is straightforward, structured, and causes zero operational downtime. Once you decide to partner with us, we manage the handover process end-to-end: we contact your previous accountant to request professional clearance and all handover documentation, conduct a thorough audit of your historical ledger data and chart of accounts, and configure your cloud tools. In our initial Discovery & Shaping phase, we establish clear control frameworks and align on key performance indicators, ensuring an effortless transition from day one.