Advice please!

Finchy01

Hi,
I'm new to this forum and this is my first post...ahh and in some need of guidance!

I work in a small family book-keeping/accounting admin business run by the in-laws and I'm Client Account Manager.
My in-laws are not qualified so we decided I would train with AAT, in which I gained full member status in 2007.

My query is: Am I able to sign off accounts without the need for a qualified Accountant? We have a number of clients from sole traders to limited companies and we use a local Accountant to sign off annual accounts and file to HMRC, Companies House etc. Is this something I could do to offer our clients the 'complete package'? Are there any rules and regs I should be aware of? Do we have to purchase specific software?

Sorry for the 'bamboozle' of questions!

Many Thanks
finchy:confused1:

truecockney

Unfortunately, AAT members can not sign off audited reports. That needs to be done by a Chartered Accountant, however you can examine and sign off the financial accounts for audit exempt charities.

There isn't any specific software, as far as I know, as long as you can complete the final accounts to Companies House standard.

Bluewednesday

truecockney wrote: »

Unfortunately, AAT members can not sign off audited reports. That needs to be done by a Chartered Accountant, however you can examine and sign off the financial accounts for audit exempt charities.

There isn't any specific software, as far as I know, as long as you can complete the final accounts to Companies House standard.

That's not completely true, audited accounts must be signed off by a registered auditor not a chartered accountant!

Accounts don't have to be signed off by an accountant, they are signed by the directors, but I wouldn't undertake the work unless you have experience of it.

You can practice under AAT's MIP but they will require you to have experience before they will allow you to have a licence.

[Deleted User]

So an AAT can prepare and submit the accounts for any business but if the business needed an audit, an auditor would do this separately?

Bluewednesday

Yep