These Terms of Service set out the basis on which Abacus Homedale LLC provides bookkeeping and household account services. The company operates from 4543 S Holladay Blvd, Holladay - 84117-4425, United States (US) and can be reached at service@abacushomedale.mom or on +17315194807.
By using this website, sending an enquiry or accepting an engagement letter, a client agrees to these terms so far as they apply to the work described. Where an engagement letter differs from these terms, the engagement letter prevails for the work it covers. Where these terms conflict with a law that cannot be excluded, the law prevails and the remaining terms continue in force.
A person who accepts these terms on behalf of a firm confirms that they have authority to bind that firm. A person who accepts them for a household confirms that they are entitled to share the records of that household for bookkeeping purposes and will inform other members of the household where their information is involved.
The practice provides six categories of account work, each described on the services page. In summary, they are ledger setup and review, monthly billing desks, receipt filing help, budget coaching sessions, year end summaries and payroll filing support.
The work is clerical and bookkeeping in nature. It involves reading documents, sorting them, entering figures, reconciling accounts, preparing invoices, drafting summaries and organising paperwork. It does not include audit, attestation, formal financial statements prepared under a reporting framework, investment advice, insolvency work or legal representation.
Each service stands alone. A client may engage one category without the others, and the practice may decline a category that falls outside its competence or capacity. Some work naturally depends on another, for example a year end summary depends on a ledger that has been kept in order through the year. Where one service is a precondition for another, that dependency will be explained before the work begins.
No contract arises from browsing this website or from sending a general question. A contract is formed only when an engagement letter has been agreed and, where the practice requires it, a deposit has been received.
An engagement letter records the client, the services selected, the period covered, the fee basis, the records to be supplied and the expected timing of the work. It also records any special limitation agreed between the parties, for example a restriction on where records may be stored or a requirement that certain documents remain in paper form only.
The practice does not begin chargeable work before an engagement letter is agreed, apart from a short opening conversation and a preliminary reading needed to prepare a quotation. That preliminary work is provided without charge unless the client asks for a written report at that stage.
Engagements may be set for a single piece of work, for a fixed number of months or on a rolling monthly basis. A rolling engagement continues until one party gives notice under the termination clause below. Fixed period engagements end on the date stated in the letter unless both sides agree in writing to extend them.
Bookkeeping depends on the client providing complete and honest records within a reasonable time. The following responsibilities apply to every engagement.
Where records are incomplete, the practice may prepare accounts on the basis of what has been supplied and will state that limitation in writing. No responsibility is accepted for a conclusion drawn from records that were withheld or misstated.
Fees are quoted in United States dollars unless the engagement letter states otherwise. The basis of the quote is explained in plain terms: a fixed monthly fee, a fixed fee for a defined piece of work, or an hourly rate for work that cannot reasonably be estimated in advance.
A quotation is prepared after the opening reading. It reflects the actual volume and condition of the records rather than an average, which is why the practice asks to see the papers before naming a figure. If the records turn out to be substantially different from what was described, the practice will explain the difference and agree a revised quote before continuing.
Invoices are issued monthly in arrears or on completion of a fixed piece of work, according to the engagement letter. Each invoice lists the period covered, the services provided and any agreed disbursements such as postage or certified copies. No charge is made for ordinary correspondence or for brief telephone calls.
Fees may be reviewed once a year. A review takes effect only after at least thirty days written notice, and a client who does not accept the new fee may end the engagement under the termination clause without penalty for the remaining notice period.
Invoices are due within fourteen days of the invoice date unless the engagement letter sets a different period. Payment may be made by bank transfer or by any other method stated on the invoice.
Where a payment is late, the practice will send a short written reminder rather than an immediate formal step. Interest at a modest rate may be applied to an overdue balance after thirty days, and the rate will be stated on the invoice and will never exceed what the applicable law permits.
The practice may pause work where an invoice remains unpaid for more than sixty days after a reminder. Pausing work does not release the client from the obligation to pay for work already completed. Where a genuine dispute exists about part of an invoice, the undisputed part should be paid and the disputed part discussed promptly.
Where a matter must be referred for collection, reasonable costs of recovery may be added to the outstanding balance. The practice would rather agree a payment plan than take that step, and is willing to discuss one where a client is in temporary difficulty.
The work described in an engagement letter is the whole of the work. Anything not described is outside scope unless the parties agree an addition in writing.
In particular, the practice does not verify the authenticity of documents beyond a reasonable visual inspection, does not audit a business, does not express an opinion on the fairness of financial statements and does not confirm that a tax return or a filing is complete. Where such assurance is needed, an appropriately qualified professional must be engaged.
The practice prepares and organises documents for filing. It does not file with any authority on the client behalf unless the engagement letter expressly says so and lists the specific filings covered. Where a filing requires a signature, the signature is the client responsibility.
The practice does not manage client funds, does not hold money on trust and does not act as an authorised payment agent. Any figure that appears in the ledger is a record of a transaction, not an instruction to move money.
Nothing provided by the practice constitutes legal advice, tax advice or investment advice. A ledger summary is a record of what happened, not a recommendation about what should happen next.
Where a client asks a question that falls outside bookkeeping, the practice will say plainly that the question belongs with a lawyer, a tax adviser or a regulated financial adviser. It may help to prepare the file those professionals will need, but it will not answer the question in their place.
A client remains responsible for decisions about their own affairs, including decisions about tax positions, business structure, contracts and investments. The practice may point out an obvious inconsistency in the records but is not obliged to identify every possible issue, and a failure to comment on a matter is not an assurance that the matter is correct.
Original documents supplied by a client remain the client property. The practice keeps working copies and a file record for the periods described in the privacy policy, which follow common tax and record keeping expectations.
On request, and at any time during an engagement, a client may inspect the working papers relating to their own file. On the ending of an engagement, the practice returns original documents within thirty days and supplies a copy of the working ledgers and summaries in a common format.
Where a client asks for records to be destroyed before the end of the normal retention period, the practice will comply unless a legal duty or an open dispute requires retention, and will confirm the destruction in writing. Encrypted backups may persist for a short further cycle before being overwritten in the ordinary course of backup rotation.
The practice may keep a minimal record of the client name, the period worked and the engagement reference after documents are returned, so that a later question about the relationship can be answered accurately.
Information about a client and the client records is confidential. It is used for the engagement, kept with the care described in the privacy policy, and disclosed only as that policy allows.
Confidentiality continues after an engagement ends. It is not ended by the return of documents, by the payment of a final invoice or by any disagreement between the parties.
A client may authorise disclosure to a third party, such as an accountant or a family member, by a written instruction that names the third party and the information to be shared. An oral authorisation is accepted only in an emergency and is confirmed in writing afterwards.
The duty of confidentiality is subject to the law. Where a court order or a valid regulatory request compels disclosure, the practice will comply and will tell the client first where it is lawful and practical to do so.
Summaries, ledgers, schedules and written reports prepared for a client are provided for the client use. The client may keep copies, share them with an adviser and use them in support of an application, provided the use is honest and does not misrepresent the scope of the work.
The practice retains the right to reuse its own working methods, templates, checklists and internal notes. Those materials do not contain client data and remain the property of Abacus Homedale LLC.
A client may not present a summary prepared here as an audit, a review under a reporting framework or any other form of assurance. The summary should be described for what it is: a bookkeeping record prepared from the documents supplied.
The content of this website, including its text and its visual design, belongs to Abacus Homedale LLC. It may be read and printed for personal reference but may not be republished as another business own material.
The practice may use third party software for email, secure storage, document scanning or accounting, and may work inside a platform that the client has chosen. Those tools have their own availability and their own terms, and the practice does not control them.
Where a platform outage or a change in a platform prevents work from being completed on time, the practice will tell the client promptly and will propose a workaround where one exists. The practice is not responsible for a loss caused solely by a third party failure, but it will make reasonable efforts to recover the position.
A client who requires a particular platform should say so before the engagement begins. If the practice cannot work safely within that platform, it will say so rather than accept the work and take avoidable risk with the records.
Work changes as the year changes. A new employee, a house move, a business registration or a family event can all add to the bookkeeping. Either party may propose a change to the scope at any time.
A proposed change is recorded in writing, with the effect on fees and timing stated plainly. It takes effect only when both parties agree. Work on the new scope does not begin before that agreement, except where an emergency requires immediate action and the client authorises it in writing.
Where a change reduces the scope, the fee is reduced in proportion from the date of agreement. Where a change increases the scope, the additional fee is quoted before the additional work is carried out.
A rolling engagement may be ended by either party on thirty days written notice. A fixed period engagement ends on the date stated in the letter, and may be ended early by either party on thirty days notice, subject to payment for work already carried out.
The practice may suspend work immediately where an invoice remains unpaid after reminders, where a client refuses to supply records needed to complete the work, or where a request would require the record to be falsified. The practice may end an engagement immediately where a client behaves abusively, where there is a serious conflict of interest, or where continuing would require a breach of law or professional duty.
Where an engagement ends, the practice will complete any work that can reasonably be finished, return the records, supply a closing statement of the position and invoice for work done. The confidentiality and retention provisions continue after termination.
No refund is due for work already carried out. Where a fee was paid in advance for work not yet started, that part of the fee is returned within thirty days of the closing statement.
The practice will carry out the work with reasonable skill and care. That is the central promise of these terms, and it is a promise the practice takes seriously.
The practice is not liable for a loss that arises from records that were incomplete, late or inaccurate, from a decision taken by the client against written advice, from the acts of a third party platform, or from a change in law after the work was completed.
Where liability does arise, it is limited to the fees paid for the piece of work to which the loss relates, or to a sum agreed in the engagement letter. Nothing in these terms limits liability for fraud, for wilful misconduct or for any liability that cannot lawfully be limited.
The practice is not liable for indirect losses such as lost profits, lost opportunity or reputational harm. A client who becomes aware of a possible loss should tell the practice promptly so that the records can be examined while the position is fresh.
A client agrees to indemnify the practice against a claim, loss or cost that arises from records the client supplied knowing them to be false, from a use of the work product that misrepresents its nature, or from a breach of these terms by the client.
This indemnity does not apply where the loss is caused by the practice own negligence or breach of these terms. It is intended to protect the practice from the consequences of a client misleading it, not to shift responsibility for the practice own errors.
A party seeking indemnity must tell the other promptly, must allow the other to participate in the defence where that is reasonable, and must not settle a claim in a way that admits fault on the part of the other party without consent.
Neither party is liable for a delay caused by an event beyond reasonable control. Such events include severe weather, fire, flood, widespread utility failure, a public health emergency, a postal strike or a prolonged failure of a third party platform.
The affected party will tell the other as soon as it can, will explain the expected effect on timing, and will resume the work as soon as the event allows. If the event continues for more than sixty days, either party may end the engagement without penalty, subject to payment for work already carried out.
A delay of this kind does not excuse a client from paying an invoice for work that was already completed before the event began.
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Utah in the United States, without regard to conflict of law rules. The courts of that state have jurisdiction over a dispute that cannot be resolved by discussion.
Before any formal step is taken, both parties agree to make a genuine attempt to resolve the matter directly. That attempt will normally begin with a written summary of the concern and a request for a meeting within fourteen days. Many disagreements about records are resolved quickly once the papers are laid out and read together.
Where a dispute concerns a sum that is small in proportion to the cost of legal action, both parties are encouraged to consider mediation. The practice will share the reasonable cost of a mediator in such a case.
These terms, together with the engagement letter and the privacy policy, form the entire agreement between the parties for the work covered. A statement made during a sales conversation does not form part of the agreement unless it is written into the engagement letter.
If a provision is found to be invalid, it is severed and the remaining provisions continue in full force. The parties will replace a severed provision with one that achieves the same purpose so far as the law allows.
A failure to enforce a provision on one occasion is not a waiver of the right to enforce it later. A waiver is effective only when given in writing and signed by the party giving it.
A client may not transfer the agreement to another person without the written consent of the practice. The practice may transfer the agreement to a successor business only where the client is told in advance and the confidentiality protections remain in place.
A notice under these terms may be sent by email to the address last used by the parties, or by post to the address in the engagement letter. A notice sent by email is treated as received on the next working day.
These terms do not create rights for any person who is not a party to them. No third party may enforce a provision, and no third party consent is needed to vary or end the agreement.
These terms may be updated from time to time. A change applies to a new engagement from the date it is published and to an existing engagement only after the client has been told in writing and given thirty days to object.
A question about these terms should be sent to Abacus Homedale LLC at service@abacushomedale.mom, by telephone on +17315194807, or by post to 4543 S Holladay Blvd, Holladay - 84117-4425, United States (US). Correspondence is read during the business hours published on the contact page.
Please read these terms alongside the Privacy Policy, which explains how personal information is collected, used, stored and protected.