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Pricing, fees and charge out rates

Advice and links to further resources on the subject of pricing, including fees and charge-out rates, consumer credit, value-based pricing and time recording.

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Articles and features

Time recording
  • 03 Jun 2015
  • Practice Department
Effective time recording and the continuing need for the timesheet.
Consumer credit
  • 04 May 2023
  • Practice Department
The DPB (Consumer Credit) Handbook sets out the regulations for firms to provide consumer credit services.
Exclusive Value-based pricing
  • 11 Aug 2022
  • Andreas Hinterhuber | Evandro Pollono
Value has to be the primary driver in setting a pricing strategy. This can then deliver both higher profits and improved customer satisfaction, say Andreas Hinterhuber and Evandro Pollono

Helpsheets and support

ICAEW Code of Ethics
  • Regulations
  • 17 Nov 2023
  • Integrity & Law
Access the Code which is based on IESBA’s Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants and supporting materials.
Exclusive Fee information
  • Helpsheets and support
  • 01 Jan 2020
  • Ethics Advisory Service
Technical helpsheet issued to help ICAEW members understand what information they need to provide to (potential) clients about fees and offers practical suggestions for dealing with a request for fee breakdown information.
Fee Disputes
  • Article
  • 11 Apr 2017
  • PDF (229kb)
This helpsheet is for anyone who does not agree with the fees their ICAEW Chartered Accountant has charged. It describes different situations in which you may find yourself in dispute with your accountant over fees and suggests what to do next.
A guide to credit-related regulated activity
  • Helpsheets and support
  • 15 Feb 2018
  • PDF (382kb)
A guide to credit-related regulated activity
ICAEW Guidance on consumer credit debt counselling
  • Article
  • 09 Aug 2017
  • PDF (277kb)
ICAEW Guidance on consumer credit debt counselling
ICAEW Guide to dealing with vulnerable consumers
  • Helpsheets and support
  • 11 Jan 2019
  • PDF (194kb)
This helpsheet provides guidance on consumer vulnerability in the context of consumer credit.

Webinars

Start charging what you’re worth & grow more profitably (without being the bottleneck!)
  • Webinar
  • 01 Nov 2023
How to systematically price your clients to remove scope creep.
Pricing the modern practice
  • Webinar
  • 22 Mar 2023
The session will cover keeping up with client expectations, pricing in a changing environment, and more. This is Part 1 of 3 exclusive webinars from Sage designed to give you MORE from your practice.

eBooks

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides full text access to a selection of key business and reference eBooks from leading publishers. eBooks are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users. If you are unable to access an eBook, please see our Help and support advice or contact library@icaew.com.
Exclusive Value pricing for accounting professionals: a complete guide for accountants and bookkeepers to find the right clients and increase profitability
  • eBook
  • 26 Jul 2022
Looks at how accountants and bookkeepers are pricing themselves incorrectly. Assessing the value of preparing accounts can be difficult - this book focuses on a practical approach with case studies of firms of accountants and bookkeepers sharing their story of how they've managed to get better prices and better results.
Exclusive Setting your prices
  • eBook chapter
  • 01 Jan 2018
A chapter on setting your prices for clients, in this book designed to help a qualified professional to start a successful business from scratch with no personal or business contacts.
Terms of use

You are permitted to access, download, copy, or print out content from eBooks for your own research or study only, subject to the terms of use set by our suppliers and any restrictions imposed by individual publishers. Please see individual supplier pages for full terms of use.

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Online articles

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides access to leading business, finance and management journals. These journals are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users subject to suppliers' terms of use.
Exclusive Upselling client advisory services: Beyond the buzzwords
  • Article
  • 01 Dec 2022
Article considering whether accounting firms can potentially upsell more services, and whether upselling client advisory services is needed to be competitive. Advice is given on the best timing for switching clients to a new fee structure.
Exclusive 8 insights from top-performing client advisory services (CAS) practices
  • Article
  • 01 Apr 2022
Insights from US accounting practices on how to choose both clients and software programs with an eye to efficiency and repeatability. Successful CAS practices often bill for services differently, such as offering clients a 'menu' of service options.
Exclusive When and how to raise fees at your firm
  • Article
  • 01 Jan 2022
Raising fees can be a challenging consideration for firms. Practitioners want their fees to reflect the value they offer and to provide sufficient revenue to run a profitable and healthy firm. On the other hand, they worry about losing clients by charging too much, particularly in light of current economic uncertainties. The article provides tips from experts on how to raise fees sensitively.
Exclusive Q&A: Price-sensitivity training
  • Article
  • 01 Aug 2015
To charge effectively, accountancy firms first need to determine their client's price sensitivity. In a Q&A session with the Journal of Accountancy, value-billing expert Ron Baker explains how to go about this.
Exclusive The benefits and challenges of moving away from the billable hour
  • Article
  • 01 Aug 2014
Discusses the benefits and challenges for accountancy firms of moving away from hourly billing, written from a US perspective.
Exclusive Why do accountants get paid last?
  • Article
  • 01 Jul 2014
Hugh Duffy makes the case for adopting up-front value based billing to collect payment from clients.
Exclusive The value equation
  • Article
  • 01 Jun 2013
Let your clients know about the value you have added.
Exclusive Coping with pressure to lower fees
  • Article
  • 01 Nov 2012
Accountancy practices are under pressure to keep fees low during the sluggish global economic recovery.

Articles and books in the ICAEW Library collection

The collection of the ICAEW Library & Information Service includes a collection of articles, books and model documents that can support your work. Use the links below to see what we have available to request in our Library catalogue (Libcat).

Find more titles

To find out how you can borrow books from the Library please see our guide to borrowing books.

You can obtain copies of articles or extracts of books and reports through our document supply service.

Surveys and guides

Audit fees and surveys
  • Research guide
  • 16 Sep 2024
  • ICAEW Library and Information Service
Surveys and reports on audit fees across firms can help you benchmark charges in the sector. On this page you can access a range of articles, books and online resources providing quick links to surveys and reports.
Firms by fee income/turnover
  • Research guide
  • 21 Aug 2024
  • ICAEW Library and Information Service
Sources for statistics on accountancy firms by fee income, published as part of the Knowledge guide to statistics on the accountancy profession.
Pricing on Purpose: How to Implement Value Pricing in Your Firm
  • Website
  • 09 Jun 2014
  • Ron Baker

Three-part series explaining how and why firms should switch from hourly to value pricing. It outlines potential challenges and practical steps, with a sample fixed price agreement and checklists. IFAC also published an update in 2022 from the author.

The Global SMP Business Model Survey
  • Website
  • 01 Oct 2015
  • ACCA
A 2015 survey looking at the value-added services professional accountants provide to SMEs, including the range of services offered and pricing strategies.
The accountant's guide to fees and billing
  • Website
  • 01 Jan 2018
  • AccountingWeb
Collection of articles on charging, communicating and justifying fees to your clients.
IFAC Global SMP Survey: 2018 summary
  • Website
  • 23 Oct 2018
  • IFAC
Annual survey of small and medium-sized practices (SMPs) around the world with data on SMP performance and changes in client revenue.
Insolvency practitioner fees: a review
  • Website
  • 28 Mar 2014
  • The Insolvency Service
Research paper on fees and charge-out rates commissioned by the Insolvency Service. Examines the current UK regime governing fees for insolvency practitioners. Published in 2014.
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