Terms of Service

These Terms govern every engagement with The Standard Solutions (“we”, “us”, “our”). They apply alongside your individual engagement letter. Where the two conflict, the engagement letter prevails.

1. Scope of services

We provide the following, working primarily through client-granted access to cloud accounting software and secure cloud storage:

• Bookkeeping — transaction processing, bank and credit card reconciliations, accounts payable and receivable, and general ledger maintenance on platforms including Xero, QuickBooks Online and Zoho Books.
• Accounting and reporting — periodic management accounts, including profit and loss statements, balance sheets and cash flow statements.
• Payroll — payroll processing, payslip preparation and related filings where agreed.
• Taxation — Pakistan: preparation and filing of business and individual returns. United Kingdom: VAT returns and corporation tax for limited companies. United Arab Emirates: VAT and corporate tax returns. Australia: bookkeeping and advisory only — Business Activity Statements and income tax returns are lodged by your registered tax or BAS agent. United States: preparation and filing support.
• Management review services — transaction vouching and tracing, internal control checks and verification of account balances. The deliverable is a management report or checklist setting out findings, discrepancies and recommendations.
• Advisory — fractional CFO and management advisory work as scoped in the engagement letter.

2. What we do not provide

• We do not perform statutory audits in any jurisdiction. We issue no audit opinion and do not sign or stamp financial statements in an audit capacity.
• We do not provide legal advice, certified financial planning or investment advice. Commentary we give is professional opinion for information only and should not be your sole basis for a financial decision.
• We do not represent you before tax authorities, regulators or in legal proceedings unless your engagement letter expressly says otherwise.
• We do not provide services outside the scope recorded in your engagement letter. Additional work is quoted and agreed separately before it begins.

3. Engagement and client due diligence

Engagements begin with a discovery call to assess fit. If both parties wish to proceed, we issue a digital engagement letter setting out scope, fees and timelines. Work begins only once that letter is signed.

Before and during an engagement we carry out client due diligence proportionate to the risk of the work. This includes verifying the identity and ownership of the client entity, understanding the source of funds where relevant, and screening against applicable sanctions and adverse media. We may request identification documents, proof of address and ownership records at any point.

We reserve the right to decline or terminate any engagement where due diligence is incomplete, where information provided is inaccurate, or where we reasonably suspect money laundering, terrorist financing, tax evasion or other illegal activity. Where the law requires us to report a suspicion, we may be prohibited from telling you that we have done so.

4. Your responsibilities

• Accurate information. You must provide complete, accurate and timely records and any other information we need. We work from what you give us and do not independently verify it unless the engagement letter says so.
• Timely submission. Submission deadlines are agreed case by case and recorded in the engagement letter.
• Access and authority. You must maintain our access to the accounting platforms and storage we need, and confirm that you are authorised to grant it.
• Review of deliverables. You remain responsible for reviewing and approving all filings, returns and statements before submission. Final responsibility for your statutory obligations rests with you.
• Consequences. We are not liable for penalties, interest, loss or error arising from information that was inaccurate, incomplete or supplied late. Late submission may postpone delivery deadlines or, at our discretion, attract additional fees.

5. Fees, billing and payment

• Pricing models. Fees are charged as a monthly retainer, a fixed fee per project, or on an hourly basis, as specified in your engagement letter.
• Currency. Fees are quoted and payable in the currency stated in your engagement letter.
• Invoicing. Invoices are issued in advance, on completion, or periodically, depending on the service and as recorded in your engagement letter.
• Payment methods. Payment is by online payment gateway or direct bank transfer. Where a payment link is issued, it is generated against a specific invoice and is for settlement of that invoice only.
• Third-party costs. Government fees, statutory charges and software subscriptions paid on your behalf are recharged at cost and are payable in addition to our fees.
• Late payment. We charge no interest on overdue amounts. If an invoice remains unpaid for 25 days past its due date and you have not contacted us to agree a payment timeline, we may suspend all services until the balance is cleared.

6. Service delivery and timelines

Services are delivered electronically. There is no physical product and no shipping. Delivery timelines are set in your engagement letter; where none is stated, our standard turnarounds apply as set out in our Complaints Handling and Service Delivery policy.

7. Confidentiality

Both parties will keep confidential all financial, operational and business information exchanged during the engagement, and will not disclose it to any third party except as permitted in our Privacy Policy or required by law. Our team members are bound by signed non-disclosure agreements. This obligation survives termination of the engagement.

8. Intellectual property and working papers

You own your own data, records and the final deliverables we produce for you, once paid for in full. We retain ownership of our working papers, templates, checklists, methodologies and internal systems. Nothing in these Terms transfers that ownership to you.

9. Limitation of liability

Nothing in these Terms limits liability for fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, or any liability that cannot lawfully be limited.

Subject to that, our total aggregate liability arising out of or in connection with any service — whether in contract, tort, negligence or otherwise — is limited to the fees actually paid to us for the specific service or work package giving rise to the claim.

We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, loss of profit, loss of revenue, loss of business opportunity, loss of goodwill, or loss or corruption of data.

Any claim must be brought within twelve months of the date you became aware, or reasonably should have become aware, of the matter giving rise to it.

10. Term and termination

• Either party may terminate a retainer engagement by giving 30 days’ written notice to the other.
• Either party may terminate immediately on written notice if the other commits a material breach that is not remedied within 14 days of being notified.
• We may terminate immediately where due diligence cannot be completed, where we are required to do so by law, or where continuing would place us in breach of professional obligations.
• On termination you must pay for all work performed up to the termination date. We will return your records and provide reasonable handover assistance, subject to settlement of outstanding invoices.

11. Force majeure

Neither party is liable for failure or delay in performance caused by events beyond its reasonable control, including internet or power failure, platform outage, natural disaster, epidemic, civil unrest or government action. The affected party will notify the other promptly and both will work to limit the impact.

12. Electronic communications and signatures

You consent to us communicating with you by email and to the use of electronic signatures on engagement letters and related documents. You accept that email is not a wholly secure medium, and we will use secure channels for sensitive financial data as described in our Privacy Policy.

13. Anti-bribery and lawful conduct

Both parties will comply with all applicable anti-bribery, anti-corruption, anti-money-laundering and sanctions laws, and will not offer or accept any improper payment in connection with this engagement.

14. Subcontracting and assignment

We may delegate work to members of our own team, all of whom are bound by signed non-disclosure agreements. We will not engage an external subcontractor on your work without your prior written consent, and any such subcontractor must first sign a confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement. You may not assign your rights under these Terms without our written consent.

15. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The current version is always published on our website with its effective date. Material changes affecting an active engagement will be notified to you by email at least 30 days before they take effect.

16. General

If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force. A failure to enforce a right is not a waiver of it. These Terms, together with your engagement letter, form the entire agreement between us and supersede all prior discussions.

17. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Pakistan.

We ask that you first raise any dispute through our complaints procedure. If it cannot be resolved that way, the dispute will be referred to arbitration in Islamabad, Pakistan, under the Arbitration Act 1940. The arbitrator’s decision is final and binding on both parties.