Standard Terms and Conditions of Engagement
These terms and conditions form part of the engagement between jlc Associates and the parties set out in this letter. These terms and conditions will apply to all work jlc Associates undertakes for you with respect to this engagement.
Introduction
Jlc Associates have set out in this document our standard terms and conditions of business (the “Terms”) which together with our engagement letter (together called “this agreement”), will apply to all work jlc Associates undertakes for you with respect to this engagement.
For the purposes of this agreement, jlc Associates includes its directors, employees and all related entities.
Our Services
Jlc Associates will provide the services set out in our Engagement Letter. Services set out in the engagement letter will be provided on the following terms:
Accounting Services
We shall provide accounting services as required by you including the preparation of annual Special Purpose Financial Statements. Special Purpose Financial Statements are not required to comply with all applicable Accounting Standards. The special purpose financial report will be prepared in accordance with the relevant Australian Accounting Standards as detailed in Note 1 of the financial report. Any known departures from this financial reporting framework will be disclosed within the financial report and, when considered necessary, will be mentioned in our compilation report. The special purpose financial report will be prepared based on the information you provide and, in accordance with APES 315 “Compilation of Financial Information”.
Our procedures use accounting expertise to collect, classify and summarise the financial information, which you provide, into a financial report. Our procedures will not include verification or validation procedures. No audit or review will be performed and accordingly no assurance will be expressed.
All accounting services are provided as your agents. The special purpose financial report will be prepared exclusively for your benefit. We will not accept responsibility to any other person for the contents of the financial report. No person should rely on the financial report without having an audit or review conducted. The report shall not be inferred or used for any purpose other than for which it was specifically prepared. Accordingly, our report may include a disclaimer to this effect.
We will rely on you for both the completeness and the accuracy of the information supplied to us and you are solely responsible to users of the financial report compiled by us. This includes responsibility for the maintenance of adequate accounting records, an adequate internal control structure and the selection and application of appropriate accounting policies.
Our engagement cannot be relied upon to disclose irregularities including fraud, or other illegal acts and errors that may exist. However, we will inform you of any such matters which may come to our attention.
Nothing in this letter excludes the operation of the Trade Practices Act 1974 or analogous provisions of State and Territory Fair Trading Acts to the extent that they may be applicable.
Taxation Services
Income tax returns will be compiled from the records supplied to us. The accuracy of the income tax returns will depend on the completeness and accuracy of the information supplied to us. The responsibility for the contents of an income tax return rests with the taxpayer. Before signing, you should therefore review the income tax return to ensure that it is correct.
We will attend to the compilation and lodgment of Business Activity Statements (BAS) and or Instalment Activity Statements (IAS) based on the information provided by you. We will rely on your underlying procedures and systems to correctly record goods and services tax (GST) information. You are responsible for calculating the entity’s GST liability. Our procedures are limited to reconciling the net GST payable or receivable in the financial records to the BAS.
We will attend to the compilation and lodgment of Fringe Benefits Tax returns based on information provided by you.
In the event of a review or audit by the Australian Taxation Office, you may be requested to produce documents, records or other evidence to substantiate the items of income and deductions declared in an income tax return.
Taxation advice is necessarily an opinion only based on our knowledge of the particular circumstances and facts. Any advice that we give you will be based on the law as it is on the date of the advice. We accept no responsibility for changes in the law, or in interpretations of the law, which occur subsequent to the date on which our advice is given to you.
There are limitations attaching to such tax advice and our expression of opinion should not be taken as an assertion of fact. Consequently, such advice and income tax returns are not beyond challenge.
We are under no obligation in any circumstance to update any advice or report for events occurring after the advice or report has been provided.
Business Advisory Services
In conjunction with you we will provide business advisory services from time to time as required. We note that certain business advisory engagements may be outside the scope of this engagement. Where this is the case, our engagement will be communicated to you by way of separate engagement letter for your acceptance, prior to commencement of the work.
Company Secretarial Matters
We will provide assistance as requested by the Company Secretary of any corporate entities, to maintain the company register and prepare all necessary documents required by ASIC and or under the Corporations Act.
Your Obligations
Our services will be carried out on the basis that you will make complete disclosure to us of all material and relevant information. Further, you hereby acknowledge your responsibility for the reliability, accuracy and completeness of all underlying accounting and other information provided.
You will provide us promptly with such information as may reasonably be required for the proper performance of our services. We shall be entitled to rely upon the accuracy of the information provided by you, or by others on your behalf, without independently verifying it.
Involvement of Third Parties
From time to time, we may engage other specialist professionals to assist us with certain aspects of this engagement. If these services are utilised, jlc Associates does not warrant and will not be held responsible for any third party products or services.
Fees
Our fees are based on the amount of time and the experience level of staff required in completing the work undertaken. The staff members involved in attending to your work are selected based on the degree of responsibility and skill involved. Our fee’s will include Goods and Services Tax at the prevailing rate.
You will be billed at the completion of the work or at such other intervals as is appropriate or documented.
Terms of trade
Our payment terms are strictly 21 days upon receipt of our invoice. Any queries regarding invoices should be made within the above 21 day period. We reserve the right to charge interest on overdue accounts at the rate of 10% pa.
Should jlc Associates Pty Ltd have to engage third party debt collection agencies to recoup outstanding debt, jlc Associates Pty Ltd reserves the right to pass on all costs associated with recouping the outstanding debt.
Conflict of Interest
We are not aware of any conflict of interest, which would affect our ability to provide services to you.
Limitation of Liability
Our liability is limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation. Further information on the scheme is available from the Professional Standards Councils’ website: www.psc.gov.au
Quality Control
Information acquired by us during the course of our work is subject to strict confidentiality requirements. Information will not be disclosed by us to other parties except as required or allowed for by law or professional standards, or with your express consent. Our files may, however, be subject to review as part of the quality control review program of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, which monitors compliance with professional standards by its members. Should this occur, we will advise you, however by signing this letter you acknowledge that, if requested, our files relating to this work will be made available under this program. The same strict confidentiality requirements apply under this program as apply to us as your Advisors.
Ownership of Documents
All original documents obtained from you arising from this engagement shall remain your property. However, we reserve the right to retain copies of the original documents for our records.
Our engagement will result in the production of Financial Statements, Income Tax Returns and other reports and documents, including, if applicable, electronic documents or files. Ownership of these documents will vest with you. All other documents produced by us in respect of this engagement will remain property of jlc Associates.
jlc Associates has a policy of exploring a legal right of lien over any client documents in our possession in the event of a dispute.
Electronic Communication
You agree that jlc Associates may correspond with you via internet, email, fax and post unless you expressly request otherwise. Where documents are transmitted to you electronically, you agree to release us from any claim you may have as a result of any unauthorised copying, reading or interference with that document after transmission, for any delay or non-delivery of any document and for any damage (including computer viruses) caused to you by the transmission.
Termination
Either party may terminate the engagement with seven (7) days written notice. If this occurs, you will be invoiced for time and expenses incurred up to the termination date together with reasonable time and expenses incurred to complete the services being provided in a prompt and orderly manner. We will make every reasonable effort to keep expenditure for this purpose to a minimum.
Applicable Law
The services and the engagement shall be governed by the laws of Western Australia. Each party irrevocably and unconditionally submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Western Australia.
Privacy Policy
We will treat all of your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy. This policy can be made available on request.