What Is the Minimum Professional Indemnity Cover Required for Accountants?

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We are not authorised by the Financial Services Authority ("FSA"). However, we are included on the register maintained by the FSA so that we can carry on insurance mediation activity, which is, broadly, advising on, selling and administration of insurance contracts.

Accountants PI Insurance Frequently Asked Questions

The appropriate authority can pass the information reported to them to any relevant body, such as HM Revenue & Customs, and an investigation may take place at any time in the future. It is also important for us to make you aware that we may have a legal duty under the Act and related legislation to report known or suspicious circumstances to the appropriate authorities without telling you, and the appropriate authorities may share the information given to them. This could have serious consequences for you. In rare situations, you could find that you then become subject to an HM Revenue & Customs investigation or benefits investigation and/or criminal proceedings. The obligations which we have under the Act and related legislation can, in certain instances, override the duty of solicitor/client confidentiality.

11.3 Aggregate versus any-one-claim

Circumstances may arise where we have to approach you to seek your permission to report certain matters to the appropriate authorities. For instance, we may take the view that by proceeding further with your matter (without permission from the appropriate authority) we may be assisting in the commission of a money laundering offence. In the event that you refuse such permission we reserve the right to terminate your instructions. If we do so in these circumstances you will be liable for all our fees and expenses incurred up to the date of such termination. We will not be liable to you for any losses arising out of our reporting obligations under the Act and any related legislation. This part of our business, including arrangements for complaints or redress if something goes wrong, is regulated by the ACCA.

  • Online portal submission of insurance certificates is mandatory
  • Broker's letter of confirmation is an acceptable temporary proof
  • ACCA may conduct random audits of PI insurance documentation
  • Record keeping of policies and certificates for at least six years
  • Changes in insurer or policy number must be reported promptly

The register can be accessed via the FSA website at You are our client and our advice is to you alone (or, in the case of joint clients, to each of the joint clients), and solely in respect of the matter under which the relevant advice is given.

Frequently asked questions

Interest may be charged on invoices that are not paid at 3% above the base lending rate of Natwest Bank for the time being or, at our discretion, the rate applicable to judgment debts. We reserve the right to claim interest (together with compensation chargeable) under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 together with compensation chargeable under section 5A of that Act. Interest on unpaid invoices shall take effect from the date falling one month after the date of delivery of our invoice where the amounts relate to non-contentious matters, and from the date of delivery of our invoice in relation to contentious matters. We are able to accept payment by credit debit card and we accept most major cards. If you wish to use this facility there will be a small additional charge for credit card payments.

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We reserve the right not to act, or continue to act, for you if you or any person connected with you (within the meaning of section 1122 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010) have not fully discharged any of our invoices. If any of our invoices remain partially or fully outstanding at any time then you authorise us to pay them in any order out of any funds we may hold for you from time to time. We will pay you any balance remaining from such funds once we have discharged our invoices. If you wish us to transfer any funds by way of Telegraphic Transfer or through the Faster Payment system we will not charge you the amount the bank charges us to make these payments (currently £13 for Telegraphic Transfers and £3 for Faster Payments). You will however be charged an administration fee of £35 plus vat for each Telegraphic Transfer or £15 plus vat for each Faster Payment transaction.

Legal costs

We will keep your file of papers in storage for not less than 6 years. If we retain your file of papers after that time, we have the right to destroy them after such period as we consider reasonable, or to make a charge for storage if we ask you to collect your papers and you fail to do so. We will not destroy any important documents that we agree in writing to hold in safe custody for you. We will not normally charge you if we need to retrieve papers or documents from storage in relation to any continuing or new instructions to act regarding your affairs, but we reserve the right to do so. We may make a charge based on time spent for producing stored papers or documents to you, or someone else at your request. Third parties may not rely on our advice unless we specifically agree in writing that they may do so, and you may not rely on advice given in previous matters as being applicable to other or later matters.

  • Review policy exclusions for cyber liability and data breaches
  • Consider standalone cyber insurance as a supplement to PI
  • Fidelity cover (for employee theft) is often a separate policy
  • Legal expenses insurance can be a valuable addition
  • Policy excess (deductible) should be set at an affordable level
  • Ensure the policy territory is worldwide for international clients
  • Negotiate a waiver of subrogation for key client contracts

We accept no liability to any third party to whom you provide our advice or who relies on that advice.

Exclusion Type What is Not Covered Risk Management Consideration
Fraud & Dishonesty Deliberate acts of fraud by the insured. Implement strong internal controls.
Known Claims/Circumstances Claims arising from issues known before policy inception. Full disclosure to insurer at renewal.
Contractual Liability Liability assumed under an unfair contract. Review client engagement letters.
Cyber & Data Breach Pure data loss or system damage; may need separate cover. Consider standalone cyber policy.

In the event of any third party bringing a claim against us in relation to any of our advice which you have provided to them (directly or indirectly) or instructed us to provide to them, then you agree to indemnify us in relation to such claim.

Prepare for your future in accounting and finance

Under data protection legislation you are entitled (subject to certain exceptions and to payment of a specified fee) to a copy of the information that we hold about you. If you wish to obtain a copy of this information please contact us. You need to be aware that under current legislation designed to prevent money laundering, we have a duty to report any financial transactions which we regard as suspicious. If the matter you are instructing us on involves the movement of money or other property through us directly, or through another party, we have to be satisfied as to the legitimacy of the source of funds. You will also be required to provide us with bet best bookmaker offers uk evidence of your identification and place of residence.

‘In the aggregate’ or ‘any one claim’?

We are sorry that we have to undertake this level of enquiry but we do not have a choice. We are obliged by law to follow certain procedures and we do hope you will understand this. We are entitled to refuse to act for you if you fail to supply appropriate proof of identity for yourself or for any principal whom you may represent. We may arrange to carry out an electronic search to verify your identity. The cost of any such search will be charged to you (see section on charges and expenses).

6.1 The CIOT minimum

You need to be aware that the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (as amended) (the "Act") creates a number of offences relating to the proceeds of crime. The 'proceeds of crime' are any monies/property/assets which have arisen as a result of any crime. These include, for example, monies (however low in value) saved as a result of tax evasion or benefit fraud, whether that money has been saved or spent. If we become aware or suspect the existence of the proceeds of crime in a matter on which we act for you (whether from you or from any other person), we may be obliged to report the irregularity to the appropriate authority. Permission may be withheld for us to continue with the relevant matter. Where we instruct or liaise with other professional advisors on your behalf, including overseas advisors, we will not be responsible

Where Can I Get PII Quotes?

We may also charge for any work necessary to comply with your instructions. We aim to provide a high quality of service at all times. If you would like to discuss with us how our service could be improved or if you are dissatisfied with the service that you are receiving please let us know by contacting Kris Clayton. We undertake to look into any complaint carefully and promptly and to do all we can to explain the position to you. If we do not answer your complaint to your satisfaction you may take up the matter with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

4.1 The ACCA sliding scale

This should be done promptly and in any event no later than 6 months after exhausting our procedures.’ The engagement letter may also include information in respect of ACCA’s Conciliation Service. Although this would not remove the need to inform the client following the internal handling of a particular complaint, members may find it useful to set out their obligations in advance of any complaint arising. Therefore, the following additional wording may be considered appropriate: ‘Should ACCA consider a complaint appropriate for conciliation, it is competent to offer alternative dispute resolution through its Conciliation Service. Please note that, under the Alternative Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes (Competent Authorities and Information) Regulations 2015, we are not obliged to submit to the ACCA’s conciliation process.’ If you have a preferred method of communication please let us know. Unless we agree otherwise, we will use whatever mode of communication appears appropriate in the circumstances.

Equality and diversity

Where we communicate with you or others by electronic means we are not responsible for the security of such communication. Data protection legislation requires us to advise you that your particulars are held on our database. We may use the information that we hold about you, including sensitive personal information (such as information relating to your health, racial or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, or political, religious or other beliefs, and criminal convictions), for the purposes of providing our services to you and (if appropriate) your insurers and other advisers, and to maintain records that we must keep by law or regulation. We may also use the information that we hold about you, other than sensitive personal information, for our internal market research purposes and to send you information from time to time on the services that we provide, or for marketing purposes. If you do not wish us to send you such information or use data in this way please contact us, and we will not use your data in this way after that time. for the appropriateness or accuracy of the advice given by them, or for payment of their costs, fees and expenses.

  • Minimum indemnity limit typically £50,000 for members in practice
  • Cover must be provided by an insurer authorized in the UK
  • Policy must cover civil liability from professional business activities
  • Run-off cover required upon retirement or cessation of practice

We do not provide advice which relates to the laws of any jurisdiction outside England and Wales, and you may not rely on any advice we give as being applicable or accurate in relation to any other jurisdiction.

  • Consideration for higher limits based on client contracts or sectors
  • Joint audits may require specific provisions in the PI policy
  • Insured must disclose all material facts to the insurer
  • Retroactive date is a critical policy feature to review
  • Notification of circumstances clauses must be adhered to strictly


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