A clear, complete website for an accountancy practice

Most accountancy practices have a website, and new clients usually look at it before they get in touch.

A good practice website helps those clients feel sure of the firm, and a few rules decide what it has to say. These notes set out the main ones for a practice in the UK, with links to the bodies that publish them.

Company details

A practice that trades as a limited company must show certain details on its website. GOV.UK lists them.

The company's registered number.
Its registered office address.
Where it is registered, which is England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
The fact that it is a limited company, usually through its full name including "Limited" or "Ltd".

If the site names any of the directors, it must name all of them.

The information clients must be able to find

The Provision of Services Regulations 2009 cover accountancy, audit, insolvency and tax services. They require a firm to give clients and would-be clients certain information about itself. A website is one place it can go. An engagement letter, a brochure or a notice at the office are others.

ICAEW's helpsheet on the regulations lists what a firm must make available.

The firm's name, legal form, postal address, telephone number, and an email address or fax number.
Its registered office, where it has one, and its VAT number.
Details of its professional indemnity insurer and the territory the insurance covers.
How its complaints procedure works.

Members of ICAEW in public practice must hold professional indemnity insurance. The helpsheet gives suggested wording for the insurer disclosure.

Calling the firm "Chartered Accountants"

A firm cannot use the description "Chartered Accountants" just because one of its people is a member. ICAEW sets rules on who controls the firm.

In a partnership or limited liability partnership, chartered accountants must hold more than half of the voting rights. In a limited company, at least half of the directors must be chartered accountants. They must also hold more than half of the voting shares, and more than half of all shares by nominal value.

ICAEW says a common problem is a firm owned 50:50 by an accountant and a spouse who is not one. A firm that does not meet the rules can apply to ICAEW for a dispensation.

Audit and other regulated work

Some work needs a registration or licence, such as statutory audit, insolvency and probate. A firm doing that work should say which body registered or licensed it.

A registered audit firm should also say where its registration can be checked. The Register of Statutory Auditors is the public list, and ICAEW suggests quoting the firm's reference number.

Cookies and privacy

Many practice websites use cookies for things like visitor statistics. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) says a site must tell people what its cookies do and get their consent first. Cookies that are strictly necessary for a service the visitor asked for are an exception.

A contact form collects personal data. The ICO says people must be told why it is collected, how long it is kept and who it is shared with, at the time it is collected. The ICO is consulting on new cookie guidance, so it is worth checking its current page.

Reviews and testimonials

Many firms show what clients have said about them. Since the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, fake consumer reviews are banned. So is a review that hides the fact it was paid for or rewarded.

Star ratings and review counts must not be shown in a misleading way either. Business Companion, a guide for businesses, explains the rules in plain terms.