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Controller services in United Kingdom: how it runs
LedgerBPO's outsourced controller services UK companies use put a senior accountant over your monthly close: reviewing reconciliations, checking approval limits and issuing a written review memo inside your Xero, QuickBooks Online or Sage 50 file, ahead of Companies House filing deadlines. The controller works alongside your bookkeeper and gives no audit opinions.
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What it covers
LedgerBPO's outsourced controller services UK companies use put a senior accountant over your monthly close: reviewing reconciliations, checking approval limits and issuing a written review memo inside your Xero, QuickBooks Online or Sage 50 file, ahead of Companies House filing deadlines. The controller works alongside your bookkeeper and gives no audit opinions.
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What you get
A senior accountant reviews every close and signs a monthly review memo
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How it runs
Accounting policies, approval limits and controls written down and checked
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What you see
Works with your bookkeeper or ours, inside your software
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A named accountant, a backup and a team lead
Inside your own software, on a fixed close calendar, with a reply from a person within 1 business day. Call +1-657-777-0006 or start a quote.
Get a custom quote 06 / 06
What is different in United Kingdom
A UK controller layer has to answer to Companies House as much as to the owner. Every private company has an accounting reference date that sets the confirmation statement and the nine-month deadline to file accounts, and a controller keeps the close on a calendar built around that date rather than an arbitrary one. Reporting sits under FRS 102 or FRS 105, so policy decisions on accruals, leases and small-company exemptions need documenting once and applied consistently across the organisation. Xero, QuickBooks Online and Sage 50 all support the account-level review a controller performs before sign-off. Our controllers work UK hours from our second office in Pakistan, issuing the review memo within days of the close so nothing waits on a single time zone.
UK rules that shape the work
Confirmation statement and filing deadlines
Every UK company files a confirmation statement at least once a year and has nine months from its accounting reference date to file accounts, and the controller's calendar is built around both.
Reporting framework review
The controller checks that accruals, leases and disclosures follow FRS 102 or FRS 105 consistently, so your accountant receives the same treatment applied the same way every month.
Segregation of duties
Approval limits and who can release a payment are reviewed as part of the controls checklist, kept separate from who prepares the bookkeeping entries day to day.
Software the controller reviews in
Reviews are carried out inside Xero, QuickBooks Online or Sage 50, so the controller checks the same file your accountant and any auditor would see.
What's included
- Monthly review of every balance sheet reconciliation and journal entry
- Written review memo listing findings, corrections and open risks
- Accounting policy manual: revenue, cut-off, capitalization, accruals, expenses
- Approval matrix for spending, payments and credit notes, checked monthly
- Segregation-of-duties review across bookkeeping, payables and banking
- Chart of accounts ownership and change control
- Month-end close calendar owned and enforced through CloseTrack
- Revenue recognition and cut-off checks at each period end
- Intercompany, related-party and owner transaction review
- Financial statement walk-through with the owner each month
- Year-end coordination with your CPA, accountant or auditor
- Quarterly controls checklist with remediation dates
Deliverables and KPIs
| Deliverable | KPI we report |
|---|---|
| Controller review memo | Issued within 3 business days of the close sign-off |
| Reconciliation review | Every balance sheet account reviewed and initialled by the controller |
| Filing calendar maintained | Close finished with enough lead time for the Companies House deadline |
| Controls checklist | Approval and access controls tested and logged every quarter |
UK software we work in
Pricing in GBP
Pricing depends on volume and scope. Get a custom quote within 1 business day. Quotes for United Kingdom clients are issued in GBP.
Security and compliance
- Controller holds review access; payment release stays with you. We never move money
- MFA on every login, access reviewed quarterly as part of the controls checklist
- Review memos and policy manuals stored in the LedgerDesk portal with version history
Full control list on the security page and country rules on the compliance page. Certifications are listed only when held.
Frequently asked questions
How much do outsourced controller services cost in the UK?
Pricing depends on volume and scope, so we send a custom quote within 1 business day. As a UK benchmark, hourly bookkeeping and accounting support runs £20 to £55, rising to around £90 for specialist work (UK provider pricing surveys, 2026). Entity count and the state of existing controls move the quote.
Do you submit our VAT return or accounts?
No. The controller reviews the numbers and the controls behind them, but statutory accounts, the confirmation statement and the VAT return are reviewed and filed by you or your accountant, who signs the return the controller helped prepare, not by us.
Do you cover UK hours?
Yes. The controller works from our second office in Pakistan on a schedule aligned to UK business hours, so the review memo and any queries about the close are ready within your working week, not delayed by a time-zone gap.
Is this the same as a fractional finance director?
No. A controller looks backwards and inwards, checking that the numbers are right, controlled and documented against FRS 102 or FRS 105. A finance director role looks forward, covering financing and strategy, which sits outside what our controller service provides.
Will this help before a bank review or a sale of the business?
It helps you prepare. Reconciled balance sheets, a documented policy manual and a review memo trail are what a lender or buyer usually asks for first, though we give no audit opinion ourselves and any due diligence questions still go through your accountant.
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