An Outsourced Finance Function for Growing UK Businesses (£1m+ Turnover)

Stop trying to hire your way out of finance pain. Your Bookkeeper provides a complete outsourced finance function for UK businesses turning over £1m to £10m — bookkeeper, management accountant, payroll, reporting and finance director-level insight delivered for a fixed monthly fee that costs a fraction of building it in-house.

What Is an Outsourced Finance Function?

An outsourced finance function is a fully managed external team that performs the role of an in-house finance department. Instead of hiring a bookkeeper, then a financial controller, then a finance director — and managing all three — you get the entire finance stack delivered as a service for a fixed monthly fee.

For most UK businesses, the workload outgrows a single bookkeeper somewhere between £1m and £2m of turnover. By £5m, the cost of building it in-house easily exceeds £200,000 a year once you've added salaries, NI, pensions, holidays, sickness cover, software and recruitment. An outsourced finance function typically delivers the same scope for £18,000–£72,000 a year, depending on volume.

Who Is an Outsourced Finance Function For?

Our outsourced finance function works best for owner-managed UK businesses turning over £1m to roughly £15m, where the workload has outgrown a single bookkeeper but doesn't yet justify a full in-house finance team. Typical clients include professional services firms, marketing and creative agencies, e-commerce and DTC brands, property and construction businesses, hospitality groups, and growing SaaS companies.

What's Included in Your Outsourced Finance Function

Daily bookkeeping and bank reconciliation in Xero or QuickBooks. Monthly management accounts with full P&L, balance sheet, cashflow and KPI dashboard delivered with commentary by working day 10. End-to-end payroll for any headcount, including RTI submissions, auto-enrolment pensions, statutory pay and CIS returns. Quarterly VAT returns prepared and submitted under Making Tax Digital. Rolling 13-week cashflow forecast updated weekly. Monthly numbers meeting where we walk you through what the figures mean and what to do about them.

In-House Finance Team vs Outsourced Finance Function

An in-house finance team typically costs £150,000–£250,000+ per year once you factor in salaries, pensions, NI, sickness cover, recruitment and software. An outsourced finance function typically costs £18,000–£72,000 per year for the equivalent scope. Recruitment for in-house finance hires takes 3–6 months per role; an outsourced function is live in 4–6 weeks. In-house creates single-point-of-failure risk during holidays and sickness; an outsourced function has full team cover. In-house staff have a limited skill range; an outsourced function brings bookkeeper, management accountant, FD, payroll specialist and systems experience under one roof.

Outsourced Finance Function Cost in the UK

For a UK business turning over £1m–£10m, an outsourced finance function typically costs between £1,500 and £6,000 per month depending on transaction volume, payroll size and reporting complexity. We provide a fixed monthly fee with everything included — no hourly billing, no surprise invoices, software subscriptions covered.

How Onboarding Works

Most engagements are fully live within 4–6 weeks. We start with a 90-day onboarding plan covering systems audit, software setup or migration to Xero or QuickBooks, process documentation, integration with your existing tools, and handover from your previous bookkeeper or finance staff. After onboarding you have a complete finance function running on a steady monthly rhythm — no key-person risk, no recruitment to manage, no HR overhead.

Working Alongside Your Accountant

We don't replace your accountant. We deliver clean monthly accounts, payroll and VAT, then hand over a tidy file at year-end so your accountant can focus on year-end accounts, corporation tax planning and strategic advice. Most accountants prefer working with us because the books are always reconciled.

Outsourced Finance Function in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire and Across the UK

We're based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire and provide our outsourced finance function to UK businesses anywhere. Everything is delivered through Xero, QuickBooks and secure cloud tools. We have particular concentrations of clients across Gloucestershire — Cheltenham, Gloucester, Stroud, Cirencester and the wider Cotswolds — as well as the South West, the Midlands and London.

Frequently Asked Questions — Outsourced Finance Function

What is an outsourced finance function?

An outsourced finance function is a fully managed external team that performs the role of an in-house finance department — bookkeeping, management accounts, payroll, VAT, cashflow forecasting, reporting and finance director-level insight. You pay a fixed monthly fee instead of hiring, training and managing internal staff.

How much does an outsourced finance function cost in the UK?

For a UK business turning over £1m–£10m, an outsourced finance function typically costs between £1,500 and £6,000 per month depending on transaction volume, payroll size and reporting complexity. That compares to £150,000–£250,000+ per year for an equivalent in-house team once salaries, pensions, NI, recruitment, software and management overhead are included.

Who is an outsourced finance function right for?

It works best for owner-managed businesses turning over £1m to roughly £15m where the workload has outgrown a single bookkeeper but doesn't yet justify a full in-house finance team. Common fits include professional services firms, agencies, e-commerce, property businesses, construction and growing SaaS companies.

How is an outsourced finance function different from just hiring a bookkeeper?

A bookkeeper keeps your records accurate. An outsourced finance function does that and produces management accounts, runs payroll, manages cashflow, provides board-ready reporting, and gives you finance director-level commentary on what the numbers mean. It replaces the need for a financial controller plus a bookkeeper plus an external advisor.

Do you replace our accountant?

No — we work alongside them. We deliver clean monthly accounts, payroll and VAT, then hand over a tidy file at year-end so your accountant can focus on year-end accounts, corporation tax and tax planning.

How quickly can you get started?

Most outsourced finance function engagements are fully live within 4–6 weeks. We start with a 90-day onboarding plan covering systems audit, software setup or migration, process documentation, and integration with your existing tools.

Where in the UK do you work?

We're based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire and provide our outsourced finance function to UK businesses anywhere — everything is delivered through Xero, QuickBooks and secure cloud tools.

What software do you use?

We're certified specialists in Xero and QuickBooks Online for the core ledger, with Dext for receipt capture, BrightPay or Xero Payroll for payroll, Float for cashflow forecasting, and Fathom for management reporting.

Ready to Stop Hiring and Start Scaling?

Book a free 30-minute call. We'll look at your current finance setup, work out what an outsourced finance function would actually cost for your business, and give you an honest answer on whether it's the right move.