Management Accounts & Ongoing Finance Support
A dependable outsourced finance function for growing, owner-managed and project-based businesses that need timely numbers, clearer cash visibility and better commercial decisions throughout the year.
We can work alongside your existing year-end accountant. You do not need to replace them to gain useful monthly management information and hands-on finance support.
Built for decisions, not filing
Know how the business is performing while there is still time to act.
Year-end accounts remain essential, but they are designed mainly for statutory reporting and tax. By the time they arrive, the trading period is over. Monthly management accounts turn current records into a practical view of profit, cash, margins and working capital.
This is a substantial ongoing service rather than low-cost outsourced bookkeeping. IFA closes the books, prepares the reporting, explains the story behind the numbers and helps you use it when considering prices, costs, recruitment, capacity, projects and growth.
What the service covers
A joined-up monthly finance cycle.
The exact reporting pack is scoped around the way your business operates. These are the core areas we can bring together, subject to the quality and structure of the underlying data.
Ongoing bookkeeping and month-end close
We keep the underlying records current, reconcile the key accounts and run a disciplined month-end close. Missing information, unusual balances and cut-off issues are identified before reports are prepared, rather than carried forward unnoticed.
Monthly management accounts
A clear monthly pack covering profit and loss, balance sheet and cash position, supported by commentary on significant movements, risks and decisions. The focus is on what changed, why it changed and what needs attention next.
Cash-flow visibility and forecasting
See the likely timing of customer receipts, payroll, supplier payments, tax and other commitments. Where useful, we maintain a short-term cash-flow forecast so upcoming pressure points can be managed before they become urgent.
Profitability and margin analysis
We analyse gross margin, overhead recovery and operating profit to show where the business is making money and where value is being lost. That creates a stronger basis for pricing, cost control and growth decisions.
Project and job profitability
For project-led businesses, we can report income, direct costs, time and margin by project or job where the underlying systems and data allow it. This helps identify which work, clients and delivery models are genuinely worthwhile.
Revenue streams and divisions
Where a business has different services, locations, teams or trading divisions, we can separate performance to show the contribution of each. Shared costs are treated transparently so the comparison remains useful.
Debtors, creditors and working capital
Aged customer and supplier balances are reviewed alongside stock, work in progress and payment terms where relevant. You can see what is tying up cash, what needs chasing and which commitments are approaching.
Client money, procurement and recharges
For businesses that buy on behalf of clients or pass costs through, we help distinguish genuine revenue from client money, procurement and recharges. The aim is a clearer view of turnover, margin, cash exposure and amounts still to recover.
Monthly review and support
Reports are only useful when someone acts on them.
Each month, Jamie or the IFA team reviews the reporting with you. We focus on exceptions, emerging trends, cash requirements and the decisions ahead—not a line-by-line recital of a spreadsheet.
- Monthly management review call with clear actions
- Support with pricing, margins and cost control
- Financial input into hiring, investment and growth decisions
- Questions handled in context by people who know the numbers
Keep your existing accountant if you want to.
Some businesses already have a trusted accountant for statutory accounts and tax but need a more active finance function during the year. IFA can fill that gap without taking over the year-end relationship.
With your permission, we can liaise directly with your accountant, agree year-end information requirements and provide clean ledgers, reconciliations and management reports. Responsibilities stay clear and you avoid paying two firms to repeat the same work.
This service stays reporting-led. If you need higher-level strategic or board-style finance leadership instead, take a look at our Virtual FD service.
Who it suits
Growing businesses with moving parts.
The service is particularly valuable where projects, teams, sites, procurement or several income streams make the bank balance and annual accounts too blunt to guide day-to-day decisions.
Relevant sector guidance includes our pages for interior designers, agencies and consultants, construction and trades, and hospitality businesses.
How we start
A controlled move to useful monthly reporting.
01
Understand the business
We discuss how money moves through the business, the decisions you need to make and what your current systems can reliably show.
02
Agree the reporting scope
We define the close process, management pack, responsibilities, timetable and fee, including how we will work with any existing accountant.
03
Build a monthly rhythm
We clean up the opening position, establish repeatable month-end controls and refine the reporting as the information becomes more useful.
Common Questions
Do we need to change our existing accountant?
No. In Front Accounting can provide the ongoing bookkeeping, monthly management reporting and commercial finance support while your current accountant continues to handle year-end accounts and tax. With your authority, we can agree a practical handover of records and provide clean reports at year-end.
How is this different from ordinary bookkeeping?
Bookkeeping records what happened. This service combines reliable bookkeeping and month-end close with management accounts, commentary, cash-flow visibility, profitability analysis and a monthly review call. The purpose is to help you run the business, not simply keep the ledger up to date.
Can you report profitability by project or client?
Usually, where the source data is captured consistently. We first review your accounting, time-tracking, project or job-costing systems and explain what can be reported reliably. If the data is not yet suitable, we can recommend a proportionate way to improve it rather than presenting misleading figures.
What happens in the monthly review call?
Jamie or a member of the IFA team takes you through the month, including profit, cash, margins, debtors, creditors and any project or revenue-stream reporting in scope. We discuss exceptions, agree actions and use the figures to support upcoming decisions on pricing, costs and growth.
How much does ongoing finance support cost?
Typically £400–£1,000 + VAT per month, tailored to the level of support required. The final monthly fee depends on bookkeeping volume, the number of projects or revenue streams, reporting complexity and whether cash-flow forecasting or deeper commercial analysis is required. The scope and fee are agreed before work begins.
Get a clearer view of the business every month.
Tell us what you can see today, what is missing and which decisions need better financial information. We will confirm whether the service fits and scope the right level of support.
Book a finance review callLooking for a one-off model instead? See our financial forecasting services.