Statement of Work

Each entity we work with (individual, business, trust, etc.) must sign a Statement of Work showing that you are engaging us to provide you with advisory services (such as phone calls, email questions, and so on) and that you agree to our Master Terms of Service, which can be found in the legal center.  Advisory services are typically billed at the hourly rates for the team member(s) involved at the time the service is provided.  Our hourly rates change from time to time and can be found on our pricing page. 

Most accounting firms ask their clients to sign a new Statement of Work on an annual basis, especially when they are being provided with tax services.  This process is outdated, confusing and complicated.  So, we did something about it.  We navigated our insurance, legal and ethical requirements to come up with a process that simplifies everything. 

Under our new process, we’ll ask you to sign an Initial Advisory Services Statement of Work when we first start working together (note that existing clients in January 2025 are being asked to sign this for the first time to kick off the new process).  Then, whenever you create a new legal entity, we’ll ask you to sign a separate Initial Advisory Services Statement of Work for that entity.  That’s it. 

In certain circumstances we’ll ask you to still sign a Statement of Work for specific services being performed, as described on this page.  

Master Terms of Service are the overarching legal framework that governs the overall relationship between a client and a service provider. Unlike an Initial Advisory Services Statement of Work that covers general advisory services, or approving work in Karbon, Master Terms of Service address general terms that apply across all engagements, such as payment terms, confidentiality, intellectual property rights, dispute resolution, and termination conditions. 

Think of it as a foundation that ensures consistency and fairness in your interactions. Each new project or engagement under the relationship is typically covered you agreeing to those services in Karbon (or a specific SOW in certain circumstances), which works in conjunction with the Master Terms of Service. 

You can view the current version of our Master Terms of Service in our legal center.  It’s important to note that they can change from time to time, as described within them, so it’s important to review them from time to time. 

We utilize different methods to confirm the services you’ve asked us to provide depending on the service being requested.  Most of the time you’ll be asked to confirm the service and corresponding cost of service using our Project Management Tool (currently Karbon), however sometimes it might be by signing a separate Statement of Work or utilizing another method. 

We bill either at hourly rates or a flat rate for a defined scope of service.  We’ll provide details to you when you request the service, unless it’s for general advisory services in which case you should assume it’s going to be our hourly rates based on who is performing the service. 

Usually we’ll have you confirm services in Karbon.  However sometimes we might ask you to sign a special Statement of Work for specific services being performed like recurring bookkeeping, accounting, sales tax and payroll type services.  We might also ask you to sign a separate Statement of Work when a legal or ethical consideration such as a divorce, filing for bankruptcy, etc.  We’ll let you know if a separate Statement of Work is needed. 

If you have another question: