Accounting Engagement Letter Template(Free Download)
A free engagement letter template for accountants, bookkeepers and tax practices: scope of services, fees, responsibilities, and term — ready to adapt and send.
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Onboarding checklist
What's included
A free engagement letter template for accountants, bookkeepers and tax practices: scope of services, fees, responsibilities, and term — ready to adapt and send.
Template specs
Updated 2026-10-22
No credit card · Free forever
An engagement letter is what turns a verbal 'yes' into a defined relationship, and practices that skip it end up doing unpaid scope creep and arguing about fees. This template gives accounting firms, bookkeepers and tax practitioners a clean engagement letter: the parties, the services covered for the period, what is explicitly out of scope, each side's responsibilities (you file, the client supplies records on time), the fee and billing basis, and the term and renewal. Adapt it once to your practice and reuse it for every new client, so onboarding is consistent and the scope is agreed in writing before work begins. Pair it with the client onboarding checklist so a signed letter flows straight into a structured start.
The Problem This Solves
Many practices onboard new clients on a handshake, so scope is fuzzy, out-of-scope requests are done for free, and when a fee dispute arises there is nothing in writing. An engagement letter sets the scope, responsibilities and fee up front, which protects the margin and the relationship.
Who It's For
Accounting firms, CA/CPA practices, bookkeepers and tax practitioners onboarding new clients who want scope, responsibilities and fees agreed in writing before work starts.
Use Cases
- Agree scope, responsibilities and fees in writing before any work begins
- Stop unpaid scope creep by listing what is explicitly out of scope
- Standardise onboarding so every new client is set up the same way
- Give a clear basis for the fee when a billing question comes up
- Flow a signed letter straight into a structured onboarding checklist
How to Use This Template
- 1
Download the editable copy and set your practice details and the client
- 2
List the services covered for the period and, just as important, what is excluded
- 3
Set each side's responsibilities and the records-submission expectation
- 4
State the fee, billing basis, term and renewal
- 5
Send for signature, then start onboarding against the client checklist
Inside the template: sample data
The exact rows that ship with the Accounting Engagement Letter Template download — replace them with your own records after import.
| Section | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Parties & period | Practice, client, engagement period |
| Scope | Services included; services excluded |
| Responsibilities | Practice duties; client duties (records, deadlines) |
| Fees | Fee, billing basis, payment terms |
| Term & renewal | Start, end, renewal, termination |
Frequently Asked Questions
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