The following reproduces the text of the report prepared for the members in respect of the LLP's annual unaudited financial statements. In accordance with the Companies Act 2006, the LLP is only required to file a Balance Sheet. Readers are cautioned that the Income Statement and certain other primary statements and the Report of the Members are not required to be filed with the Registrar of Companies.
We have reviewed the financial statements of Tolhurst Fisher LLP for the period ended 31 March 2024, which comprise the Income Statement, Balance Sheet and the related notes. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice), including Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland'.
This report is made solely to the limited liability partnership's members of Tolhurst Fisher LLP, as a body, in accordance with the terms of our engagement letter. Our work has been undertaken solely to prepare for your approval the financial statements of Tolhurst Fisher LLP and state those matters that we have agreed to state to the limited liability partnership's members of Tolhurst Fisher LLP, as a body, in this report in accordance with ICAEW Technical Release 07/16 AAF. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than Tolhurst Fisher LLP and its members as a body, for our work or for this report.
Members' responsibility for the financial statements
It is your duty to ensure that Tolhurst Fisher LLP has kept adequate accounting records and to prepare statutory financial statements that give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit of Tolhurst Fisher LLP. You consider that Tolhurst Fisher LLP is exempt from the statutory audit requirement for the period.
Accountants' responsibility
Our responsibility is to express a conclusion based on our review of the financial statements. We conducted our review in accordance with International Standard on Review Engagements (ISRE) 2400 (Revised), 'Engagements to review historical financial statements' and ICAEW Technical Release TECH 09/13AAF 'Assurance review engagements on historical financial statements'. ISRE 2400 also requires us to comply with the ICAEW Code of Ethics.
A review of financial statements in accordance with ISRE 2400 (Revised) is a limited assurance engagement. We have performed additional procedures to those required under a compilation engagement. These primarily consist of making enquiries of management and others within the entity, as appropriate, applying analytical procedures and evaluating the evidence obtained. The procedures performed in a review are substantially less than those performed in an audit conducted in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK and Ireland). Accordingly, we do not express an audit opinion on these financial statements.
Conclusion
Based on our review, nothing has come to our attention that causes us to believe that the financial statements have not been prepared:
so as to give a true and fair view of the state of the LLP's affairs as at 31 March 2024 and of its profit for the period then ended;
in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 as applied to LLPs by the Limited Liability Partnerships (Accounts and Audit) (Application of Companies Act 2006) Regulations 2008.
The members of the limited liability partnership have elected not to include a copy of the profit and loss account within the financial statements.
Tolhurst Fisher LLP is a limited liability partnership incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Trafalgar House, Nelson Street, Southend-On-Sea, Essex, United Kingdom, SS1 1EF.
The limited liability partnership's principal activities are disclosed in the Members' Report.
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice "Accounting by Limited Liability Partnerships" issued in December 2021, together with FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 as applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime. The disclosure requirements of section 1A of FRS 102 have been applied other than where additional disclosure is required to show a true and fair view.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the limited liability partnership. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
The financial statements present information for the 11 month period ended 31st March 2024 to align the LLP's year end with the tax year following the basis period reform measures introduced by HM Revenue & Customs. The comparative period presents information for the 12 months ended 30th April 2023 and may not therefore be entirely comparable.
Turnover represents the amounts recoverable for the services provided to clients, excluding value added tax, under contractual obligations which are performed gradually over time.
If, at the balance sheet date, completion of contractual obligations is dependent on external factors (and thus outside the control of the Limited Liability Partnership), then revenue is recognised only when the event occurs. In such cases, costs incurred up to the balance sheet date are carried forward as work in progress.
Members' participation rights are the rights of a member against the LLP that arise under the members' agreement (for example, in respect of amounts subscribed or otherwise contributed remuneration and profits).
Members' participation rights in the earnings or assets of the LLP are analysed between those that are, from the LLP's perspective, either a financial liability or equity, in accordance with section 22 of FRS 102. A member's participation rights including amounts subscribed or otherwise contributed by members, for example members' capital, are classed as liabilities unless the LLP has an unconditional right to refuse payment to members, in which case they are classified as equity.
Once an unavoidable obligation has been created in favour of members through allocation of profits or other means, any undrawn profits remaining at the reporting date are shown as ‘Loans and other debts due to members’ to the extent they exceed debts due from a specific member.
Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the profit and loss account.
Work in progress is valued in different ways depending on the type of work being performed, there are three categories for work-in-progress calculation:-
Residential Conveyancing
If contracts are exchanged then a VAT invoice is raised for completions after 30th April. Matters which have not exchanged are valued on a £100 abortive fee basis.
Wills, Trust and Probate
Interim billing is performed regularly and therefore VAT invoices are encourage to be raised for 30th April, if delays are expected then a pro-forma invoice is raised instead.
Any Wills that have been drafted but not executed have two thirds of the invoice amount provided in work-in-progress.
Commercial Department, Litigation and Matrimonial
Clients are billed either formally or on a pro forma basis on 30th April. Invoices are based on actual time spent and any likely uplift is applied.
Conditional Fee Agreements or Contingency Fee Agreements nothing is raised until the right to fees crystallises.
Other financial assets, including investments in equity instruments which are not subsidiaries, associates or joint ventures, are initially measured at fair value, which is normally the transaction price. Such assets are subsequently carried at fair value and the changes in fair value are recognised in profit or loss, except that investments in equity instruments that are not publicly traded and whose fair values cannot be measured reliably are measured at cost less impairment.
Financial assets, other than those held at fair value through profit and loss, are assessed for indicators of impairment at each reporting end date.
Financial assets are impaired where there is objective evidence that, as a result of one or more events that occurred after the initial recognition of the financial asset, the estimated future cash flows have been affected. If an asset is impaired, the impairment loss is the difference between the carrying amount and the present value of the estimated cash flows discounted at the asset’s original effective interest rate. The impairment loss is recognised in profit or loss.
If there is a decrease in the impairment loss arising from an event occurring after the impairment was recognised, the impairment is reversed. The reversal is such that the current carrying amount does not exceed what the carrying amount would have been, had the impairment not previously been recognised. The impairment reversal is recognised in profit or loss.
Financial assets are derecognised only when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the asset expire or are settled, or when the limited liability partnership transfers the financial asset and substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership to another entity, or if some significant risks and rewards of ownership are retained but control of the asset has transferred to another party that is able to sell the asset in its entirety to an unrelated third party.
Derivatives, including interest rate swaps and forward foreign exchange contracts, are not basic financial instruments. Derivatives are initially recognised at fair value on the date a derivative contract is entered into and are subsequently re-measured at their fair value. Changes in the fair value of derivatives are recognised in profit or loss in finance costs or finance income as appropriate, unless hedge accounting is applied and the hedge is a cash flow hedge.
Debt instruments that do not meet the conditions in FRS 102 paragraph 11.9 are subsequently measured at fair value through profit or loss. Debt instruments may be designated as fair value through profit or loss to eliminate or reduce an accounting mismatch or if the instruments are measured and their performance evaluated on a fair value basis in accordance with a documented risk management or investment strategy.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the limited liability partnership’s obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
Equity instruments issued by the limited liability partnership are recorded at the proceeds received, net of direct issue costs. Dividends payable on equity instruments are recognised as liabilities once they are no longer at the discretion of the limited liability partnership.
The costs of short-term employee benefits are recognised as a liability and an expense, unless those costs are required to be recognised as part of the cost of stock or fixed assets.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the limited liability partnership is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
Government grants are recognised at the fair value of the asset received or receivable when there is reasonable assurance that the grant conditions will be met and the grants will be received.
A grant that specifies performance conditions is recognised in income when the performance conditions are met. Where a grant does not specify performance conditions it is recognised in income when the proceeds are received or receivable. A grant received before the recognition criteria are satisfied is recognised as a liability.
The average number of persons (excluding members) employed by the partnership during the period was:
In the event of a winding up the amounts included in "Loans and other debts due to members" will rank equally with unsecured creditors.