Professional negligence claims against accountants

Accountants are trusted to provide accurate financial advice, prepare company accounts, conduct audits, and support both individuals and businesses in meeting their obligations. When mistakes are made, the consequences can be significant, from unnecessary tax liabilities to regulatory penalties and lost business opportunities.

We help clients bring claims against negligent accountants to recover losses and hold professionals to account when their service falls below the expected standard.

What is accountant negligence?

Accountant negligence occurs when an accountant fails to exercise reasonable skill and care, causing financial loss. This may include:

  • Incorrect or misleading tax advice resulting in overpayments or penalties.
  • Missing statutory deadlines, leading to fines or company strike-off.
  • Negligent valuations in transactions or disputes.
  • Failing to identify fraud during audits.
  • Poor preparation of accounts or key financial documents.

If your accountant’s actions have cost you money, you may be entitled to bring a professional negligence claim.

Why choose us?

Clients choose us to handle their accountant negligence claims because:

  • Top-ranked expertise: Our dispute resolution team is ranked Tier 1 in Legal 500 for professional negligence.
  • Specialist focus: We are experts in claims against professionals, including accountants, solicitors, barristers, and financial advisers.
  • Proven results: We have secured significant settlements through negotiation and litigation.
  • Client-first approach: We recognise the stress financial loss can cause and tailor our service to your needs.
  • Funding options: We offer flexible funding, including no win, no fee arrangements where appropriate.

If your accountant’s actions have cost you money, you may be entitled to bring a professional negligence claim.

If you have suffered a loss as a result of the negligence of your accountant, then contact us today. Our lawyers can advise you on whether you have a claim, and we will help you to recover any losses you may have incurred.

How to establish accountant negligence

A professional negligence claim against an accountant can be pursued as a contractual claim, a tortious claim,or a statutory claim.

Most commonly, a professional negligence claim results out of a breach of a professional’s contractual and/or tortious duties.

In order to be successful in proving an accountant has breached their contractual duties to you, you would need to be able to show that you had entered into a contractual arrangement with that accountant and that they have breached the terms of the contract.

Regardless of whether the accountant has contractual duties to you, they may well have also had tortious duties. By that we mean that the accountant may have had a duty of care to you and may have breached that duty.

To succeed in an action for negligence against an accountant, you need to establish that:

  • The accountant owed a duty to you (contractual and/or tortious).
  • The accountant breached the duty owed to you.
  • The accountant’s breach of duty caused you to suffer loss.

Key contact

Abigail Flanagan

Partner
Abigail Flanagan joined the dispute resolution team in 2005 and became a Partner in May 2022. Abbie specialises in procurement, professional negligence claims (mainly against solicitors, accountancy practitioners and other finance professionals), general commercial litigation matters (including warranty, contractual and director/shareholder disputes) and insolvency matters.

Your questions answered

If you have suffered financial loss because your accountant provided poor advice, missed deadlines, or failed to meet professional standards, you may have a claim.

There are time limits that apply to bringing a claim in professional negligence. Generally, if you wish to pursue a professional negligence claim it must be brought within six years from the date of the breach of contract (in a claim for breach of contract), or within six years from the date when the damage is suffered (in a negligence claim). However, these time limits can vary depending on various factors such as but not limited to, when a claimant ought to have become aware of the negligence.

The rules relating to limitation can be complex and full of pitfalls. Bringing your claim within the relevant “limitation” period is the essential first step to bringing a successful claim. It is therefore important to seek legal advice as early as possible to ensure that you are able to bring a claim.

You can usually recover the financial losses directly caused by your accountant’s negligence, including tax penalties, lost profits, or costs of remedial advice.

We provide clear advice on funding, including no win, no fee options, to ensure access to justice without undue financial risk.

Related services

Alternative dispute resolution Commercial Dispute Resolution Dispute Resolution Professional Negligence

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