Engagement letters

Technical Advisory Services

Advisory Services publish the helpsheet Engagement letters and privacy notices which explains the importance of issuing engagement letters and provides a series of sample wordings. The helpsheet also includes suggested sources for further information and guidance on the drafting of engagement letters. The helpsheet is available in a set of Word downloads.

• Engagement letters and privacy notices

Technical Advisory Services also publish the following helpsheets:

• What if you have not issued an engagement letter? which provides 'information and guidance on the minimum requirements member firms must communicate to their clients in writing in the absence of an engagement letter'.
• Disengagement letters which provides a sample structure and content to help members develop effective, comprehensive disengagement letters.

In addition to this, the practice resources page on client engagement provides some helpful guidance on best practice in drawing up an engagement letter.

Library & Information Service

The ICAEW Library & Information Service holds a range of individual engagement letters and published collections of engagement letters in print and digital formats. In addition to this, the collection includes a number of articles and books with sample clauses for insertion in engagement letters.

The collection also includes publications with guidance on the use and compilation of engagement letters for those occasions when you cannot find an appropriate example.

You can find details of the engagement letters in our collection by searching our Library catalogue (Libcat).

In addition, the collection extends to other types of commonly used letters. You can browse our holdings using the links below:

• client representation letters
• comfort letters
• disengagement letters
• hold harmless letters
• resignation letters

Copies of letters can be supplied within copyright law and subject to licences. See our document delivery service for further details.

Other sources

Croner-i publishes the Engagement Letters Toolkit which includes 90 examples of forms and letters that have been compiled for use by practices. Further details of this product are available from the Croner-i.

How can I find out about creating my own engagement letters?

ICAEW's Technical Advisory Services publish the helpsheet Engagement letters and privacy notices which provides a series of sample wordings to help members draft engagement letters. The helpsheet also includes suggested sources for further information and guidance on the drafting of engagement letters. The helpsheet also provides a checklist to assist with the preparation of engagement letters.

In addition to ICAEW guidance, the LIS collection includes a number of articles from the wider professional press which provide tips and suggestions of best practice on drafting engagement letters.

Further help and advice

If you cannot find the engagement letter you need, the LIS enquiry team will be pleased to help search the collection for you. Please call the team on +44 (0)207 920 8620 or email us at library@icaew.com.

Members requiring advice on specific aspects of engagement letters should contact the Technical Enquiries Service. 

The Library provides access to leading business, finance and management journals. These journals are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users subject to suppliers' terms of use.