Corporate secretarial, accounting and payroll services

Corporate secretarial, accounting and payroll services

As global regulatory frameworks become increasingly complex and dynamic, companies are required to dedicate substantial resources away from their core business to address sophisticated compliance requirements and evolving operational needs. Our dedicated team, consisting of experts in company secretarial, accounting, and payroll services, is here to support you.

With tailored solutions customised to your unique needs, your company can stay focused on its primary activities and achieve business performance objectives while we manage the complexities of regulatory compliance, financial reporting, payroll administration, and other back-office functions to facilitate the simplification of your operations, ensuring compliance, enhancing efficiency, and driving your success.

How we can help

Accounting services

  • Set up and implement accounting system
  • Set up of accounting policies and chart of accounts
  • Maintain accounting books and records
  • Prepare company-level / consolidated management accounts and group reporting packages
  • Prepare FRR returns and other documents for licensed corporations under the Securities and Futures Ordinance
  • Prepare financial statements, group and other reporting documents 
  • Provide audit assistance / liaise with tax representatives
  • Prepare BVI and Cayman Islands financial returns
  • Financial report for special purposes
  • GAAP conversion
  • Financial analysis and budgeting, forecasts and cash flow projection
  • Accounts payable and receivable management and prepare control summary
  • Accounting advisory services

Company secretarial services

  • Act as named company secretary and designated representative
  • Provide registered office address 
  • Maintain corporate records and statutory registers including Significant Controllers Register​
  • Prepare Annual General Meeting documents and assist in Board Meeting management 
  • Prepare Annual Return for filing with the Hong Kong Companies Registry (“HKCR”)
  • Review group structure and policies
  • Arrange annual renewal of government licence fee and payment of registered office and registered agent fee 
  • Provide correspondence address in Hong Kong 
  • Maintain statutory records, financial records and underlying documentation
  • Provide secretarial support on corporate changes and apply for certificate of incumbency and certificate of good standing
  • Prepare BVI / Cayman Islands Annual Economic Substance Return and arrange for submission 
  • Liaise with offshore registered agent in arranging and filing of Annual Financial Return via registered agents’ online platform 
  • Provide assistance in relation to Beneficial Ownership Register
  • Review the company’s constitutional documents and jurisdiction laws to confirm the permissibility to transfer out the company 
  • Prepare necessary documents including directors’ and shareholders’ resolutions and standard Articles of Association required under the Hong Kong Companies Ordinance and coordinate with offshore lawyers to obtain the legal opinions
  • Prepare and submit documents package for application for inward re-domiciliation to Hong Kong with the HKCR
  • Liaise with the registered agent on the necessary filings to effect the continuation out of the original domicile
  • Obtain the Certificate of Re-domiciliation and Business Registration Certificate 
  • Provide post-redomiciliation formalities

Provide training to and help the board of directors of listed issuers to keep abreast of directors’ duties and responsibilities and the latest development on regulatory requirements and corporate governance practices. Watch our Directors' trainings.

Provide comprehensive administrative support services by providing support on administrative tasks, board supports, arrangement of board / committees meetings, minutes documentation and internal guideline / policy drafting etc. to empower corporations / organisations to focus on strategic decision making and for enhanced operational efficiency purpose.

Payroll services

  • Assist in designing / documenting HR policies, staff expenses claim polices, staff handbook, etc.
  • Post job advertisement with recruiter based on client’s requirements, arrange interview and liaise employment offer with selected candidate
  • Assist in on-boarding procedures
    • Prepare employment contract
    • Arrange on-boarding meeting for new joiner
  • Assist in off-boarding procedures
    • Prepare separation letter
    • Arrange off-boarding meeting for leaver
    • Explain final pay details to leaver
  • Set-up payroll database
  • Payroll processing, prepare payroll related payment instructions
  • Calculate statutory entitlements under the Employment (Amendment) Ordinance
  • Prepare promotion letter
  • Arrange life / medical insurances enrolment for new joiner / termination for leaver
  • Rental Reimbursement Scheme policy set up and administration
  • Provide designated bank account and authorised signatories for effecting payroll related payments
  • Mandatory Provident Fund (“MPF”) scheme set up and administration (new joiner enrolment, leaver termination and group transfer), MPF calculation and reporting
  • Employees’ Compensation Insurance (“ECI”) set up, annual renewal and new joiner / leaver reporting
  • Tax filing – Employer’s returns and notifications
  • Leave entitlements and leave management
  • Staff claims and payment processing
  • Time and attendance management
  • Update / tracking of training records
  • Online payroll calendar and reminders
  • Data room for document management
  • Employee Self-Service (ESS), e.g. electronic payslips, electronic leave management and others
  • Payroll health check
  • Update HR policies and staff handbook, etc.
  • HR and payroll advisory

Other back-office support services

  • Validation of approved supplier invoices and travel and entertainment reports against relevant policies / contracts, liaise with relevant party and obtain client management approval
  • Invoices payment / travel and entertainment claims reimbursement processing
  • Cheque / electronic payment preparation
  • Bank transaction reconciliation
  • Monitor cash flow, liaise with client / bank to arrange funding based on company’s operation need
  • Assist in opening bank / corporate credit card account
  • Assist in designing / formulating / documenting the internal control policies
  • Health check of financial reporting processes and related control
  • Placement of experienced professionals on-site at client's office to bridge temporary resources gap or assist in special projects
  • Provision of professionals for development of and knowledge sharing on newly set-up accounting and payroll function

Delivering value through your business cycle

Click to view our suite of services at each stage of the business cycle.

Formation

Entity formation

  • Private company 
    • Incorporate a Hong Kong private company under the Hong Kong Companies Ordinance (“HKCO”)
    • Obtain Certificate of Incorporation and Business Registration Certificate
    • Prepare initial set-up / activation documents
  • Hong Kong branch
    • Register a company incorporated outside Hong Kong as registered non-Hong Kong company under Part 16 of the HKCO
    • Obtain Certificate of Registration and Business Registration Certificate 
  • Representative office 
    • Set up representative office under Business Registration Ordinance 
    • Obtain Business Registration Certificate 

Business commencement

  • Finance and treasury
    • Set up of bank accounts 
    • Set up of accounting policies and chart of accounts
    • Set up and implement accounting system
    • Designing / documenting internal control policies
    • Prepare budget / forecasts and cash flow projection
  • HR and payroll
    • Designing / documenting employment contracts, HR policies, staff expenses claim polices, staff handbook, etc.
    • Set up and implement HR / payroll system
    • Staff recruitment and on-boarding
    • Set up of Mandatory Provident Fund (“MPF”) scheme
    • Set up of insurance polices - Employees’ Compensation Insurance (“ECI”) and other benefits (e.g. life / medical insurance)

Corporate maintenance

Annual statutory compliance

  • Private company
    • Appoint a company secretary and a designated representative
    • Maintain a registered office address in Hong Kong and renew Business Registration Certificate
    • Maintain corporate records and statutory registers
    • Hold Annual General Meeting (unless dispensed) and file Annual Return with the Hong Kong Companies Registry (“HKCR”)
  • Hong Kong branch
    • Appoint an authorised representative in Hong Kong
    • Maintain a principal place of business in Hong Kong and renew Business Registration Certificate
    • File Annual Return with annual accounts (if applicable) with the HKCR
  • Representative office
    • Maintain a registered office address and renew Business Registration Certificate
  • Offshore company
    • Arrange annual renewal of government licence fee and payment of registered office and registered agent fee
    • Maintain statutory records including Beneficial Ownership Register, financial records and underlying documentation
    • Prepare and submit BVI / Cayman Islands Annual Economic Substance Return
    • Liaising with offshore registered agent in arranging and filing of Annual Financial Return via registered agents' online platform
    • Liaise with registered agent 

Board support

  • Provide support to the board of directors on meeting arrangements

Corporate governance

  • Ensure compliance with Hong Kong Companies Ordinance and Business Registration Ordinance / foreign jurisdiction laws
  • Ensure compliance of directors on their fiduciaries duties and responsibilities

Corporate changes

  • Attend to necessary formalities in the event of corporate changes, e.g. amendment of Articles of Association, change in board composition, transfer of shares, change in share capital etc.

Restructuring / legal entity rationalisation

  • Court-free amalgamation to streamline group structure
  • Court-free capital reduction to return share capital in excess to shareholders / offset accumulated loss
  • Outward and Inward re-domiciliation application

Financial management

  • Maintain accounting books and records, prepare company-level / consolidated management accounts
  • Prepare financial statements based on Hong Kong Financial Reporting Standards (HKFRS) or other applicable financial reporting frameworks
  • Arrange annual audit for Hong Kong companies
  • Prepare financial returns for BVI / Cayman Islands companies

Treasury management

  • Validate and process payments for operating expenses / staff expenses claims
  • Monitor cash flow, prepare forecasts and cash flow projection
  • Perform regular bank reconciliation

People management

  • Compensation and benefits – payroll processing, MPF calculation and administration, ECI, life / medical insurances, etc.
  • Employer’s returns and notifications filing
  • Leave management and attendance tracking

Exit

  • Commencement of liquidation and prepare all necessary documents for companies incorporated in Hong Kong
  • Liaise with the offshore companies’ agent (including BVI, Cayman Island, and other jurisdictions) to commence the liquidation and prepare the relevant documents
  • Attend to the necessary formalities to dissolve solvent companies by way of liquidation / deregistration 
  • Prepare management accounts up to cessation of business
  • Arrange MPF reserved account balance refund from MPF trustee
  • Arrange MPF scheme account closure
  • Arrange ECI policy termination and prepare declaration of earnings
  • Settle all tax affairs and obtain tax clearance for Hong Kong company 
  • Close bank accounts (if any)
  • Release all contractual obligations
  • Clear all assets and liabilities as appropriate  



Contact Us

Accounting and payroll

Veronica Tam

Veronica Tam
Partner, PwC Hong Kong
Tel: +[852] 2289 3626
Email

Corporate services

Florence Lai

Florence Lai
Partner, PwC Hong Kong
Tel: +[852] 2289 1638
Email

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