Petterson & Bennett Review

⚠️ Wartime Ukraine Service Continuity — The Due Diligence Questions

Engaging a Kyiv-based EOR provider in wartime Ukraine requires explicit business continuity due diligence that no other provider in this audit series demands. The questions to answer before any commercial commitment: (1) Power continuity: Ukraine's power grid has been subject to targeted Russian strikes. How does Petterson and Bennett maintain accounting and payroll processing during multi-hour power outages? Does the office have generator backup? Do key staff work from locations with independent power? (2) Staff availability: Ukraine's wartime mobilisation law requires men aged 25–60 to register for military service. What proportion of Petterson and Bennett's accounting and payroll staff are male and subject to mobilisation? Is there a succession plan for key staff if mobilised? (3) Payroll deadlines: Ukrainian labour law requires salaries to be paid at least twice per month. If an escalation period disrupts operations near a payroll deadline, what is the contingency process? (4) Data security: The Kyiv office at Smart Office is a co-working space. What data security protocols apply to client payroll data in a shared office environment during wartime? (5) Banking infrastructure: Ukrainian banks have been resilient but international wire transfers can experience delays. How are USD/EUR payments from international clients received and processed into UAH payroll disbursements? None of these questions disqualify Petterson and Bennett from consideration — many Ukraine-based service providers have operated effectively through the conflict. But they are the minimum operational due diligence for any buyer whose Ukrainian payroll is time-critical.

The Non-VAT Payer Advantage — How 20% Savings Works

Petterson and Bennett's non-VAT payer status is the most commercially distinctive pricing feature of any Ukraine accounting/EOR provider in this series. Ukrainian accounting and HR services are subject to 20% VAT when provided by VAT-registered suppliers. However: most international companies' Ukrainian representative offices are registered as non-trading representative offices — they represent the parent company's interests in Ukraine but do not generate taxable Ukrainian revenue. Non-trading representative offices cannot register for Ukrainian VAT and therefore cannot recover Ukrainian input VAT on services they purchase. If a VAT-registered Ukrainian accounting firm charges UAH 10,000/month for EOR services, the representative office pays UAH 12,000 (including 20% VAT = UAH 2,000) that it cannot recover. If Petterson and Bennett charges UAH 10,000 as a non-VAT payer, the representative office pays exactly UAH 10,000 — a 16.7% saving on the total amount paid (or 20% of the VAT component). For Ukrainian subsidiaries that ARE registered for VAT and can recover input VAT, this advantage is neutralised — confirm your entity's Ukrainian VAT registration status before pricing the advantage.

American Ownership and QuickBooks Integration — The US Company Value Proposition

Petterson and Bennett's 100% American investment ownership creates a specific service quality for US companies that purely local Ukrainian accounting firms cannot replicate. Three dimensions: (1) English-language reporting: Ukrainian accounting statutory filings are in Ukrainian. P&B prepares parallel IFRS/US GAAP management reports in English for the US parent's CFO or controller — in any format required, with the level of detail needed for US parent consolidation. Most local Ukrainian firms either cannot prepare IFRS reports or produce them in Ukrainian, creating a translation burden for the US client. (2) QuickBooks integration: US parent companies overwhelmingly use QuickBooks (Online or Desktop) as their US accounting platform. P&B is a confirmed QuickBooks advisor and certified partner, meaning they can simultaneously maintain Ukrainian statutory accounting in local accounting software AND enter the same data into QuickBooks Online for consolidation with the US parent's books — eliminating manual re-entry. The QuickBooks 2026 courses also mean P&B can train the client's own Ukrainian finance staff if needed. (3) Accounting standards alignment: P&B staff are ACCA and CPA certified — the US and international professional standards. When a US parent company's external auditors review the Ukrainian subsidiary's financials, they are reviewing work prepared by CPA and ACCA professionals, not purely local Ukrainian qualification holders — a material difference in auditor confidence.