Volunteer FAQs

What is CAVA?

CAVA stands for Chartered Accountants Ireland Voluntary Advice service. It provides a team of volunteer Chartered Accountants to give free advice on financial matters to people in business who cannot afford to pay for the services of an accountant.

Who does CAVA help?

The CAVA service is aimed at self-employed people who are in financial difficulties and need the advice of a qualified Chartered Accountant. Typically, these people are:

• Sole traders
• Owners of small companies
• Owners of business start-ups
• Landlords

Is CAVA a voluntary service?

Yes, it is an entirely voluntary service that Chartered Accountants undertake. This advice provided to clients is free, and no fees should be charged in respect of the agreed work for CAVA.

What does a CAVA volunteer advise on?

A CAVA volunteer can be asked to advise on a number of business topics only. (Any personal financial issues on behalf of the client can be assisted through their local MABS office.)

This list of topics CAVA volunteers advise on includes:

• Completing Tax Return (Employee Form 12)
• Completing Tax Return (Self Employed Form 11)
• Advice re Business Start Up
• General Income Tax advice
• Advice re debts
• Advice on accounts prep, including cash flows/statements of affairs
• Advice re VAT and other taxes
• Advice re the client’s gift/inheritance/CGT tax position
• Advice re buy to let property and related debt
• Advice re the tax implications of a redundancy lump sum
• General advice in relation to the above and related matters.

Is there advice a CAVA volunteer does not provide?

As a CAVA volunteer, you do not provide advice on any personal financial issues. Personal financial issues should be resolved by the client with their local Monday Advice and Budget Service (MABS) office.

CAVA volunteers will not carry out an audit of the client’s business (or their company, if any), nor will the CAVA volunteer assume any responsibility or liability in relation to any audit.

How does CAVA work?

Business people seeking support can contact their local Citizens Information Centre (CIC) or their local Money Advice and Budget Service (MABS) office.

Each month, CAVA shares a list of active volunteers with MABS and CIC, who then assign a volunteer to meet with the client for a consultation, either online or in person upon request.

The volunteer will accept or decline the request at their discretion within 48 hours of receiving the request.

If accepted, the volunteer will contact the client directly to schedule the consultation. The volunteer should arrange to conduct the meeting within 1 week of receiving the clients’ details and ask volunteer to show their ID to the camera to confirm their identity.

Consultations with the CAVA volunteer will be conducted online unless the client does not have access to the internet or a suitable device. In this instance, we will try to facilitate an in-person meeting. Please be aware that arranging in-person meetings may be delayed due to the availability of CAVA volunteers in your area and meeting room availability at MABS or CIC offices.

How long is a consultation?

CAVA volunteers must offer a preliminary one-hour consultation with a client. Some consultations do not take the full hour.

Is there any follow-up consultation?

Clients can contact the CAVA volunteer directly following the initial consultation for a limited period (up to 2 weeks after the first meeting) to address immediate follow-up questions, not to exceed 1 hour in duration, and where the volunteer has agreed to it. 

After the initial follow up period (2 weeks after the first meeting), clients should contact their local MABS and CIC to schedule further CAVA advice sessions. We cannot guarantee the same CAVA volunteer will be available for follow up meetings.

What if complex or time-consuming advice is required?

If the CAVA volunteer believes that, due to the circumstances, the complexity or workload involved, it would be more appropriate for a client to get advice from another advisor, the CAVA volunteer should let the client know. 

If the client wishes, the CAVA volunteer can provide him or her with the names of at least three people or firms with whom he or she has no business or personal interests. It should be explained to the client that it is possible that this new advisor may charge fees and, if so, the CAVA volunteer should strongly recommend that the client agree these fees in advance.

Is there a need for client identification and Anti Money Laundering (AML) Reporting?

In accordance with the Criminal Justice Act 1994 (Section 32) Regulations 2003, CAVA is required to report all knowledge or suspicion, or reasonable grounds to know or suspect, that a criminal offence giving rise to any direct or indirect benefit from criminal conduct has been committed, regardless of whether that offence has been committed by a client or by a third party. 

If, as part of CAVA’s normal work, a volunteer has knowledge or suspicion, or has reasonable grounds to know or suspect that such events have occurred or offences been committed, that volunteer is required to make a report to the Garda Síochána and the Revenue Commissioners. 

In such circumstances, it is not the practice of CAVA to discuss such reports with the client because of the restrictions imposed by the ‘tipping off’ provisions of the anti-money laundering legislation. 

Is there any personal liability involved?

Neither the CAVA volunteer, CAVA, Chartered Accountants Ireland nor its district societies will be liable for any loss suffered by CIS or the clients as a result of advice given by the CAVA volunteers. 

CIS/MABS will not be liable for any loss suffered by the clients or CAVA as a result of advice given by the CAVA volunteers.

CAVA and/or CIS/MABS will not be liable for any liability, loss (direct or indirect), awards, claims, proceedings, actions, damages, costs or expenses whatsoever which the CAVA client may incur arising out of this service.

Do I need to keep the client’s records?

It is not the practice for CAVA to retain any original documents provided by the clients.  However, if records are retained in order to enable CAVA to provide the advice, they should be returned to the client within two months of receiving them.

As a volunteer there is a small amount of paperwork for information purposes on the CAVA service. Our CAVA Executive, Jenelle Sherlock, is available to explain the requirements.

Why should I become a CAVA volunteer?

Chartered Accountants who volunteer their time find that there are many benefits to being part of the CAVA programme:

• ‘giving something back’ to your community or society
• gaining valuable training and experience
• making use of special interests and talents
• learning new skills and/or developing new interests
• meeting new people with similar interests
• finding out more about an area of work you are considering as a career
• having a chance to take some responsibility and make decisions
• being an active citizen
• making a difference to people and the community

What support is available to me if I volunteer?

CAVA is committed to supporting its volunteers in various ways to ensure a positive and enriching experience. As a volunteer, you will receive:

• Dedicated Support: Access to a CAVA Executive who is available to assist you with any queries or challenges.
• Community Engagement: An opportunity to join a supportive network of volunteers and connect with like-minded individuals.
• Structured Guidelines: Clear Volunteer Policy and Guidelines to help you understand your role and expectations.
• Resources: Access to relevant materials and resources to support your volunteer work.
• Client Management: Guidelines to help manage client expectations effectively.
• Induction and Orientation: Comprehensive induction and orientation sessions to help you get started.
• Networking Events: Invitations to networking events where you can connect with other volunteers and CAVA staff.
• Volunteer Awards: Recognition through volunteer awards to celebrate your contributions and achievements.

What is the time commitment?

We ask volunteers to sign up with CAVA for one year, at which point you will be asked to renew your commitment.

Consultations can take up to one hour each and the number of consultations you do is completely decided by you. We suggest you are available for at least two meetings per month.

What do I do if I have any queries during the process?

Please contact Jenelle Sherlock, CAVA Executive, at any stage with any queries that you may have.

What happens if I no longer want to participate as a volunteer?

If at any stage, you decide that you no longer want to continue as a volunteer for the CAVA Service, please email jenelle.sherlock@charteredaccountants.ie who will help to arrange for your involvement to cease.