As Luxembourg ManCos, AIFMs and international groups bring more finance and governance activities in-house, many are facing a new challenge: how to manage short-term capacity gaps without disrupting reporting timelines. Accounting secondment and interim accounting support, as well as corporate secretarial support, can provide flexible access to experienced professionals when teams face absences, project peaks or deadline pressure.
The internalization of functions such as accounting, consolidation, controlling and corporate secretarial services has become a key trend across asset management and corporate sectors. Bringing these capabilities in-house strengthens control, improves oversight of financial reporting and ensures closer alignment with business strategy.
However, expanding internal teams also introduces new operational risks. When a team member is absent for an extended period – due to parental leave, long-term sickness or secondment to another business unit – or when a temporary project requires extra capacity, organizations must act quickly to avoid disruption.
Secondments provide a flexible response. They enable organizations to bring in finance and governance expertise to cover gaps or support teams during defined periods, with limited onboarding time and continuity of day-to-day operations and reporting. This may include support across accounting, consolidation, tax accounting, controlling and corporate secretary functions, helping organizations maintain both financial and governance continuity.
Why flexible accounting support works
It enables teams to respond quickly to capacity gaps without changing permanent headcount structures.
The most effective accounting secondment support goes beyond availability: it brings in professionals with a strong understanding of finance operations, reporting cycles and the Luxembourg environment, allowing them to contribute from day one.
Support can be adapted to specific needs: short-term absence cover, multi-month support, part-time reinforcement, project-based support or peak-period assistance during month-end, year-end or audit preparation.
By maintaining key accounting activities and supporting documentation, temporary accounting support can help reduce disruption, protect deadlines and limit dependency on individual team members.
Where appropriate, secondees can also help upskill your team and document key processes, so you’re left stronger and better prepared once the engagement ends.
Practical use cases
Absence leave
A key team member is unavailable due to a planned or unexpected absence – such as parental leave or long-term sickness – during a critical reporting period. A secondee steps in to take over essential responsibilities, including month-end close, investor reporting, internal control testing and cash reconciliations, ensuring continuity of operations, meeting deadlines and reducing downstream risk.
Project surge
During an ERP implementation or a transition to a new consolidation tool, secondees provide specialist support for data cleansing, mapping and testing within a defined timeframe.
Peak reporting periods
For year-end consolidation and audit support, secondees augment teams to meet compressed timelines without permanent headcount increases.
Absence leave
A key team member is unavailable due to a planned or unexpected absence – such as parental leave or long-term sickness – during a critical reporting period. A secondee steps in to take over essential responsibilities, including month-end close, investor reporting, internal control testing and cash reconciliations, ensuring continuity of operations, meeting deadlines and reducing downstream risk.
Project surge
During an ERP implementation or a transition to a new consolidation tool, secondees provide specialist support for data cleansing, mapping and testing within a defined timeframe.
Peak reporting periods
For year-end consolidation and audit support, secondees augment teams to meet compressed timelines without permanent headcount increases.
What to look for when selecting an accounting support partner
When selecting an accounting support partner in Luxembourg, it is important to choose a firm that combines strong local market knowledge with international accounting and governance expertise. Secondees should be experienced practitioners familiar with the demands of fund and corporate reporting in Luxembourg and the wider EU. Key factors to consider include:
If your finance team needs support, KPMG Luxembourg can help you define the right support model. Contact our team to discuss your priorities, timing and delivery requirements.
FAQ on practical implications
The terms are often used interchangeably. Accounting secondments typically involve professionals embedded within your team, while interim accounting support can also include external or project-based assistance. In practice, both approaches provide flexible, short- to medium-term capacity without increasing permanent headcount.
Organizations typically use secondments to address absences, support transformation projects or manage peak reporting periods.
Accounting secondments can support a wide range of accounting activities, including NAV calculations, investor reporting, reconciliations and regulatory requirements. Experienced professionals bring an understanding of Luxembourg fund structures and reporting expectations, allowing them to contribute quickly.
Temporary support can assist with board and shareholder meetings, governance documentation, statutory records, regulatory filings, and other activities that help organizations meet governance obligations and key deadlines.
Depending on your needs, seconded professionals can support consolidation processes, financial reporting, tax accounting and related compliance activities. This ensures continuity across both operational and technical areas of the finance function.
Secondees work as part of the client’s team, using internal systems and processes. This embedded approach enables faster onboarding, smoother collaboration and immediate contribution compared to more external delivery models.
How we can assist you
KPMG Luxembourg can support organizations with flexible accounting capacity for temporary gaps, peak workloads and project-based needs. Our professionals can reinforce client teams across accounting operations, fund accounting, tax accounting, consolidation, corporate secretary roles, statutory reporting and audit preparation.
Support can be delivered on-site, remotely or hybrid, and structured as full-time, part-time or project-based, depending on the client’s needs, timing and governance requirements.
Where requirements become recurring or broader in scope, KPMG can also assist through Managed Services, helping clients move from temporary reinforcement to a more structured operating model.
