Switching accountants
Moving is easier than people expect.
Most people stay with an accountant they have outgrown because they assume changing is a lot of work. It is a hassle-free process, and most of it sits with me. Here is exactly what happens.
You do not have to wait for your year end, and you do not have to gather anything up yourself. Accountants move clients between each other all the time, and there is a standard process for it that exists precisely so it is straightforward for you.
The process
Six steps, and four of them are mine.
From first conversation to being properly set up. The only two things that need you are the first chat and a short email.
- 01
We have a conversation first
The free 30-minute consultation, same as any other enquiry. You tell me what you have got and what is not working. Nothing changes with your current arrangement at this stage, and you are not committed to anything.
- 02
You let your current accountant know
This part does need to come from you, and a short email is enough. You do not owe anyone a justification. If you would rather not write it from scratch, I can tell you what it needs to say.
- 03
I write for professional clearance
I contact your current accountant directly and ask whether there is any professional reason I should not act for you. It is a routine courtesy between accountants, and it is not a negotiation about you.
- 04
Your records are transferred
They pass over your accounts, tax returns, and the underlying records. Your own data is yours. If it is in software, it usually transfers across without being rebuilt.
- 05
I check what I have been given
Before picking anything up I go through what has arrived and make sure it is complete and reconciles. If something is missing or does not add up, better to find it now than at your next year end.
- 06
We carry on from where you are
You get a clear picture of what is outstanding, what is due next, and when. From there it is the same service as any other client.
What people worry about
Four things that stop people moving.
I have to wait until my year end
You do not. Moving mid-year is completely normal, and there are good reasons to do it: if something is going wrong now, waiting nine months to fix it rarely improves the situation.
It is a lot of work for me
Two things need you: the first conversation, and a short email to your current accountant letting them know. The clearance letter, the records transfer and the checking all sit with me.
They can hold my records hostage
Your own books and records belong to you. An accountant may in some circumstances hold their own working papers, and unpaid fees can complicate a transfer, so it is worth being straight with me about anything outstanding.
Everything will have to be redone from scratch
Very rarely. Usually the records transfer across and carry on. If there is genuinely a problem in what I receive, I will tell you what it is and what fixing it involves before doing the work, not after.
Sound familiar?
Why people usually move.
None of these mean your current accountant is bad at their job. Often it just means the arrangement stopped fitting.
- You only ever hear from them once a year, just before something is due.
- You do not understand what you are being charged for, or the bill changes without warning.
- You are paying for a package where half of it is irrelevant to your business.
- Making Tax Digital is coming and you are not confident they have it in hand.
- You have grown, or changed, and the arrangement has not.
- You would rather deal with one person than a different name in every email.
Want to know what moving would look like?
Book a free 30-minute consultation. Nothing happens to your current arrangement until you decide it should.
Free 30-minute consultation. No obligation.