01
You tell your current accountant
A short email saying you are moving is enough. You do not need to give a reason and there is usually no notice period beyond what your engagement letter says.
Switch accountants
Changing accountants is easier than staying put.
If your filings are late, your questions go unanswered or the bills arrive without warning, you can move. We handle the clearance letter, the records and the HMRC agent registrations. The handover is free and you keep trading as normal throughout.
Switch accountants in 60 seconds. We handle the professional clearance, contact your existing accountant, transfer your records and complete the handover. Most switches are completed without disruption to your business.
Regulated by
Regulated & AML supervisor
AAT fellow member
Xero Gold PartnerCertified advisor
QuickBooks PartnerCertified ProAdvisor100+ yearsCombined team experienceFully insuredUp to £2m indemnityThe handover
What actually happens.
02
We write for professional clearance
We contact them for clearance and handover information: last accounts, tax computations, payroll records, VAT history, bookkeeping file and any Companies House details.
03
Identity checks and engagement
We run the anti money laundering checks required of a regulated practice and send you an engagement letter setting out the fixed fee and scope.
04
We become your agent
We register as your agent with HMRC for corporation tax, VAT, PAYE and Self Assessment as needed, and take over your Companies House filings.
05
We review what came across
Before we file anything we check the last set of accounts, the tax position, VAT treatment and payroll for errors worth correcting.
See how we work once you are on board, check the fees and packages, or book a free consultation first. If filings are already late, start with overdue company accounts.
In detail
The parts people ask about.
Why businesses change accountants
The reasons repeat: filings left until the deadline, questions that take a week to answer, bills that arrive without warning, and no one explaining what the numbers mean. Occasionally it is a genuine mistake in a return that has to be corrected.
None of those require a difficult conversation to escape. You are the client, the appointment ends when you say it does, and your records belong to your company.
Professional clearance
A regulated accountant must write to the outgoing firm before accepting the appointment, asking whether there is any professional reason not to act and requesting handover information. That letter is ours to send, not yours.
Your old accountant needs your permission to reply, which is why you send them a short email confirming the move. After that the correspondence is between the two firms.
Transferring your accounting records
We ask for the last set of accounts and tax computations, the trial balance and nominal ledger, fixed asset and depreciation schedules, VAT workings, payroll records and P11Ds, and any Companies House filings still in progress.
Your own books, invoices and bank data always belong to you. Working papers belong to the firm that prepared them, and a firm can hold documents against unpaid fees, so settle anything genuinely owed to keep the handover clean.
Companies House
We take over accounts and confirmation statement filings, and check the register while we are there: registered office, officers, PSC details and share capital are often out of date after a few years.
Identity verification requirements now apply to directors and people with significant control, and we will tell you where your company stands on that.
Xero, QuickBooks and software
If your bookkeeping is already in Xero or QuickBooks, nothing moves. The subscription can stay in your name and we are simply added as the adviser, or a partner-billed subscription is transferred across.
If your records are in spreadsheets or a system the previous accountant controlled, we export the history and set up a clean opening position rather than starting from nothing.
Switching mid-year
Perfectly normal. Accounts are prepared for the full financial year regardless of who did the bookkeeping for part of it, so there is no penalty for changing in month seven.
The only timing worth planning is VAT and payroll: we usually take over from the start of a VAT quarter and after a pay run, so nothing is filed twice or missed.
Switching before year end
Moving a month or two before your year end is the best timing there is, because it leaves room to act on what we find: salary and dividend levels, pension contributions, capital purchases and the director's loan position all still have time to be adjusted.
Once the year has ended, most of those decisions are locked.
If filings are already overdue
Tell us at the start. We prioritise anything overdue, deal with Companies House and HMRC directly and tell you plainly which penalties are fixed and where an appeal has a realistic chance.
Where several years are outstanding the work is quoted per year after we have seen the records.
If your accountant has gone quiet
A firm that stops responding is the hardest handover, but not a blocked one. We send the clearance request, follow it up, and if nothing comes back we reconstruct the opening position from your bank data, HMRC records and the last filed accounts on the public register.
A silent predecessor delays the handover; it does not prevent the switch.
Questions
Switching, answered.
Can I change accountants mid year?
Yes. You can move at any point in your accounting year. The only practical consideration is VAT and payroll timing, so we normally take over cleanly after a VAT quarter or pay run.
Do I have to tell my old accountant why I am leaving?
No. A polite email confirming you are moving and asking them to respond to our clearance request is all that is needed.
What if I still owe them fees?
Outstanding fees are between you and them, but unpaid invoices can delay the handover. Some firms exercise a lien over records until they are settled.
Will switching cost me anything?
The handover itself is free with us. You only pay your agreed monthly fee from the month we take over the work.
What if my filings are already late?
Tell us up front. We prioritise the overdue items, deal with Companies House and HMRC, and set out what penalties may apply and whether an appeal is realistic.
How long does it take?
You can start the switch in about 60 seconds. The full handover timing depends on the work involved and how quickly the previous accountant responds to the clearance request.
A simple handover
Is Switching Really as Easy as ABC?
Looking to switch accountants? We draft the letter to your current accountant, handle the handover and take it from there.
Tell us about your business
Share your current setup and the support you need.
We contact your accountant
We prepare the professional clearance and handover communication.
We take it from there
We collect the necessary records and agree the practical transfer steps.
The 60 seconds refers to starting your switch. Handover timing depends partly on your previous accountant.
Start the move