Is it easy to switch accountants?

It should be! Are you unhappy with your current accountant?

Many people think that changing accountants is difficult and stressful but we can assure you that it doesn’t have to be that way. And it’s nowhere near as stressful as staying with an accountant that you are unhappy with, or one who is providing a poor quality of service.

When people come to us to enquire about changing their accountant the most common reasons are poor communication, lack of proactive help and advice and missing deadlines. You should not have to put up with any of this.

Research the market

There are lots of accountants all claiming to offer a great service. We claim that too! Many offer free consultations so you can get a chance to talk to them to get a feel for how they work. You’ll know what you want them to do. who meets your specific needs. Consider factors such as experience, cost, location, and availability. And look for reviews. Companies with good track records and lots of happy clients usually like to talk about it.

Once you’ve found an accountant you think that you can work, with simply write a letter to your current accountant informing them of your decision to switch to another firm. Request any necessary information from them, such as finalised work or financial year-end accounts.

When you register with your new accountant you’ll sign a new 64-8 form or use HMRC’s online authorisation to give your new accountant permission to deal with HMRC for your personal and company tax affairs.

Handover process

Plan the handover process with your new accountant and ensure all financial responsibilities have been taken care of. We recommend that you avoid changing accountants during the production of reports or during an audit. Your new accountant (hopefully us!) will now liaise with your old accountant and will obtain the necessary documents needed to ensure that your business financials continue to be up to date.

It should be as straightforward as that. Of course in some cases when you may have been in dispute with your old accountant things can occasionally get drawn out a bit. In very rare cases there can be some disagreements that need calm heads to resolve. Like most good accountants, we have experience in sorting out issues like this. When something like this does happen, it really does let you know that you made the right choice to move accountant! It’s important to note that these instances are very rare and in almost all cases the changeover goes smoothly.

If you are interested in changing accountant we would be delighted to talk to you. As mentioned above, we offer a Free Consultation. We would be delighted to have a chat with you and outline why we think we offer a really good range of services at very reasonable rates.