Switching accountants

Switching is a one-email job. We do the rest.

Staying with an accountant who doesn't reply, surprises you with bills, or treats startups as an afterthought costs more than switching ever will. Here's exactly how it works.

Start the switch WhatsApp a question

The process

Four steps, one of them yours

1
You say yes
Fill in the get-started form or book a call. We confirm your package and fixed price in writing.
2
You send one email
A two-line courtesy note to your current accountant — we give you the template.
3
We handle the handover
We request professional clearance and your records, register as your agent with HMRC, and set up FreeAgent (or take over your existing account).
4
You carry on
Nothing lapses, no deadline is missed, and from day one you've got someone who actually answers.

Recognise any of these?

Signs you've outgrown your accountant

You hear from them once a year — usually an invoice
Every question feels like it's on the clock
"We'll get to it" is the standard reply in January
You still don't know what your tax bill will be
They've never once suggested a way to save you money

Switching

The awkward questions, answered

Do I have to tell them why? No. You send one line saying you are moving and that we will be in touch for the handover. You owe no explanation, and we have never seen a professional firm ask for one.

Can they refuse to release my records? Broadly no — but there is one real exception, and it is worth knowing before you start. An accountant can exercise what is called a particular lien: where you genuinely owe them money for work they have done, they may hold back the documents they produced doing that work until the bill is paid. They cannot hold your own records — your invoices, your bank statements, your receipts — and they cannot hold anything already filed at Companies House or HMRC, which you can get copies of anyway. If there is an unpaid bill, tell us at the start and we will plan around it rather than hit it in week three.

Do I have to wait until my year end? No, and waiting is usually the more expensive choice. Moving mid-year means we pick up the books as they stand and put the current year right as we go. Waiting means another twelve months of whatever was not working, and then a handover anyway.

Will I pay two firms at once? Briefly, sometimes — if your old firm bills annually in advance you may have paid for months you will not use. Ask them for a pro-rata refund; some give it. We do not charge you for the handover itself.

What if my books are a mess? Then say so. Every firm that says “no judgement” means it, because a tidy set of books arriving from another accountant is the rarer event. What actually matters is that we see the mess before we quote, so the fee we agree is the fee you pay.

The handover

What we need from you

Your old accountant’s name and email address, so we can write for clearance and your records.
Your company number, or your UTR if you are a sole trader.
Read-only access or a login to whatever software your books are in now — or a note saying there isn’t any, which is a perfectly normal answer.
Two forms of identity for each director or owner. We are required to check them, and doing it on day one is what stops it delaying your first filing.
A quick word on anything you already know is wrong. Late filings, an unpaid tax bill, a year that was never finished. We would much rather hear it from you than find it.

Switching questions

Asked all the time

Will switching accountants annoy HMRC or cause problems?

No. Businesses change accountants all the time — HMRC doesn't care who acts for you as long as filings happen. We update your authorisations as part of onboarding.

Do I have to speak to my old accountant?

Only to send one short courtesy email (we'll draft it for you). Everything else — records, professional clearance, handover — happens accountant-to-accountant.

When's the best time to switch?

Any time. There's a myth you must wait for year-end; in practice we can pick up mid-year and it's usually better than limping to a deadline with a firm you've outgrown.

What does it cost to switch?

Nothing from us — onboarding and handover are included in your fixed monthly fee. Your old accountant shouldn't charge for standard professional clearance either.

How long does it take?

Typically about a week from 'yes' to fully set up, most of which is waiting for your previous accountant to respond.