Switching your accountant is a lot easier than you think - to do so, you’ll need to do the following:
Meeting With Us
The first step is to contact us, so we can arrange a free, no obligation, meeting so that we can understand your circumstances and then offer you a fixed fee quote.
We are required to confirm the identity and verify the address of each of our customers. We are therefore obliged to meet you in person and take a copy of your ID and proof of your address. For a list of documents we can accept, click here.
Monthly Payments
You need to consider whether its the right time to switch accountants.
Monthly payments:
You may be making monthly payments to your current accountant, in which case it might be worth continuing with them until your commitment with them ends - this is usually at the end of your accounting period end.
For example:
Your period end is 31 March and the current date is 31 January. You’ve probably already made ten payments towards your period end accounts and so it would usually be worth paying for two extra months, getting your current accountant to submit your accounts, tax returns, etc and then switching.
Inform Your Current Accountant
Get in contact with your current accountant and make them aware of your desire to switch. Some accountants require you to provide them with a notice period, so let them know in good time.
Example
Dear (Enter Accountant Name),
I hope you are well.
Please take this email as a formal notice that I will be switching accountants to Millward, May & Co from (Enter Date).
Thank you for all your help and support.
My new accountants will be in touch in due course to request linking information.
Kind regards,
New Client Form Completion
We’ll send you a new client form via email for you to fill in where we’ll ask you to provide your details along with your current accountants contact information - we’ll ask you for their:
Name
Email Address
Phone Number
Postal Address
We’ll then get in contact with your current accountant to request your ‘linking information’ from them. They’ll usually provide us with the last set of accounts or tax return that they submitted on your behalf plus a breakdown of the figures. We can only request this information once they’ve completed your final accounts or tax return for you.
We’ll also ask your current accountant whether there is any professional reason why we should not act for you. The most common reason that they would object is if you have not paid your final bill with them.