Switching accountants is easier than you think

Most people stay with an accountant they've outgrown for a single reason. They think leaving will be a nightmare. Awkward phone calls, lost paperwork, a missed tax deadline that lands them with a penalty. So they put it off, year after year, growing more frustrated.

The truth is a good deal duller than that. Switching accountants is one of the easiest bits of business admin you'll ever do. It usually costs you nothing, takes about 10 to 15 minutes of your time, and leaves no gap in service. We do the heavy lifting, including the slightly awkward conversation with your old accountant.

This guide runs through the fears that keep people stuck, why none of them hold up, and the four simple steps to making the move.

The four fears that keep people stuck

Nearly everyone weighing up a switch has one of these four worries rattling around. Let's take them one at a time.

• "It'll be awkward." You never have to have the uncomfortable conversation. Once you say you'd like to switch, we send a standard, polite clearance letter to your old accountant on your behalf. This is a routine courtesy between firms. They receive them all the time, and there's nothing personal about it.
• "It's a hassle." Not really. Your part is signing an authority or two, which takes a few minutes. We deal with the records, the handover and the HMRC paperwork.
• "I have to wait for my year-end." You don't. You can switch whenever suits you. Just after your year-end is often the tidiest moment, though there's almost never a reason to wait if you're unhappy now.
• "My old accountant won't hand my stuff over." In almost all cases they'll pass your records straight across. It's how the profession works, and we chase it so you don't have to.

How switching works, step by step

This is the whole process, start to finish. Notice how little of it lands on your plate.

• 1. You tell us you'd like to switch. That's it, one message to get the ball rolling. Book a free, no-pressure chat and we'll talk through your situation.
• 2. We contact your old accountant. We send a professional clearance letter (a standard request between firms) and ask them for your records and a proper handover.
• 3. We set up HMRC authorisation. We arrange agent authorisation using form 64-8 or the online equivalent, so we can act for you and deal with HMRC directly. You sign, we do the rest.
• 4. We take it from there. Bookkeeping, accounts, tax returns, deadlines, all in hand. A real person has got you.

What it costs

Switching to us typically costs you nothing. There's no charge to move your affairs across, and we agree your ongoing fee upfront as a fixed price. You always know what you're paying, with no surprise bills at year-end.

And because we work with cloud accounting, none of this depends on where you're based. We're rooted in Kent, but we look after business owners, landlords and trades right across the UK. You can see everything we do on our services page.

Why people move to us

The most common reason clients give for switching is simple. They got tired of being a number. With us, you deal directly with Bobby Gardiner (CAT FMAAT), not a call centre or a rotating cast of juniors you never quite get to know.

We're straight-talking and proactive. We agree fixed fees upfront, we chase you before deadlines rather than after them, and we put the tax stuff into plain English. The whole idea is that you stop worrying about the money side and get back to running your business.

If you're in the trades and you've been on CIS, switching is also a good moment to check you're not leaving money with HMRC. Our CIS refund estimator gives you a quick idea of what you might be owed back.

Ready when you are

There's no bad time to switch, and no obligation in having a conversation about it. If your current setup is leaving you anxious or in the dark, the hardest part is deciding to look into it, and you've done that by reading this far.

When you're ready, book a free chat. We'll answer your questions, tell you whether we're a good fit, and if you'd like to go ahead, we'll take it from there.