How long does switching accountants actually take?

Two weeks for most clients. Some drag — usually because an old accountant is slow with records, not because HMRC makes it complicated. We start the clock the day you sign.

Do I have to tell my current accountant?

Yes. One phone call, or an email — we give you a template. That's it. The old accountant must send us professional clearance; by law they can't refuse.

Yes, because we change your 64-8 agent authorisation at HMRC. It's a routine process — a one-sheet form online. Nothing changes on your tax position.

What if I'm mid-year?

Fine. We pick up from wherever your old accountant left off — bank rules, open VAT periods, half-done payroll runs. Most switches happen in February/March because people are fed up with last year's accountant.

Do I need to tell Xero?

No. We invite ourselves to your Xero organisation once your old accountant disconnects. If you're on QuickBooks or Sage, we migrate to Xero as part of switching.

What if my old accountant loses records?

By law they keep records for six years and must hand them over. If they genuinely can't find something, we rebuild from the bank feed. We've done it before.

Do I pay twice for the same month?

No. Your old fee runs until you leave them. Ours starts the month we take over. We'll agree the overlap date in writing before anything starts.

What happens on day 15?

Live numbers, new Xero login, clear deadlines, and you stop thinking about the shoebox in April.

Switching accountants is easy

If "my accountant never calls me back" sums up the last twelve months, switching is easier than you think. You send one email. We handle the rest — authority letter, HMRC agent switch, software reconnection, professional clearance.

Book a call

How switching actually works

Meet your new accountant Proper sit-down, work out what the business actually needs, pick the package that fits, and sign the engagement. Face to face or Teams - whatever suits.

Clearance and records We request professional clearance from your old accountant, sort your authorisation with HMRC, and get hold of everything we need to pick the work up properly.

Setup and away you go We set everything up around your business — your tasks, your deadlines, the way you actually work — so the day-to-day running of it gets easier from the moment you switch.

Why people switch to us

Monthly bookkeeping

Your numbers stay live all year, not waiting until January for the picture to clear. So you're making decisions on what's actually happening, knowing what's owed and when, and never caught out by a tax bill you didn't see coming.

Fixed monthly fees

Pick the package that fits, add the bits you need on top, and that's your fixed monthly fee — sorted. No hourly billing, no surprise invoices, no paying for stuff you don't actually use because it came in a bigger package.

Connected services

Mortgages, financial planning, protection, wills — all in the same building, all with your numbers in front of them already. The right person in the room whenever the conversation needs one, without you starting from scratch with a different firm.

Sound like you?

Do any of these sound like your last 12 months with your accountant.

Never calls you back

You've chased four times. You don't know when the deadline is. You're guessing.

Surprise year-end invoice

The fee tripled because of 'extra work'. Nobody told you it was extra work.

Still on spreadsheets

No live numbers. No MTD plan. You want to see what the business is doing in real time.

Wrong fit for the business

You outgrew the village accountant, or the big firm treats you like a file reference.

No tax planning

January arrives. So does the tax bill. Nobody warned you a month ago.

Stuck in the dark ages

Paper records, spreadsheets, no app. No way to see where you stand.

Common questions

Clear answers to the questions people often ask before getting started.

Two weeks for most clients. Some drag — usually because an old accountant is slow with records, not because HMRC makes it complicated.
No - we handle everything. The process is called professional clearance.
Fine. We pick up from wherever your old accountant left off — bank rules, open VAT periods, half-done payroll runs. Most switches happen in February/March because people are fed up with last year's accountant.
No. We invite ourselves to your Xero organisation once your old accountant disconnects. If you're on QuickBooks or Sage, we migrate to Xero as part of switching.
No. Your old fee runs until you leave them. Ours starts the month we take over. We'll agree the overlap date in writing before anything starts.