Process of Changing Accountants

[daydream]

Unable to find any recent discussion of this, and I'm guessing a number of us have recent experience.

Is there any advice on the process of changing accountants? Is it better or worse to do this at Financial Year End?

(Not looking for recommendations of firms - that is discussed elsewhere. Just any pitfalls to look out for.)

[northernladuk]

Are you on Freeagent?

When is best would depend on why you need to change. If they are a complete shower then you go as soon as possible. If it's just a feeling it can be better when year end is done...

But with freeagent it's a very simple process and any accountant worth their salt will be able to pick up at anytime if you are on FA.

[Maslins]

You'll typically minimise any risk of duplicated fees/bookkeeping if you move based around your company's year end. You can change whenever, and as NLUK suggests, if you feel your current accountant is utterly useless (rather than just not as great as you'd like) you may decide to jump ship ASAP.

[velcro]

Is there a checklist of what information is needed to be provided to the new accountant?
Anything in particular which the old accountant needs to supply? (Especially if not on Freeagent OR if there are things the old accountant may not be very forthcoming with after they find themselves binned.)

[northernladuk]

Is there a checklist of what information is needed to be provided to the new accountant?
Anything in particular which the old accountant needs to supply? (Especially if not on Freeagent OR if there are things the old accountant may not be very forthcoming with after they find themselves binned.)

I've swapped accountants twice and in both cases my new accountant dealt with the old one directly. I did nothing. With Freeagent it's passing the authority and that's about it. You don't have to get everything and then pass it on. Bit of too'ing and fro'ing to provide authority and chasing it but I never recieved any documentation or anything, went between the accountants.

[daydream]

Are you on Freeagent?

When is best would depend on why you need to change. If they are a complete shower then you go as soon as possible. If it's just a feeling it can be better when year end is done...

But with freeagent it's a very simple process and any accountant worth their salt will be able to pick up at anytime if you are on FA.

Currently not on freeagent. That's one reason to change already. Anyone I move to definitely will be...

I'm still waiting for them to produce last years accounts, and they have never been this late before. So the concern with waiting until the end of this FY, is once you are no longer an active paying customer, they are not going to be in any rush to produce the final set of results, and you have very little means to exert pressure on them.

[northernladuk]

Currently not on freeagent. That's one reason to change already. Anyone I move to definitely will be...

I'm still waiting for them to produce last years accounts, and they have never been this late before. So the concern with waiting until the end of this FY, is once you are no longer an active paying customer, they are not going to be in any rush to produce the final set of results, and you have very little means to exert pressure on them.

Yep, had that problem with my move from a one man band near by to SJD back in the day. He never responded for half of the stuff and SJD thankfully bent over backwards to recreate it for me. If it's a half decent set up I'd be surprised if its nothing more than a delay though. You've paid for the service and plenty of places you can go to complain about them. Really depends on what you are moving from. Half decent set up where you'r monthly pay is actually just part of a yearly service then you've paid for it so you have a right to get it done, albeit at the bottom of the to do list. If it's a little set up and the guy doesn't care it might be a bit of a pain.

[velcro]

I've swapped accountants twice and in both cases my new accountant dealt with the old one directly. I did nothing. With Freeagent it's passing the authority and that's about it. You don't have to get everything and then pass it on. Bit of too'ing and fro'ing to provide authority and chasing it but I never recieved any documentation or anything, went between the accountants.

Thanks NLUK. Will get my end of year accounts out of the way and then change.

[Maslins]

I'm still waiting for them to produce last years accounts, and they have never been this late before. So the concern with waiting until the end of this FY, is once you are no longer an active paying customer, they are not going to be in any rush to produce the final set of results, and you have very little means to exert pressure on them.

With most of the "pay monthly" contractor accounting firms, if you pay them for the company year, they'll do the statutory stuff for that year, even if you leave them immediately after the year end passes. Ie say year end 31 March 2021, deadline for accounts isn't until 31 Dec 2021, slower accountants may do their work nearer the latter date than the former. However if you leave from 1 April 2021, they should still do them.

I get your point that potentially as you've said you're leaving they might decide to deliberately put your work to the bottom of the queue. If I'm honest I think this is unlikely. They'd likely be getting nagged by both you and your new accountant for data (as the new accountant might be a bit limited in what they can do until the old accountant has finalised their bits and pieces). Also in terms of the wider world I certainly don't think firms being painfully slow should end up benefitting from that poor service by getting 6-9 months worth of extra fee income simply as the client is worried about how they might react.

[Fred Bloggs]

Currently not on freeagent. That's one reason to change already. Anyone I move to definitely will be...

Massive and inexcusable mistake. It seems you have learned now though. Good luck going forward. The only way to drive the dross out of the market is to stop giving them money.