How to switch accountants, the easy way

Most people know, deep down, when they’ve outgrown their accountant. It’s the small sinking feeling when you email a simple question and steel yourself for a three-day wait, or when a bill lands that nobody mentioned. What keeps them stuck usually isn’t loyalty. It’s the quiet dread that moving will mean lost paperwork, awkward phone calls and a tax-season disaster. It won’t. Switching is far more boring than that, in the best possible way.

Reviewed July 2026. This is general guidance. The exact steps can vary by firm, so check with your accountant.

Is it actually hard to switch? (No.)

This is the worry that keeps most people with an accountant they’ve outgrown, and it’s misplaced. Plenty of owners stay put for years because switching sounds like a weekend lost to admin and awkward phone calls. It really isn’t. You don’t handle the technical parts at all. Your new accountant writes to your old one, requests your records, and sorts out the HMRC authorisations. Your job is basically two things: tell your current accountant you’re moving, and sign your new accountant’s engagement letter. That’s it. Nothing gets lost, no deadlines get missed, and you’re not left in limbo in between.

The switching process, step by step

Here’s what actually happens when you move to a new accountant:

1. Tell your current accountant. A short email is enough. They’ll issue a “disengagement letter” confirming they’ve stopped acting and noting anything still in progress. You don’t need to give a reason, though most people do.
2. Appoint your new accountant. They’ll send you an engagement letter to sign and run a quick identity/anti-money-laundering check, a legal requirement for every UK firm.
3. Professional clearance. Your new accountant writes to your old one (this is the “professional clearance letter”) to confirm there’s no professional reason they can’t act for you, and to request your information.
4. Records and authorisations. Your old accountant hands over the relevant records; your new accountant gets authorised to deal with HMRC on your behalf (and, for a limited company, to file at Companies House).
5. You’re set up. Your new accountant takes it from there, usually within a few weeks, start to finish.

What is a professional clearance letter?

It’s a standard, behind-the-scenes letter your new accountant sends your old one. It does two jobs: it asks whether there’s any professional or ethical reason they shouldn’t take you on, and it requests the information needed to pick up your affairs cleanly. It’s routine (every switch involves one), and you don’t have to write or chase it. Your old accountant is expected to respond and must not withhold your statutory records.

What information gets handed over

So nothing falls through the cracks, the handover typically includes:

• Your tax references (UTR, VAT number, PAYE references)
• For a company: the Companies House authentication code and company details
• Copies of recent accounts and tax returns
• VAT and payroll history, and any HMRC correspondence
• Bookkeeping records and access to your accounting software

Your new accountant knows exactly what to ask for, so you don’t need to gather all of this yourself.

When’s the best time to switch?

A common myth is that you have to wait until your financial year-end. You don’t. You can switch at any point in the year, and often the sooner the better. There’s no benefit to spending another six months with a firm that isn’t serving you. That said, two moments are especially clean: just after your year-end accounts are filed, or well before a big deadline (so there’s plenty of time for the handover). If you’re mid-year, a good accountant will simply pick up from where things stand.

Will switching cause problems with HMRC or my tax?

No. Your tax position doesn’t change because your accountant does. Your UTR, VAT registration and PAYE scheme all stay exactly as they are. The only change is who’s authorised to deal with HMRC for you, and that’s a simple online authorisation your new accountant sets up. Done properly, the switch is invisible to HMRC and to your deadlines.

What does it cost, and do I need to give notice?

Switching itself is usually straightforward on cost: check your current engagement letter for any notice period or outstanding fees, and settle anything owed. An unpaid invoice is the single most common cause of a delayed handover. A good new accountant will be upfront about their own fees from day one. At Xpert, that means a fixed monthly fee agreed before you commit, with no surprise bills.

Common reasons business owners switch to Xpert

Most people don’t switch over one thing: it builds up. The patterns we hear most: only hearing from their accountant once a year (usually to ask for paperwork), replies that take days, fees that quietly creep up like a gym membership you forgot you had, and never a word of proactive advice on saving tax or growing. If two or three of those sound familiar, it’s worth a conversation.

How Xpert makes switching effortless

We handle the whole move for you: we contact your current accountant, run the professional clearance, gather your records and set up every HMRC authorisation, so switching is genuinely hands-off. You get a dedicated accountant, a fixed monthly fee, our 3-hour email promise, and a free business health check when you join, so you start with a clear picture of where you stand. No gap in service, no lost paperwork, no stress.

Thinking of switching? Take our 2-minute quiz to see the right level of support, or book a free consultation. We’ll handle the rest.