Switching Accountants – The right and easy way

We know the new tax year is often a reason why people change their accountant, maybe they didn’t get the service they deserved, maybe the bill they got at the end of it all was more than they were expecting, or a change just felt right. We understand everyone has their own reasons, and they are all different.

At AIMS, we often get approached by clients who think that it’s too much hassle to change accountant. In reality changing accountants is something that people think is difficult, but it’s fairly straightforward.

So, after you have successfully chosen your new accountant, there are different things you should do to allow for a smooth change.

1. Let your old accountant know – you should do this in writing and confirm that you are planning on moving to another firm and ask them to provide the relevant information to your new accountant.
2. Register with your new accountant – this will include signing their engagement letter, allowing them to carry out their anti-money laundering (which will involve sharing a copy of ID) and signing a client authorisation form which will allow your new accountant to deal with HMRC on your behalf. Your new accountant should guide you through this process.
3. Your new accountant will then write to your previous accountant requesting what is known as professional clearance. This allows your new accountant to check that there aren’t any reasons why they wouldn’t be able to work with you and request all the documents that they will need to look after you. Your new accountant should take the lead here.

Why choose AIMS?

If you choose to work with an AIMS Accountant, we will guide you through the process of switching your accountant. We’ll make the process as simple as possible, after all, we have been supporting small businesses for nearly 30 years.

For any other business advice and tax affairs, we are business accountants for business people. Get in touch with your local AIMS Accountant.