Switching accountants to IB&Co
You can change accountants at any time of year, including mid year. With your permission, your new accountant contacts the old one for professional clearance and handover information, gets authorised with HMRC as your agent and takes over your deadlines. At IB&Co Accountants we handle each step, so the switch takes little of your time.
Is it easy to change accountants?
Yes. Most of the work falls on the new accountant, not on you. Your part is to sign our engagement letter, complete our identity checks, give us permission to contact your current accountant and approve our HMRC authorisation. You do not need to have an awkward conversation: a short email telling your current firm that you are moving is enough, and we can suggest the wording.
People switch for many reasons: slow replies, a missed deadline, fees that keep rising, or a business that has outgrown a basic service. Whatever the reason, the process is the same.
How does switching accountants work?
- Discovery Call. We learn about you, your business and what has and has not been working.
- Proposal and engagement letter. We agree the scope and fees in writing before any work starts.
- Identity checks. We are required to carry these out before we act for you.
- Professional clearance. With your permission, we write to your previous accountant to ask whether there is any professional reason we should not act, and to request the handover information we need.
- HMRC authorisation. We get authorised as your agent for each tax we will deal with, using HMRC’s online authorisation routes, such as our agent services account or Online Agent Authorisation, or for some taxes the paper form 64-8.
- Companies House. For a limited company, we need your company authentication code to file online on your behalf.
- Handover review. We check your latest accounts and returns, confirm the next deadlines and tell you if anything needs putting right.
What information do we need from your old accountant?
Typically:
- the last set of accounts and tax computations
- the latest tax returns filed for you and your company
- trial balance or bookkeeping file at the handover date
- details of any open HMRC enquiries or correspondence
- payroll, VAT and Construction Industry Scheme information, where relevant
- access to your accounting software, transferred to our practice
Your own books and records belong to you, although your previous accountant keeps its own working papers and may hold on to some papers if fees are unpaid. If your previous accountant is slow to respond, we keep following up so your deadlines are not put at risk.
Is it a problem to switch accountants mid year?
No. Switching mid year is common and often sensible, because it gives your new accountant time to prepare before the next deadline. The things to watch are timing and overlap:
- if a return or set of accounts is due soon, agree in writing who will file it
- give notice under your current engagement letter, and check whether any work has already been paid for
- make sure your bookkeeping software is handed over cleanly so nothing is entered twice
If a deadline is close, tell us at the Discovery Call and we will prioritise it.
Will HMRC know I have changed accountant?
Yes, once we are authorised as your agent. Authorisation lets us access your records and deal with HMRC on the taxes you choose. HMRC tells accountants not to use a client’s own sign-in details, so we use the proper agent authorisation route rather than your login.
What happens to my existing deadlines?
They do not move. Your Self Assessment, Corporation Tax, VAT and payroll deadlines stay the same when you change accountant, so the handover review focuses first on whatever is due next. If you have already missed one, see our page on Self Assessment or ask us at the Discovery Call.
Why switch to IB&Co?
- A named contact. You know who is looking after your affairs.
- Fast replies. We reply to every enquiry within 48 hours.
- Fixed fees agreed in writing. The scope and fee are set out in your proposal before any work starts.
- Advice, not just forms. Ishmael Bangura FFA, a qualified tax adviser, leads the practice and looks at decisions before they happen.
- Modern software. QuickBooks and Xero set-up, with bank feeds from Revolut Business, Starling and Tide.
See what clients say about us, or explore our services for Small to Medium Enterprises and Contractors, Self-Employed & Freelancers.
Frequently asked questions
Tell your current accountant you are moving, then appoint your new firm. With your permission, the new firm requests professional clearance and handover information from the old one and gets authorised with HMRC. We handle these steps for you.
Yes. Agree in writing who will file anything that is due soon, give notice under your current engagement letter and make sure your bookkeeping software is handed over cleanly.
It is the step where your new accountant asks your previous one whether there is any professional reason not to act for you, and requests the information needed to take over. It happens only with your permission.
Your new accountant gets authorised as your agent for each tax, through HMRC’s online authorisation routes or, for some taxes, form 64-8. That lets them deal with HMRC for you.
Not necessarily. We send a written proposal with fixed fees after the Discovery Call, so you can compare before you decide.
Your own books and records belong to you. We follow up with your previous accountant and, where something is missing, we can usually rebuild it from bank statements, HMRC records and Companies House filings.
Ready to switch?
Book a Discovery Call and we will plan your handover around your next deadline.
Call 020 7164 0225 or visit us at Level 37, 1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5AA. Open Monday to Friday 9:00 to 18:30 and Saturday 10:30 to 16:30.
Checked on 11 November 2026. This page is general information based on HMRC guidance at that date, and is not advice for your circumstances.
