BlackpeakCFO™ Bookkeeping & finance systems
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Hero ACMA CGMA · CIMA chartered since 2013
Switch accountant · No handover fee · About 10 minutes of your time

Switching accountant?
Here is how it works.

In short

Switching accountant in the UK takes two to four weeks: I request professional clearance and your records from your current accountant, you send them a one-line note, and you authorise me with HMRC and Companies House online. There is no fee to switch. You then pay only published fixed prices, from a £149 confirmation statement to £295 a month for bookkeeping with management accounts. Everything by form and email.

Surprise bills. A new contact every few months. Replies that take weeks. You do not need to renegotiate; you need an accountant who answers and who does the work personally. I run the handover. You sign two emails.

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Stuart Wilson, ACMA CGMA
Stuart Wilson, ACMA CGMA Chartered Management Accountant · CIMA since 2013
ACMA · CGMA·Group FD, SME portfolio·ex-Arle Capital·ex-Bancroft PE·24+ years
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The reasons people switch

If any of these feel familiar, the problem is the model, not you.

The surprise-bill cycle

Quoted £500 a year. Billed £1,200 because 'the accounts were complex'. Nobody told you the complexity rate before the work started.

A new contact every few months

You have explained your business to three people in eighteen months, and each handover dropped half the context.

Three-week replies

A simple question gets a holding email. An associate replies a fortnight later. The deadline has moved on.

An offshore back office

Capable people, but not close to UK VAT quirks or how Companies House actually behaves.

No real advice

You wanted a view on dividend timing or a director's loan and got 'consult your tax adviser', from your tax adviser.

Locked into bundled software

Cancelling means losing the Xero or QuickBooks subscription they bundled, so you keep paying for a service you do not trust.

How switching works, step by step

Professional clearance rules govern the whole thing. The new accountant asks the old one for records and a clearance letter; the old one is expected to cooperate. You sign two emails. Most switches complete inside two to four weeks.

1

Send your details

Day 1

A five-minute form: what kind of business, which filings you need, where the books are. I reply by email within one working day with a fixed quote in writing for each service. No call needed.

2

You sign a letter of engagement

Day 1 to 2

Plain English, fixed prices for every service you have chosen. No retainer; monthly work is month to month with 30 days' notice.

3

I write to your current accountant for professional clearance

Day 2

The standard process under the ICAEW, ACCA and CIMA codes: the outgoing accountant confirms there is no professional reason I should not act, and releases the records: trial balance, last accounts, tax returns, payroll records, VAT workings.

4

You send a one-line disengagement note

Day 2

I draft it. It thanks them, tells them you are moving, and asks them to cooperate with the handover. Any fees genuinely due to them should be settled.

5

You authorise me with HMRC and Companies House

Day 3 to 10

For HMRC you approve an agent authorisation request online (or sign a 64-8). For Companies House you forward the company authentication code. About 10 minutes of your time; HMRC can take a week or so to process its side.

6

I take over the books where they are

Day 7 to 14

Xero, QuickBooks, Sage or FreeAgent stay as they are. If you want to change software, an accounting system migration reconciled to the penny is a separate fixed price from £995, timed to a VAT quarter.

7

First deliverable lands

Day 14 to 30

Whatever you bought: the overdue filing, the next VAT return, or the first monthly management pack by the 5th working day after month end. From then on it runs on the fixed prices.

Things to know before you switch

  • You can switch at any point in the financial year; you do not have to wait for the year end.
  • Your old accountant should release your records once any fees genuinely due are settled. They cannot keep your own documents.
  • You can switch while behind on filings. I finish what is outstanding at the fixed prices, then move you to the ongoing service.
  • Xero, QuickBooks, Sage or FreeAgent stay as they are. Changing software is optional and priced separately as a migration from £995.
  • Switching is free. You pay only for the services you choose, at the prices on those pages.

What changes when you switch here

"Many firms" describes common practice, not a named competitor. Checked 19 October 2026.
Aspect Many firms BlackpeakCFO
Who does your work Often a junior or an offshore team under a partner's name Stuart Wilson, ACMA CGMA, personally
Pricing Bundle plus complexity charges Fixed price per service, published, agreed in writing
Reply time Days to weeks Within one working day, by email
Meetings Diary-led Onboarding form, email and recorded walkthroughs; a call only if you want one
Software Often bundled; leave and lose access Your own Xero, QuickBooks, Sage or FreeAgent
Cancellation Annual contract with notice periods Month to month, 30 days' notice

Questions people ask before switching

How do I switch accountant in the UK?

Choose the new accountant and agree fees in writing; the new accountant writes to the old one for professional clearance and your records; you send the old accountant a short disengagement note and settle any fees genuinely due; you authorise the new accountant with HMRC (online agent authorisation or form 64-8) and give them your Companies House authentication code if you are a limited company. Most switches complete inside two to four weeks and you can switch at any point in the year.

Will my current accountant be difficult about the handover?

Professional clearance is governed by the ICAEW, ACCA and CIMA codes of ethics. The outgoing accountant should release your records and confirm there is no professional reason the new accountant cannot act, once any fees genuinely due are settled. The usual worst case is a slow reply, not a refusal.

What if I owe my current accountant money?

Settle anything legitimately invoiced first. They may hold certain working papers they prepared until paid, but your own records and the documents you gave them are yours. If you dispute a bill, say so in writing; the disengagement note can be worded to cover it.

I am behind on filings. Can I still switch?

Yes. Many switches happen because someone is behind. I take the records as they are, finish what is outstanding at the fixed catch-up and filing prices (catch-up from £495, confirmation statement £149 plus the £50 fee, micro-entity accounts £495), and then move you onto whatever ongoing service you want.

How long does the whole switch take?

Two to four weeks end to end. Day 1 to 2: quote and letter of engagement. Day 2 to 10: professional clearance and your HMRC and Companies House authorisations. Day 7 to 14: records handed over and access set up. By week 4 the first deliverable has landed.

Do I have to change accounting software?

No. I work in Xero, QuickBooks Online, Sage Business Cloud and FreeAgent as they are. If you want to move, the switch is a sensible moment, and an accounting system migration reconciled to the penny is a separate fixed price from £995; it is never required.

What does switching cost?

Nothing to switch: there is no handover fee. You pay only the published fixed prices for the services you choose: confirmation statement £149 plus the £50 Companies House fee, micro-entity accounts and CT600 £495, MTD VAT £99 a quarter, Self Assessment £195, payroll from £29 a month plus £4 per employee, monthly bookkeeping from £150 a month, or from £295 a month with management accounts for a limited company.

Ready to switch?

Send your details and I reply within one working day, by email, with a written fixed quote for everything you need. If it is a fit, I run the whole switch. If it is not, you still have an outside view.

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