Switching
How to switch accountants in the UK without disrupting your filings
The professional clearance process explained, what records you are entitled to, the best time of year to move, and a timeline you can follow.
TaxNuvia editorial team · 27 May 2026 · 8 min read
Key takeaways
- Your new accountant writes to your old one for professional clearance and handover information — you do not have to manage that conversation yourself.
- The cleanest time to move is just after a year end or a VAT quarter has been filed.
- A typical switch takes two to four weeks from engagement letter to full handover.
You are allowed to move — and it is routine
Changing accountant is a normal commercial decision and the profession has a standard process for it. Once you sign an engagement letter with your new firm, they write to the outgoing firm requesting professional clearance and the information needed to take over.
Check your existing engagement letter for the notice period and any fees for work already in progress, then confirm no filing deadline falls inside the handover window.
A four-step timeline
Week one: choose the new firm, agree scope and fees, complete identity and anti-money-laundering checks and sign the engagement letter. Week two: the new firm requests clearance and handover records.
Week three: software access, agent authorisations and bank feeds are transferred or re-authorised. Week four: opening balances are reconciled and the first working month begins under the new firm.
What to ask before you commit
Ask who your day-to-day contact will be, the guaranteed response time, exactly what the fee covers, and how catch-up work will be priced if your records need tidying.
Get the answers in writing. A firm that documents scope clearly at the quote stage tends to be the same firm that documents everything else clearly later.
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<a href="https://taxnuvia.co.uk/blog/how-to-switch-accountants-uk">How to switch accountants in the UK without disrupting your filings</a> — TaxNuviaCompare accountants for free
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