Changing accountants is easier than staying put.
The most common reason venue owners stay somewhere they are unhappy is that moving sounds like work. It is mostly our work. Here is the whole thing.
You do three things
- Have the 15-minute call, so we both know it fits.
- Sign one engagement letter.
- Sign one ATO authority so we can act for you.
That is your side of it.
We do the rest
- We write to your current accountant for clearance. That letter is between agents, and it is our job, not a conversation you have to have.
- We request the prior year returns, financial statements and the closing balances we need to carry forward.
- We link you in the ATO's agent portal and check what is actually outstanding — lodgements, balances, any payment plan already running.
- We review the file before we touch it, so the first month's numbers stand on something we have checked rather than inherited on trust.
You do not have to wait for 30 June
Mid-year is normal and often better. If wages are running hot in October, waiting until July to find out costs you nine months of it. We pick up the year in progress and reconcile back to the last lodged position.
Two things worth knowing first
Your records are yours. Your bank data, invoices and payroll records belong to you and you are entitled to them.
Working papers are theirs. An accountant's own workpapers are their property, and an outgoing accountant can hold them until their account is settled. If you have an unpaid invoice with your current accountant, it is worth clearing it — not because we require it, but because it makes the handover quick instead of awkward.
Do you have to tell them why
No. You do not owe anyone an explanation for moving your business. If you would rather we simply request the file without commentary, that is what happens.
What it does not involve
- Re-entering a year of bookkeeping. We carry the balances forward.
- Changing your bank, your POS or your Xero subscription.
- Chasing anyone for the file yourself.
Not ready to talk? Run the 60-second Margin Check on your own figures. Nothing is sent anywhere unless you ask us to look at it.