Company records when changing accountants

Changing accountants should leave the company with continuous access to its records and a clear owner for every outstanding task. The key question is not simply when the new engagement begins, but who completes work already in progress and how the underlying information is transferred.

Agree the scope and cut-off point

List the services provided by the outgoing accountant and those accepted by the incoming firm. Distinguish bookkeeping, accounts, Corporation Tax, payroll, VAT and company-secretarial work. A new accounts engagement may not automatically include a confirmation statement or a response to an existing enquiry.

Record the periods covered and the deadlines approaching. If work is disputed or incomplete, identify it explicitly rather than assuming the other adviser will discover the issue during the handover.

Obtain the company records

Companies must maintain appropriate accounting records, including evidence of receipts, expenditure, assets, liabilities and transactions. Confirm where the underlying records are held and obtain usable exports where necessary. ^[1]

Ask for relevant reconciliations, opening balances, prior accounts and returns, submission evidence and schedules supporting significant figures. The exact handover depends on the engagement and professional arrangements; distinguish company records from an adviser's own working papers.

Transfer access securely

Review accounting software, payroll systems, HMRC authorisations and Companies House filing arrangements. Use the proper access and authorisation processes rather than sharing one person's login. Confirm that the company retains an appropriate administrator and recovery route.

Check whether the outgoing firm supplies the registered office or registered email. Those services can end separately from bookkeeping and require a planned update before correspondence becomes inaccessible.

Create an outstanding-work schedule

• Filing or payment deadline and responsible person.
• Records still missing or figures awaiting agreement.
• Queries from HMRC, Companies House or other bodies.
• Returns prepared but not yet approved or accepted.
• Payments, refunds or corrections still to be processed.
• Location of the final evidence and historical records.

Verify the handover is usable

The incoming accountant should know which balances are final and which remain provisional. A folder of unlabelled spreadsheets can transfer files without transferring understanding. Arrange a short reconciliation of key balances and open matters.

Directors retain relevant responsibility despite engaging advisers, so a director should confirm that deadlines and records have an owner throughout the transition. ^[2]

Define the handover by accounting period and task

List each outstanding obligation with its period, deadline, preparation stage and agreed owner. A statement that the new firm takes over next month may not answer who completes accounts already drafted or responds to a query on an earlier return. Resolve these responsibilities before the outgoing engagement ends.

Include company-secretarial work separately from accounting and tax. The previous firm may have maintained the registered office, monitored the registered email or filed confirmation statements. The new engagement may cover only accounts. Identify these differences so that changing accountants does not unintentionally remove a working mail or filing arrangement.

Request records in formats the new team can use

Ask for the general ledger, reconciliations, opening balances and relevant supporting schedules where applicable, as well as filed accounts and returns. A PDF of annual accounts does not contain every detail needed to continue bookkeeping. Confirm the software export and access arrangements early, especially where the outgoing adviser controls the subscription.

For company records, include the current articles, register of members, recent ownership documents and filing evidence. Identify missing items explicitly. The receiving team should know whether a gap predates the handover or whether a document is still being requested, rather than assuming an incomplete folder represents the full company history.

Preserve continuity while permissions change

Use the relevant official agent-authorisation processes and maintain company-controlled access. Do not transfer a person's private login as a shortcut. Agree when old permissions end and when new permissions are usable, with a responsible director overseeing any overlap. Keep personal verification codes restricted to authorised filing needs.

An illustrative company changes firms while a Companies House query remains open. The handover must include the full notice, deadline, draft response and supporting evidence. A general statement that the records have been transferred will not tell the incoming adviser whether a reply was actually sent or which question remains unresolved.

Confirm that the handover supports the next deadline

Ask the incoming team to identify any missing information that prevents the next agreed task. Reconcile the opening position before relying on it for new work. Record the final allocation of outstanding items and the contact for historic questions. This gives the directors a practical view of continuity rather than a list of files supposedly delivered.

Read A registered email address for your company if the registered email was managed by the outgoing firm. Companies House filing review can help review the company filing record and handover gaps; agree bookkeeping, accounts and tax work separately according to the new engagement.

For example, a company switching firms shortly before accounts are due should agree in writing which firm prepares and files that period. A clear division prevents both firms from assuming the other has the task, while leaving the company exposed to a missed deadline.