You don’t have to have the conversation at all. Once you engage a new accountant, they send a professional clearance letter to your current firm, request your records, and take over your ATO nominations, so they provide the formal notice. A short, courteous note of your own is a kind touch, but it isn’t required.
What Actually Happens Between Firms When You Leave
Accountants in Australia follow professional standards that set out how a client moves from one firm to another. When you sign on with a new firm, it writes to your current accountant asking for professional clearance and for the records needed to carry on your work. This is routine. Firms send and receive these letters all the time, and nobody reads them as a personal slight.
Your ATO access moves in the background too. Your new accountant adds you to their client list through the ATO’s tax agent and BAS agent services, which replaces your old accountant as your nominated agent. You don’t need to call the ATO or fill in a form yourself.
If you’d like to say something personally, keep it short. A two-line email thanking them for their work and letting them know your new accountant will be in touch is plenty. You don’t owe an explanation, and you don’t need to justify a business decision.
Two things keep the handover smooth. Settle any outstanding invoices with your old firm, since unpaid fees can slow the release of some records. And tell your new accountant about anything in progress, such as a lodgement due soon or open ATO correspondence, so nothing falls between the two firms.
Loyalty to an accountant who has looked after you for years says good things about you. But if your business has outgrown a once-a-year relationship, moving on and having it handled properly is the professional outcome for both sides.
Ready to Make the Switch?
When clients make the switch to us, we handle the whole handover, including the professional letter to your current accountant. You can see how switching accountants works with us and which records come across when you switch, learn more about MYC Partners Accountants, or get in touch and we’ll take it from there.
