The best time to change accountants is just after a lodgement is finished, such as straight after a quarterly BAS or once last year’s tax return is lodged, because the handover starts from a clean point. If you want proactive tax planning before 30 June, switching by around March gives your new accountant time to learn your numbers first. A well-run switch can still happen at any time of year.
How Lodgement Cycles and Deadlines Shape the Timing of a Switch
Accounting work runs in cycles: quarterly BAS, annual financial statements and tax returns, and for companies, the ASIC annual review. Switching between cycles means your old accountant has finished a complete piece of work and your new accountant starts from a closed, lodged period. That avoids any question over who finishes a half-prepared return.
The months before 30 June are when planning can still change the result, through the timing of purchases, super contributions, bonuses and dividends. A new accountant needs a few weeks to understand your structure and current-year figures before giving that advice. Moving in late summer or early autumn usually leaves enough runway.
Many business owners decide to switch between July and September, often after a year-end that felt rushed or brought an unexpected tax bill. That’s a sensible moment too, as long as both firms agree up front who is finishing the prior year’s returns, so nothing falls between the two.
The period to avoid, where you can, is the week or two before a major due date, when records are mid-preparation and both firms are stretched. Even then, a switch is manageable: the new firm confirms which lodgements are outstanding and when they’re due as part of the handover.
In the end, the calendar matters less than your reason for moving. If your business is about to buy premises, restructure, take on staff or start planning an exit, waiting for a tidy date can cost more than switching mid-cycle.
Weighing Up When to Make the Switch?
Here’s how switching accountants works with us: we handle the whole handover, including the professional letter to your current accountant, and fit it around your lodgement cycle. MYC Partners Accountants is happy to talk through your timing, so get in touch whenever you’re ready.