“I only hear from them once a year”
The accounts arrive ten months after the year they describe, with a bill, too late to change any decision.
Switching your accountant to Buzz
You accept the quote, we write to your old accountant, and we move your records, HMRC authorisations and software across. You can switch at any time of year.
What the switch involves
- You accept the quote
- We write to your old accountant
- We chase until the records arrive
- HMRC agent authorisation handled
- Software set up or taken over
- The switch is free
Why people switch accountant
“Nobody answers”
It took three emails and a fortnight to answer something that needed ten minutes.
“I never know what it will cost”
The bill arrives after the work, priced on time you cannot see, with extras you were not told about.
“I found out too late”
A tax bill arrives in January that could have been planned for in June, or a penalty for something nobody flagged.
“I do not understand what they send me”
A set of statutory accounts is written to satisfy Companies House, and you need someone to explain what it says about your business.
“It is all still on paper”
The records go to the accountant in a bag once a year, and Making Tax Digital requires digital records from April 2026.
Score your current accountant
Our free scorecard is eighteen questions across the six things an accountant is paid to do, and it takes about four minutes.
It comes back with a score for each area and the things to ask your current accountant about the ones that came out low. If they answer those well, staying is cheaper and less disruptive than moving, and the scorecard says so.
Common worries about switching
- “I will have to have an awkward conversation”
- A one-line email saying you are moving is enough. We write the formal letter, ask for the records and do the chasing.
- “They might refuse to hand my records over”
- Your own records are yours, and the professional bodies require firms to cooperate with a clearance request. A firm can hold its own working papers while its final bill is unpaid, so settle that to avoid a delay. If a firm goes quiet we keep chasing, and most of what is needed can be rebuilt from HMRC and Companies House.
- “Something will get missed in between”
- As part of professional clearance, every open filing gets a named firm against it in writing before anything moves.
- “It will cost me to move”
- The switch itself is free: the letters, the HMRC authorisations and the software set-up are included when you join. Catch-up bookkeeping, where the books are behind, is quoted separately, and you see that figure before anyone starts.
- “I have left it too late this year”
- Tell us the deadline and we will tell you whether it is cheaper to let your old accountant finish that year.
How switching works
- 1Get your quote and accept it online
The instant quote shows your monthly fee on the page and sends the full proposal to your inbox. Accept it there and your onboarding opens in the portal, with the short list of what we need from you. If you would rather talk first, book a call.
- 2We write to your old accountant
You give us their name and email. We send the professional clearance letter and ask for the handover pack: your last accounts and tax computations, the trial balance, the fixed asset register, and the payroll and VAT records. Then we chase until it arrives.
- 3We take over with HMRC and set you up
You authorise us as your agent through HMRC's online service, using a link and the steps we send you. We set up FreeAgent or Xero, or take over the one you already use, connect the bank feeds, open your portal and app, and agree the monthly rhythm. From there your named accountant runs it.
What we promise during the switch
One named person
Your accountant runs the switch and is the person you speak to, from the first email to the first month-end.
We do the chasing
We chase your old accountant and HMRC, and we keep you updated on where things are.
Who files what
Before anything is filed we confirm who is doing what with your old accountant, in writing.
These are the same commitments every client can hold us to. They are written down on our promise page.
When to switch
Just after a year end is filed
This is the simplest point to switch. Your old accountant finishes the year they started and we take the new one from day one.
The start of a VAT quarter or payroll month
Bookkeeping and payroll transfer most simply at a period end, with year-to-date figures carried across.
Right now, if you are unhappy
A switch mid-year is normal. We agree with your old accountant which of us finishes the open work, and tell you which is cheaper for you.
How long switching takes
- 1Day one
You accept the quote. Onboarding opens in your portal with a short list, and the identity checks take a few minutes on your phone.
- 2Within two working days
The professional clearance letter goes to your old accountant and the HMRC agent authorisation links come to you.
- 3Week one
Software set up or taken over, bank feeds connected, your portal and app live. You can start photographing receipts immediately, before any records have arrived.
- 4Weeks two to four
The handover pack comes back and is reviewed. Most firms respond inside a fortnight; where one does not, we chase and keep you told.
- 5First month end
Your first reconciled month, and the call with your named accountant about what it shows.
What you need to hand
We can start without these. Where you do not have a document or a reference we get it from your old accountant, HMRC or Companies House. Only the identity checks have to come from you, and they take a few minutes on your phone.
- Your last set of accounts and tax return, if you have copies
- Your Unique Taxpayer Reference, and for a company its number and Companies House authentication code
- VAT number and PAYE references, where you have them
- The login for any bookkeeping software you already use
- Your old accountant's name and email address
- Photo ID and proof of address for the identity checks every accountant must do under the Money Laundering Regulations
Service from your accountant
Your accountant checks your figures through the year, is responsible for your deadlines, and provides management accounts or coaching when you need them.
After you switch
After you switch, your books are kept up to date every month, your portal shows the tax building up and what to set aside, your deadlines are tracked and filed, and a named person replies within one working day.
Business Pulse and the outsourced finance team
Some businesses need only their accounts filed, and we will tell you if that applies to you. For businesses that need more, both services run on the same figures with the same people.
Buzz Business Pulse
An annual budget, a rolling twelve-month cashflow forecast, management accounts monthly or quarterly, and actual against budget every time, so any gap shows up as a number. A person who knows your numbers then meets you to go through what they say and what to do about it, and you leave with written actions and dates. How Business Pulse runs
An outsourced finance team
A Finance Manager does the weekly bookkeeping, payroll and VAT. A Financial Controller also invoices customers, pays suppliers and sends a monthly board pack. A Finance Director adds the annual plan, the forecast and a quarterly board meeting. You can move up a level as the business grows. How the finance team works
Questions about switching
Will there be a gap where nobody is looking after me?
No. Your old accountant remains responsible for anything they have agreed to finish, and we are responsible from the date on your proposal. The two are agreed in writing during the clearance exchange, so every filing has a name against it.
Do I have to tell my old accountant myself?
You should let them know you are leaving, and a short email is enough. We send the formal clearance letter and request your records; most firms respond within a couple of weeks.
Can my old accountant refuse to hand over my records?
Your own records belong to you and the professional bodies require accountants to cooperate with a clearance request. A firm can hold back its own working papers while its final bill is unpaid, so settle that bill to avoid a delay. If a firm goes quiet, we keep chasing and we can rebuild most of what is needed from HMRC and Companies House.
What if my accounts are due soon?
We look at the deadline and the state of the books and tell you the cheaper option: your old accountant finishing that year, or Buzz taking it on. Catch-up work is quoted separately before it starts.
Does HMRC need to know?
Yes, and it is done online. You authorise Buzz as your agent for each tax through HMRC's digital handshake; we send you the link. Your old accountant's authority ends when you or they remove it.
Can I keep my software?
Yes. We work in FreeAgent and Xero. If you are on something else we will tell you whether it is worth moving, and if it is, we do the migration with the history intact.
How does payroll move?
At a pay period end. We take the year-to-date figures for each employee and the pension scheme details, so payslips, P60s and the HMRC submissions carry on without a break.
What does switching cost?
Switching is free. The letters, the HMRC set-up and the software set-up are included when you join. Catch-up bookkeeping, where the books are behind, is quoted separately, and you see that figure before we start.
Accreditations & Partnerships
