One named person
Your accountant runs the switch and is the person you speak to, from the first email to the first month-end.
Switching accountant
Switching your accountant to Buzz
One form from you, one letter from us to your old accountant, and your records, your HMRC authorisations and your software move over without you chasing anyone. Any time of year.
How it works
Three steps, and you only do the first one
- 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. You do not have to have the awkward conversation.
- 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.
While it happens
What we promise during the switch
You never chase
We chase your old accountant, we chase HMRC, and we tell you where things are without being asked.
Nothing double-filed, nothing missed
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.
Timing
When to switch
Just after a year end is filed
The cleanest point. 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.
What you need to hand
Six things, and we can work around most of them being missing
- 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
If you do not have copies of the accounts or the references, we get them from your old accountant, HMRC and Companies House. The identity checks are the one thing only you can do, and they take a few minutes in the portal.
What changes
What it is like afterwards
Most people who switch to Buzz were not badly served so much as rarely served: an accountant who appeared at the year end with a bill and a set of accounts describing a year that had already happened. The difference afterwards is rhythm. 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 there is a named person who replies within one working day.
If you want more than that, Business Pulse adds a budget, a cashflow forecast, management accounts and a meeting every month or quarter about what to do next.
Frequently asked questions
Questions people ask before they switch
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 before it starts, never added to the monthly fee afterwards.
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 honestly 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?
Nothing. The switch, the letters, the HMRC set-up and the software set-up are part of joining. The only thing ever quoted separately is catch-up bookkeeping where the books are behind, and you will see that figure before we start.
Accreditations & Partnerships
