When Should You Change Accountants?

58% of self-employed people in the UK say they've considered ditching their accountant. 14% already have. Those aren't figures from a niche survey buried in an industry journal; they reflect something we hear constantly, in person, from business owners walking into our Folkestone office. "I probably should have switched years ago." We've lost count of how many times we've heard that exact sentence.

Here's the strange thing about changing accountants: it's rarely triggered by one dramatic event. It's almost always a slow build. A missed email here, a vague answer there, a fee that quietly crept up without any noticeable improvement in service. None of it feels urgent enough, on its own, to justify the hassle of switching. So people stay. Year after year, often out of habit rather than genuine satisfaction.

We want to help you cut through that hesitation. This is a clear, honest look at when it's genuinely time to change accountants, when it isn't, and exactly how to make the move without the stress most business owners expect.

Why This Question Feels Harder Than It Should

Before we get into the signs themselves, it's worth understanding why so many business owners across Kent, and everywhere else, put off this decision far longer than they should.

Part of it is loyalty. You've been with the same accountant for years, perhaps since you started the business, and there's a sense of obligation, even when the relationship has clearly stopped working. Part of it is inertia; switching feels like admin you don't have time for, on top of everything else you're juggling. And part of it, frankly, is fear of the unknown. At least you know what you're currently getting, even if it's mediocre. A new firm is an unknown quantity.

We understand all of that. But we'd gently push back on it too. If any of the signs below sound familiar, the discomfort of switching is almost always smaller, and shorter-lived, than the cost of staying somewhere that isn't serving you well.

Sign One: They Only Contact You Once a Year

This is, in our experience, the single clearest signal that it's time to look elsewhere. If the only time you hear from your accountant is when your tax return needs filing, you're receiving compliance only, not genuine support.

A limited company client of ours near Deal had worked with her previous accountant for four years on exactly this basis. One conversation a year, purely to gather figures for her Corporation Tax return. Nobody had ever reviewed her salary and dividend structure in that time, despite her income growing substantially. Correcting it in her first year with us saved her just over £2,600. Four years of an annual-only relationship had cost her, conservatively, well over £10,000 in missed planning, money she never knew was available to her.

If your accountant isn't proactively reaching out during the year, not just at deadline time, that's a genuine gap, not a minor quirk of their working style.

Sign Two: You Feel Like You're Chasing Them, Not the Other Way Round

Pay close attention to the direction communication tends to flow. Are you the one sending follow-up emails, waiting days for a reply, wondering if your last message got lost? Or does your accountant reach out to you when something needs your attention?

A builder we work with, based near Sittingbourne, told us his previous accountant sometimes took two weeks to respond to a simple query. Two weeks, when you're trying to decide whether to take on a new employee or commit to buying equipment, is genuinely too long. He'd assumed that slow pace was simply normal for accountants. It isn't, and it shouldn't be.

We tell every prospective client plainly: same working day for anything urgent, within 48 hours for everything else. If your current accountant can't meet something close to that, and it's been a repeated pattern rather than a one-off busy week, that's worth taking seriously.

Sign Three: Deadlines Keep Getting Missed, or Only Just Caught

A missed deadline isn't just an inconvenience. It's real money, in the form of automatic HMRC penalties, and it's a genuine warning sign about how your affairs are being managed behind the scenes.

We took on a contractor client from Ashford a couple of years ago who had received two separate late filing penalties in three years with his previous accountant, each one arriving as a surprise. Neither penalty was disastrous on its own, but the pattern told us everything we needed to know: nobody was tracking his deadlines proactively. We now start deadline conversations with clients months in advance, precisely so nothing is ever left to the final week.

If deadlines with your current accountant feel like a recurring source of stress, rather than something handled quietly and reliably in the background, that's not a small issue. That's the core job not being done properly.

Sign Four: Your Business Has Outgrown Their Capability

This one isn't about poor service. It's simply about fit, and it's more common than people expect. An accountant who was perfectly suited to your business when you were a sole trader with a handful of clients might genuinely not have the depth of experience needed once you're a limited company with employees, VAT registration, and growth ambitions.

A hospitality client of ours, running a small café near Whitstable, had worked with a generalist accountant for years, someone who handled a broad mix of clients but had never specialised in food and drink businesses. She'd never had anyone properly explain the VAT distinction between food sold for consumption on-site versus takeaway, a detail that genuinely matters for her margins. It wasn't that her previous accountant was incompetent. Hospitality simply wasn't their area, and as her business grew more complex, that gap became increasingly costly.

If your business has changed significantly since you first hired your accountant, and they haven't adapted their advice or expertise alongside it, it's worth asking honestly whether they're still the right fit.

Sign Five: You Don't Understand Your Own Numbers

Your accountant's job includes making your financial position genuinely clear to you, not just accurate on paper. If you regularly feel confused, or simply disengaged, when your accounts are presented to you, that's a real problem, not a personal failing on your part.

A building contractor near Ashford came to us convinced his business was struggling, purely based on how tight his bank balance always felt. When we walked him through his actual figures properly, in plain terms rather than technical jargon, we found his underlying profitability was genuinely solid. His problem was slow-paying clients, not a lack of profit, a completely different issue requiring a completely different solution. His previous accountant had technically filed accurate accounts every year. Nobody had ever actually sat down and explained what they meant.

If you finish a meeting with your accountant more confused than when you walked in, something in that relationship isn't working the way it should.

Sign Six: You're Paying More but Getting the Same

Fees rise over time; that's normal and often reasonable, reflecting genuine cost increases and growing complexity in your business. But rising fees should come with rising value. If your invoice has increased over the years while the actual service, the advice, the responsiveness, the proactive planning, has stayed exactly the same, that's worth questioning directly.

Ask your current accountant plainly: "My fee has gone up. What's changed about the service I'm receiving as a result?" A confident, capable firm will have a clear answer. If the honest answer is "not much," that's a meaningful signal.

Sign Seven: A Genuine Mistake Has Been Made

Everyone makes occasional errors, including us, and a single small mistake, honestly acknowledged and corrected, isn't necessarily a reason to leave a firm you otherwise trust. But repeated errors, or a significant one handled poorly, defensively, or without proper explanation, is a different matter entirely.

We took on a client from Canterbury after her previous accountant had incorrectly applied a VAT scheme for over a year, an error that, once corrected, meant a substantial repayment was owed to HMRC that could have been avoided entirely with proper oversight. What concerned her most wasn't the mistake itself, mistakes happen, but the lack of a clear, honest explanation when she raised it. That combination, error plus poor accountability, is a genuine red flag.

Sign Eight: You Simply Don't Trust Them Anymore

This is harder to quantify than the signs above, but it matters just as much. Trust is the foundation of this relationship. You're sharing detailed financial information, relying on their judgement for decisions that genuinely affect your business and your family, and leaning on their advice during moments of real uncertainty.

If that trust has quietly eroded, through vague answers, inconsistent advice, or simply a gut feeling that's been building for a while, it's worth taking seriously, even if you can't point to one single incident that caused it.

When It Might Not Be Time to Switch

We want to be fair here, because not every frustration justifies changing accountants, and we'd rather you make this decision with a clear head than out of a single bad week.

A one-off slow reply during an unusually busy period, particularly around the January Self Assessment deadline, isn't necessarily a pattern. A single honest mistake, properly corrected and explained, doesn't undo years of otherwise solid service. And if your accountant has genuinely adapted alongside your business, taking on new challenges as your circumstances changed, that's a sign of a relationship working as it should, even if it hasn't been entirely smooth every step of the way.

The signs above are worth taking seriously when they're patterns, not isolated incidents. Give your current accountant the chance to address a specific concern directly before deciding to leave. Sometimes a frank conversation resolves things. Often, though, it simply confirms what you already suspected.

How to Actually Switch: It's Simpler Than You Think

This is the part that stops most business owners from acting on all of the above, so let's demystify it properly.

Switching accountants is, in practice, a fairly straightforward process. Once you've chosen a new firm, they handle the vast majority of the transition on your behalf. This includes requesting something called professional clearance, a formal letter from your previous accountant confirming there's no professional reason not to take you on, along with any relevant paperwork and historical records needed to pick up where things left off.

You don't need to have an awkward confrontation with your existing accountant. A simple, polite notice that you're moving on is entirely sufficient; the professional clearance process handles the rest through direct contact between the two firms.

Timing Your Switch Well

While you can technically switch accountants at any point in the year, some timings work more smoothly than others. Switching shortly after your year-end, once your most recent accounts and tax return have been filed, tends to be cleanest, giving your new accountant a full, fresh period to work with rather than picking up a partially completed year.

That said, if you're dealing with an active problem, a missed deadline looming, a mistake that needs urgent correcting, don't wait for a "tidy" moment to make the move. We've taken on clients mid-year, sometimes with real urgency, and managed the transition without disruption. Waiting for the perfect moment often means simply waiting longer than necessary.

What to Prepare Before You Move

If you're considering a switch, it's worth gathering a few things in advance, though your new accountant should guide you through this properly rather than leaving you to work it out alone: your most recent filed accounts and tax returns, your UTR (Unique Taxpayer Reference) or company registration details, and access details for whatever accounting software you currently use, if any.

Beyond that, the practical burden should sit with your new firm, not with you. If a prospective accountant makes switching sound complicated or effortful on your end, that's worth noting as its own small warning sign.

Our Experience Taking On New Clients Across Kent

As a two-partner practice based in Folkestone, a significant proportion of our clients arrive from exactly this situation: a previous accountant who stopped being proactive, responsive, or genuinely engaged with their business. We've welcomed clients from Dover, Canterbury, Ashford, Deal, and across the wider county, almost all of whom tell us some version of the same thing: they wished they'd made the move sooner.

We manage the entire transition process directly, handling professional clearance and the transfer of records so you're not left managing an awkward handover yourself. Our aim, from the very first conversation, is to make switching feel like the easy, sensible decision it usually turns out to be, not the daunting one it feels like beforehand.

If You're Weighing This Up Right Now

If several of the signs in this article felt uncomfortably familiar, that discomfort is worth listening to. We'd suggest starting with an honest, direct conversation with your current accountant about a specific concern, giving them a genuine chance to respond. If that conversation doesn't resolve things, or simply confirms what you already suspected, we'd be glad to talk it through with you.

Get in touch with us at Cannon Accountants, and we'll have a genuine, no-pressure conversation about your situation, what a switch would actually involve, and whether we're the right fit for what your business needs next.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Will my old accountant be difficult about me leaving?

Rarely, in our experience. Professional clearance is a standard, routine process governed by clear professional guidelines. Most accountants handle it courteously, even when a client's decision to leave stings a little.

Is there a best time of year to switch accountants?

Shortly after your year-end or once your most recent return has been filed tends to be cleanest, but if you're dealing with an active problem, don't wait for a tidy moment. A capable new firm can manage a mid-year transition without disruption.

Will switching accountants cost me anything extra?

Usually not, beyond your new firm's standard fees. Professional clearance itself doesn't typically carry a charge, though it's worth checking your current firm's terms if you're mid-way through a contracted period.

What if I'm not sure whether my concerns are serious enough to justify switching?

Book a conversation with a prospective new accountant and lay out your concerns honestly. A good firm will give you a candid opinion on whether those issues are typical and fixable, or genuine signs it's time to move on.