When changing accountants, most questions arise between the last month processed by the outgoing accountant and the first month handled by the new one. Who will submit the next return? Who will add a late invoice? What exactly should the accounting handover contain?
It is best to settle these matters before moving documents. A folder of invoices does not show what has already been recorded or which obligations remain outstanding. You need to know the processing status, ensure records are accessible and agree in writing who will complete each task.
Start with the existing contract and the state of the accounts
Review how the relationship can be ended, the notice period and the terms for handing over records. Ask for confirmation of the period through which the accounts have been processed and whether any supporting documents are missing. The date of the last bill for accounting services does not necessarily tell you whether the work is complete.
Before the planned transfer, list outstanding matters. These might include a request from a public authority, unexplained bank transactions or documents a supplier has not yet sent. Assign a responsible person and note any relevant deadline for each item.
Tell the incoming accountant immediately if earlier periods remain unfinished. This helps establish the scope of the transfer. Discovering later that several months need completing changes both the timetable and the fee.
Choose a date that lets you divide the work clearly
A routine change of accountant can be arranged during the year. In practice, tying the transfer to the end of a month or another completed stage often makes the division clearer. Changing the supplier of accounting services does not, by itself, mean the accounting period has ended.
For example, the arrangement might specify that the outgoing accountant completes records through September and the new accountant takes over October. This hypothetical date does not yet settle who submits September-related returns that are prepared later. Those tasks need to be listed separately.
Agree on year-end work as well. Who will prepare the financial statements and tax return for the year in which the change occurs? Who will answer questions about earlier entries? An explicit agreement reduces the scope for different expectations.
Transfer processed data as well as documents
The incoming accountant needs to continue from the company's existing position. The handover therefore involves accounting books, balance reports and related records. The exact list depends on the company, its assets, sales methods and employees.
For double-entry accounts, the availability of the general ledger, accounting journal and trial balance is normally reviewed. Open receivables and payables, fixed asset records, depreciation and any stock balances matter too. These records help explain how individual balances arose.
Transfer filed tax documents and submission confirmations separately. For payroll, agree on the processed information and records needed to continue the work. Employee personal data should be transferred through an appropriately secured channel.
Agree on the format before exporting
Accounting applications may use different data formats. Before anyone prepares a large export, have the incoming accountant confirm what they can use. Sometimes structured data can be transferred; in other cases, a combination of exports and reports will be needed.
A PDF may be useful for checking, but it may not support automatic transfer of accounting entries. Conversely, a database backup may be unusable to the recipient without the appropriate software. Check that the transferred files are readable and complete.
Prepare a handover list. For each group of records, state the period, format and transfer date. Record missing items explicitly. This is more useful than a general statement that "the accounts have been handed over".
Check that balances carry through
After the transfer, the incoming accountant should be able to compare the main balances with supporting records. The bank balance should be explainable using the statement. Open customer invoices should correspond to the receivables report and supplier invoices to the payables report.
The company needs to help with this. An accountant may not know that an old receivable is disputed or that a supplier has promised a credit note. Include this information with the documents and indicate whether it has already been reflected in the accounts.
Agree on the scope of the review of transferred records. Taking over the work does not automatically mean checking every entry from earlier years in detail. If that review is needed, agree on it separately, including its scope and cost.
Deal with representation and access system by system
List the portals and applications the outgoing accountant could access. These may include the Financial Administration, insurance institutions, payroll software or document storage. For each system, identify how permissions will be transferred, changed or removed.
Do not change every permission without considering pending filings. First establish who will complete each task and what access they require. Once the handover is finished, remove permissions that are no longer needed and check that the company retains its own access.
For electronic communication with the Slovak Financial Administration, use the relevant authorisations and representation arrangements. Follow the official procedure for the particular type of representative. Slovak Financial Administration: electronic communication and representation.
Allow for questions after the transfer
The first processing cycle after a change may reveal questions that were not apparent from the handover list. Agree on a contact person and a way to obtain explanations of older records. Questions are easier to answer when they identify the document number and the period concerned.
Keep the handover list, confirmations and final reports. The company may need them later when revisiting a particular transaction. Use the change as an opportunity to set up the next monthly document handover.
If you plan to transfer your s.r.o.'s accounting to Hanesy, state the desired date and the last completed period in your initial message. Include a short description of the work and any outstanding matters. This makes it possible to discuss a specific handover rather than an undefined transfer of the accounts.