Who this is for
Switching From Another Bookkeeper
Most switches start with a feeling rather than a finding: the reports stopped making sense, questions went unanswered, the preparer had corrections every year. The handover is designed so that feeling becomes a written review, and so the two periods never blur into each other.
The review before anything changes
Your new bookkeeper takes read access to the file and the bank, and writes down what they find: what was done well, what was not, what it would take to fix, and whether the file should be repaired or rebuilt. You get that review before deciding anything. Often the structure is fine and the last few months simply were not reconciled; sometimes the file has years of problems. Either way you know what you are agreeing to.
Drawing the line
The handover happens at a month-end. Everything up to that date is reviewed and, where needed, cleaned up as a project; everything after it is monthly bookkeeping. That line matters later, when a question comes up about an old transaction and it is clear who recorded it and when.
What you need from the old bookkeeper
Less than people assume. Access to the accounting file if they control it, and ideally their reconciliation reports and notes. If they will not cooperate, the bank statements are yours and are enough to rebuild from. If they control the QuickBooks subscription, the file can be transferred or exported; your new bookkeeper will say how.
Telling them
A short, civil notice that you are moving the books as of a date, with a request for access and records. Most bookkeepers hand over without difficulty. If there is a dispute about fees or files, that is between you and them; the catch-up does not wait for it.
Send what software the books are in, when the last month you trusted was, and whether you still have access to the file. The reply within a business day says whether a review or a rebuild is likely and what the deposit would be.
Switching From Another Bookkeeper: common questions
Will my old bookkeeper know I asked for a review?
Not from this site or from your new bookkeeper. Read access is granted by you.
What if the old bookkeeper owns the QuickBooks subscription?
The company file can be transferred to a subscription you own, or exported and rebuilt. Your new bookkeeper will say which is cleaner for your file.
Can the switch happen mid-year?
Yes, at any month-end. The earlier months of the year are reviewed rather than assumed correct.
What your bookkeeper handles
- QuickBooks Cleanup Services
- Catch-Up Bookkeeping Services
- Bookkeeping Cleanup Services
- Behind on Bookkeeping Before a Tax Deadline
- Multiple Years of Bookkeeping, Rebuilt
- Monthly Bookkeeping After the Cleanup
Also written for Sole Proprietors & Single-Member LLCs, S Corporations, Contractors & Trades, E-commerce Sellers, Restaurants & Food Businesses, Real Estate Agents & Brokers and Medical & Dental Practices.
Request a quote for the handover
Tell us how far behind the books are and whether there is a date. Your bookkeeper replies within one business day with a plain answer: what it would take, whether the date is reachable, and what the deposit would be. Requests answered within one business day · Calls Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm Eastern Or call (888) 786-6502 if you would rather talk it through first.