Accounting professionals are supposed to be just that: professional. If you are currently working with an accountant who is a decent human being, you should reach out to them after making the decision, they will most likely be more than helpful in the transition. If you have any reason to believe that your current accountant will NOT be professional about your moving on, let’s talk about why and what we can do.

It’s as likely that your accountant will not be as disappointed as you imagine (or hope): there is an accountant shortage these days, many in the accounting field are at or over capacity these days.

I have experience with both Quickbooks Online and Xero, have dabbled in many others, including some fund accounting and governmental-specific softwares, on top of all of the tax software, payroll, engagement management, etc., that I have to learn in the course of my accounting career. Happy to research software with you or for you. I just want to find the right solution for you: bonus points if they are solutions I can recommend to others, too.

In general, you would contact me, we can schedule a 40 minutes consultation in which we can get to know each other and talk about your needs. If we both agree that it could work, I would send you a quote and a draft contract to overlook. We can haggle a little over the details, and then I would ask for a one month payment or retainer to get started. I do have a 3-month clause in my standard contract, so that we can revisit the pricing and scope of services 3 months down the road. I want neither of us to feel squeezed or cheated by our professional relationship. That means that if I think I am charging you too much, I will say something, and I am trusting you to do the same if you feel like you are taking advantage of my services and time for the price.

At the very least, I will be reaching out to you at the end of the month with a list of some of the basic items I will be expecting in order to be able to finish your books for that month, and will be open to hearing about any unique circumstances or questions. Beyond that, feel free to reach out to me.

Generally, we may sign a contract for a year of services, but my standard contract will specify a 30 day cancellation period, as you might have in a standard rent contract. I would hope that we could talk through any issues you may be having, but in the end I don’t enjoy holding you back from getting the services and results you need. If you are unhappy, I would prefer to serve out the minimum of  time together and amicably end our professional relationship, rather than hold you or your accounting hostage in any way.