--- title: "Switching Accountants: We Request Your Files for You" url: https://www.everstonecpa.com/switching-accountants description: "Switching accountants takes one CRA authorization from you. We request your records from your previous accountant and carry on from there. See the steps." type: service-or-info updated: 2026-10-08 summary: "Switching accountants is straightforward: engage the new firm, sign a CRA authorization form, and the new accountant requests prior-year returns and working papers from the previous one through a routine professional letter. No CRA permission is needed and no filing deadline is disrupted. EverStone manages the handover for incoming clients." faq_count: 7 publisher: EverStone CPA Inc., a Chartered Professional Accountant firm registered with CPA British Columbia and CPA Alberta service_area: British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Manitoba language: en-CA contact: info@everstonecpa.com · https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online --- [Home](https://www.everstonecpa.com/) Switching accountants Switching · EverStone CPA # Switching accountants is *easier than you think* Updated 8 October 2026 You don’t have to have an awkward conversation, and you don’t have to chase your old accountant for files. We handle the handover — you write zero awkward emails. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online) [Ask a Free Question](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) **Quick answer:** Switching accountants is straightforward: engage the new firm, sign a CRA authorization form, and the new accountant requests prior-year returns and working papers from the previous one through a routine professional letter. No CRA permission is needed and no filing deadline is disrupted. EverStone manages the handover for incoming clients. Switching means trusting someone new with your file. [Read about EverStone CPA](https://www.everstonecpa.com/about). The full walkthrough, with timing and what to ask for: [how to switch accountants in Canada](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/how-to-switch-accountants). The takeover ## Three steps, most of it on us Switching in three steps. 1 ### You sign a CRA authorization One quick form names EverStone CPA as your representative with the CRA. That’s the only real task on your side — it takes a few minutes. 2 ### We request your records We contact your previous accountant and request your prior-year returns and working papers directly. You don’t have to make the call. 3 ### We pick up where they left off We review what’s there, flag anything worth fixing, and carry on — books current, deadlines tracked, nothing dropped in the handover. What you’ll need ## Almost nothing To get started, it helps to have your articles of incorporation, last year’s return and [Notice of Assessment](https://www.everstonecpa.com/glossary#noa), and access to your bookkeeping (QuickBooks Online or Xero login, or your bank statements). Don’t have it all to hand? Book anyway — we’ll tell you exactly what matters and get the rest from your old firm. Prefer to read the long version first? Our guide to [switching accountants](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/how-to-switch-accountants) walks through every detail. Why owners move ## The reasons people switch Almost no one changes accountants on a whim — it usually follows months of small frustrations. The patterns we hear most often are the same ones worth acting on: - **You only hear from them at tax time.** A once-a-year preparer files your return but never helps you plan, so decisions that could have saved tax are made without input. - **Emails go unanswered for days.** When a CRA letter or a financing deadline lands, slow replies turn a small issue into a stressful one. - **Surprise invoices.** Hourly billing means you hesitate to ask questions, and the bill still arrives larger than expected. - **Your file is handled by whoever’s free.** You signed on with a name you trusted, but the actual work is passed to a rotating cast of juniors. - **Deadlines slip.** A missed instalment or late filing that triggers CRA interest is the clearest sign it’s time. If two or three of these sound familiar, switching is not an overreaction — it’s overdue. Done right ## What a clean handover looks like The fear that stops most owners from switching is that something will fall through the cracks, a return that doesn’t get filed because each firm assumed the other had it, or a CRA authorization that never transfers. That is exactly what a careful handover prevents. When you move to EverStone we confirm three things in writing before we consider the transition complete: that your CRA representative authorization is active and any prior firm’s access is dealt with; that we hold your prior-year returns, working papers and correspondence; and that every upcoming deadline is on our calendar. Nothing is left to “someone will get to it.” If you’re curious what the weeks immediately after look like, our [first 90 days](https://www.everstonecpa.com/first-90-days) page lays out the timeline step by step. Timing ## When’s the best time to switch? The tidiest moment is **right after a [fiscal year-end](https://www.everstonecpa.com/glossary#fiscal-year-end) has been filed**, when your file is at a natural stopping point and a new accountant picks up cleanly at the start of the next year. That said, you can switch at any time — mid-year moves are routine and don’t disrupt your filings. The one window to avoid is the few weeks immediately before a [T2](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/corporations/corporation-income-tax-return.html) or personal-tax deadline, when moving a file in a rush adds risk. The bigger mistake, though, is waiting: if you’re already unhappy, staying another full year usually costs more in missed planning than the switch ever would. Owners who are winding down rather than moving on will want [closing or selling a corporation](https://www.everstonecpa.com/closing-or-selling-your-corporation) instead. Changing accountants is one of the recurring calls owners have to make — the rest are gathered on the [decision guide](https://www.everstonecpa.com/decisions). Once the switch is done, [what year one actually looks like](https://www.everstonecpa.com/how-year-one-works) shows the rhythm the engagement settles into. Common questions ## Switching FAQ **Can I switch in the middle of the year?** Yes — mid-year switches are routine and don’t disrupt your filings. Once you authorize us with the CRA, we request your records and carry on from wherever your last accountant left off. [Ask about your case →](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) **Do I have to tell my current accountant?** Only if you want to. Many owners simply let us handle the records request. If you’d rather send a short note, we’re happy to give you the wording. **What does switching cost?** Switching itself is part of onboarding — there’s no separate fee to take you on. You get a fixed quote for the ongoing work after we review your enquiry, before anything starts. **What if I’m behind on filings?** That’s common and completely fixable. We prepare any outstanding returns, get you current, and where it helps use CRA relief programs to reduce penalties. **What files should I get from my previous accountant?** Your last filed corporate and personal returns with all schedules, the year-end adjusting journal entries, the closing trial balance, capital cost allowance schedules, and the accounting file backup or login. The adjusting entries and CCA schedules are the ones people forget and the ones hardest to rebuild. A written request listing them specifically works better than asking for “my file”. **Will switching accountants trigger a CRA audit?** No. Changing accountants is routine and is not something CRA flags — what draws attention is late filings, inconsistent figures between years, or claims that cannot be supported, and those exist whoever prepares the return. If anything, moving to someone who catches an error before it is filed reduces risk rather than adding to it. **How long does switching actually take?** Usually a few weeks in the background rather than a project you have to manage. The steps are a professional letter to your previous accountant, transfer of the prior-year file, authorization to represent you with CRA, and a review of the last return before anything new is prepared. The one thing that stretches it is a previous accountant slow to release files. We work with owner-managed businesses across BC online — [online accountant in Vancouver](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-vancouver) and beyond. Not sure whether switching is worth it? Start smaller: we will do a [free second opinion on last year’s corporate return](https://www.everstonecpa.com/second-opinion) and give you a written summary of anything we would have handled differently. No fee, no obligation, and no need to leave anyone. ## Related reading Guides that go deeper on what this page covers. [Your first employee. The order matters more than the effort. Payroll account, withholding, remittance schedule, first T4 — what to set up before the first paycheque, in the order the steps depend on each other.](https://www.everstonecpa.com/first-employee) [Behind on Taxes? It Is More Fixable Than It Feels Unfiled returns brought current by a CPA: what happens first, what it costs, and why filing late beats waiting.](https://www.everstonecpa.com/behind-on-taxes-catch-up) [OAS clawback planning: why an owner-manager has more control than most retirees How the Old Age Security recovery tax works, why incorporated owners can control the income that triggers it, and how to time dividends around it.](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/oas-clawback-planning-canada) [Chart of accounts that survives growth and makes the T2 easier How to design a chart of accounts that survives growth, maps cleanly to GIFI codes on the T2, and keeps your corporate year end straightforward.](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/chart-of-accounts-small-business-canada) [Your accounting firm merged — what now?](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/accounting-firm-merged-what-now) [Twelve questions to ask the next accountant](https://www.everstonecpa.com/questions-to-ask-an-accountant) [Start here The three ways in, and which fits your situation](https://www.everstonecpa.com/start-here) ### Starting fees Every fee is fixed in writing before any work begins. - **Monthly bookkeeping, GST/PST filing included** from $325 a month - **Payroll, remittances, T4s and ROEs** included in monthly bookkeeping - **Books, payroll and the year-end T2 together** $500–$700 a month - **Corporate year-end and T2 return** fixed fee, quoted in writing - **Personal tax return (T1)** from $125; self-employed or rental $275–$500 - **Catch-up bookkeeping** from $2,200 per year of records - **Controller or CFO support** controller from $1,650, CFO from $2,750 a month - **One-off advice call with a CPA** $225 plus GST [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online?service=monthly#enquiry-form) ## Ready for an accountant who actually replies? Send an enquiry. We’ll map the handover and give you a fixed quote — no obligation. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online) [Ask a Free Question](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) Cost is usually the hesitation, so it is worth settling early: the [fee estimate tool](https://www.everstonecpa.com/fee-estimate) gives a monthly range from our published fees before you speak to anyone. Owners often delay switching because they are embarrassed about the state of the file. [Being behind](https://www.everstonecpa.com/behind-on-bookkeeping) is routine, and it is quoted as its own job. We work with [Mission businesses changing accountants](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-mission) — same fixed-fee approach, entirely remote. ## Talk to a CPA about this One Chartered Professional Accountant, start to finish. Fixed fees, quoted in writing before any work begins, and no obligation from a first conversation. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online) [Ask a Free Question](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) Email info@everstonecpa.com ★★★★★ “…have been completing my bookkeeping, taxes and financials for the last 2 years and they have been amazing. Thank you!” R. H. · Google review --- Source: https://www.everstonecpa.com/switching-accountants Prices: https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing · Contact: info@everstonecpa.com · https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online