How do I tell my current tax preparer I'm switching?
Short answer
Wait until your onboarding with us is done, then send your current preparer a short, friendly email saying you're moving to a team that does year-round bookkeeping and tax strategy, and ask for copies of anything you'll need.
Otavio Mayole, Co-founder, DeCypher FinancialsUpdated
Why wait: if your preparer only files your taxes, there's nothing to hand off mid-year. Finishing onboarding first means you'll know exactly what to ask for.
A simple email you can send:
Hi [name], thank you for your help with my taxes. I'm moving to a team that handles year-round bookkeeping and tax strategy for creators. No hard feelings at all. Could you send me copies of my last few returns and any records you have on file? Thank you again.
What to ask them for:
- Your last two or three federal and state returns, every page
- Depreciation schedules for equipment or vehicles
- Any carryovers, like losses or credits
- An export of your books, if they kept them
- S-Corp election and payroll records, if you have them
- Details of any open extension or IRS letter
If they don't respond, don't stress. With your Form 8821, we can pull much of this from IRS records ourselves.