We speak to a lot of business owners who are unhappy with their accountant but have been putting off doing anything about it. The reasons we hear most often: “I don’t want to switch mid-year,” “I’m worried about losing my records,” and “I’m not sure how to get my stuff back.”
Let us address all of that directly. Switching accountants in South Africa is more straightforward than most people expect.
There is no law in South Africa that requires you to stay with an accountant for any minimum period, or that prevents you from switching mid-year. Your engagement is governed by a letter of engagement, which may contain a notice period — typically 30 to 60 days — but this does not prevent you from instructing a new accountant to begin work while the notice period runs.
If your current accountant is holding your access or records hostage over an unpaid invoice, that’s a dispute to resolve separately. Don’t let a billing disagreement keep you in a professional relationship that isn’t working.
The financial records your accountant holds — your accounting file, tax returns, CIPC documents — belong to you. Your accountant holds them in a professional capacity on your behalf. Under the rules of conduct of both SAIPA and SAICA, an accountant is obliged to hand over your records promptly when you request them. Obstruction without a legitimate reason is a professional conduct matter. You can log a complaint with the relevant professional body if you encounter unreasonable obstruction.
Before considering the transition complete, confirm you have the following:
It’s genuinely easier to switch at your financial year-end because the prior-year accounts are closed. But a mid-year switch is absolutely manageable. Your new accountant reviews prior-year figures to establish opening balances and works forward from there. With a well-maintained Xero file, a mid-year transition adds perhaps a few hours of review work — not weeks of reconstruction. What makes mid-year switches complicated is not the timing, it’s poor recordkeeping.
Look for SAIPA or SAICA registration, professional indemnity insurance, and Xero certification if your books are on Xero. Ask how they communicate and what their typical response time for queries is. Ask for a plain-language explanation of what they will do for you and when. If they can’t explain it simply, that’s a signal.
When you come on board with DigMe, we start with a call to understand your business and what’s in your current accounting file. We take care of the SARS eFiling representative appointment and request the handover package from your previous accountant on your behalf. We review your Xero file, identify any gaps, and map out your compliance calendar before we do anything else. Most clients are fully transitioned within two to three weeks.