Switching Bookkeeping Office

The choice to switch from one bookkeeping office to another is an important step. In the best case, this is done with the cooperation of all those involved. At worst, the move is like a divorce where the departing partner has a new love. Under no circumstances should the switch of bookkeeping office result in that parts of the bookkeeping will be lost.

Once you have made the decision to switch, making a good checklist is important. For example, if you have ever had a due diligence from the Tax Authorities, you want to remain in possession of the audit report.

Bookkeeping

Everything that you bring to the bookkeeping office remains yours. And insofar as you have not yet received parts of your bookkeeping back, your bookkeeping office will prepare your bookkeeping for collection on first request. There is an exception to this, if there are outstanding invoices that you still have to pay. Then the bookeeping office can exercise the right to retention.

Computer Bookkeeping

As soon as you use the historical figures of the bookkeeping within the business operations, for example to compare results of today with previous years, continuation of the bookkeeping with the same accounting software is preferred. Converting computer files is rarely flawless, a hard cut in the administrative processing due to the use of other accounting software causes years of annoyance. Unintentional trend breaks also pose a tax risk. If you have the accounting software yourself, there is no problem. If your bookkeeping is processed with the help of accounting software of your current bookkeeping office, then retention of the computer bookkeeping is an important point of attention during the transition.

A Bookkeeping Office is not obliged to provide a backup of the computer bookkeeping. You are entitled to a copy of the required out-put. The bookkeeping office may choose to limit its cooperation by printing the required out-put, on paper or in PDF format. Why are you not entitled to a backup? To a greater or lesser extent intellectual property is linked to the establishment of a computer bookkeeping, which is the property of the bookkeeping office. In many cases, a full backup will be provided for a reasonable financial fee.

Tax Returns And Other Statements

If all goes well, the bookkeeping office has kept you informed of the returns and other statements submitted on your behalf, and you have signed for your approval. Are there returns of income tax, VAT, wage tax or other returns and statements such as employee data not in your possession? Make sure that these are provided to you (again).

Correcting Tax Returns

Tax law requires consistent behavior. The entrepreneur, or the Bookkeeping Office on behalf of the entrepreneur, has (more than once) made use of a one-off right of option in determining the profit. For example, with regard to the car (of the company). A transfer to another Bookkeeping Office does not give the right to revise choices. And what choices have been made becomes most times apparent after studying the administration of previous financial years. Even if you switch at the start of a new tax year, at some point it may turn out that an unfortunate choice was made in a previous tax year, or a tax liability was reported incorrectly (too high or too low). One may not be corrected, and the other needs to be corrected.