Professional Clearance and Previous Accountant Handover
Record previous accountant details when taking on a client, so everything you need for professional clearance stays on the client record.
Capture the outgoing firm's details at onboarding so the handover has somewhere to live.
Professional clearance in Remindoo means recording the outgoing accountant's details when you take on a client. The optional Previous Accountant section in onboarding captures the firm's name and contact information and keeps it on the client record, ready for your practice to write for clearance.
Last updated: 16 September 2026 · Reviewed by Waqas Sagar ACA FCCA , Founder of Remindoo and Managing Director of Accotax
Key facts
- The Previous Accountant section is part of onboarding and is optional
- Capture the previous firm's name and contact information
- The details are kept on the client record
- Useful for clients coming to you from another practice
- Remindoo records the details; your firm makes contact
The problem
Details buried in email
The outgoing firm's contact was mentioned once, in a reply, three weeks ago. Finding it again takes longer than the letter does.
Handovers that stall
Work cannot start because nobody is sure who to contact at the previous firm, and the client assumes it has already been dealt with.
No trace on the file
Six months later there is nothing on the client record to show the handover happened or who was involved.
How Remindoo fixes it
Who it's for
Practice owners
See the state of the client base without asking three people.
Practice managers
Run onboarding, AML and deadlines the same way every time.
Team leads
Know who owns each client and each service before the deadline.
Bookkeepers
Find the client, the contact and the records in one place.
How it works in Remindoo
Add previous accountant details during onboarding.
Capture the previous firm's name and contact information.
Keep the handover details on the client record so nothing is lost.
Why it matters for UK accountancy practices
When a UK practice takes on a client from another firm, professional bodies' ethics guidance expects it to seek professional clearance from the previous adviser before accepting the appointment. It is a courtesy and a safeguard: the outgoing firm may know something relevant to whether you should act.
The obstacle is almost never the principle; it is the admin. The details arrive verbally or in an email, the letter waits for someone to have time, and the new client meanwhile assumes work has started.
Holding the outgoing firm's details on the client record keeps the step visible. Remindoo does not contact the previous accountant on your behalf — your firm writes the letter and applies its own judgement to the reply — but the information you need is on the file rather than in an inbox.
Remindoo vs spreadsheets, email and paper files
Frequently asked questions
It is the step of contacting a prospective client's previous adviser before accepting the appointment, to ask whether there is any professional reason you should not act. Professional bodies' ethics guidance expects UK firms to seek clearance when taking on a client from another practice.
At minimum the firm's name and contact information, so you know where to write. Remindoo captures both in the optional Previous Accountant section during onboarding and keeps them on the client record with the rest of the client's details.
On the client record, captured through the Previous Accountant section of the onboarding wizard. Because it sits with the client's other information rather than in a separate document, anyone picking the client up can see where they came from.
The section is optional, because not every client comes from another firm. For clients who do, your professional body's ethics guidance is what determines your obligations; Remindoo simply gives the details a permanent home on the file.
Yes. The client record can be updated later, so if the client does not have their previous firm's contact details to hand during onboarding you can capture them once they arrive rather than keeping them in an email.
No. Remindoo records the previous accountant's firm name and contact details on the client record. Sending the professional clearance letter, chasing a reply and deciding how to act on it remain your practice's responsibility.
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Remindoo is practice management software for accountancy and bookkeeping firms. See the client management hub or pricing with unlimited users .
Every deadline. Every client. One system.
Start with the workflows that cause the most chasing, then bring leads, AML, proposals and clients into the same calm operating system.
Why a single client record matters
When client details, deadlines, documents and conversations are spread across inboxes and spreadsheets, time goes on searching instead of on client work.
One version of the truth
Everyone sees the same services, contacts, deadlines and notes for each client.
Accurate deadlines
Companies House sync brings in company details and filing dates, reducing manual errors.
Better client service
A full timeline means anyone can answer a client question with the history in front of them.
Secure document sharing
A client portal is safer than sending financial documents as email attachments.
Practical tips from UK practice
- Import companies from Companies House rather than typing details by hand.
- Record every service a client takes, so recurring work is created automatically.
- Add a short note after every important client call.
- Ask clients to upload documents through the portal rather than by email.
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Written and reviewed by Waqas Sagar ACA FCCA FMAAT, Chartered Accountant with 18+ years in practice. Founder and MD of Accotax, an ICAEW, ACCA and AAT regulated London practice that has served over 5,000 clients, and founder of Remindoo. Guidance is general; check current GOV.UK and professional body guidance for your firm.
What UK practices say about Remindoo
Read all reviews on Trustpilot“With Remindoo, everything from the first enquiry to onboarding and ongoing client management is tracked in one place… It saves us hours and gives me, as a practice owner, complete visibility of where the firm stands.”
“The biggest benefit is having clients, tasks, deadlines, workflows, proposals and communication all organised in one place.”
“During my trial, the team were absolutely amazing. They helped onboard my clients, set up my settings and made sure everything was ready for me to use… they made the whole process completely stress-free.”
“It brings client information, tasks, recurring deadlines, workflows and reminders together in one place, giving us much better visibility across the team.”
