How to Leave Your Sydney Bookkeeper: Seven Steps and One Polite Email (2026)

You've drafted the email four times. You've deleted it four times. Meanwhile Boring Barry has taken nine days to reply to a one-line question, billed you 0.3 hours for a sigh and described your overdue BAS as "nearly there". Leaving your Sydney bookkeeper is a twenty-minute job that most owners put off for a year, mainly because nobody has told them what order to do it in. Here is the order.

Published: November 2026

This guide covers the exit itself: when to do it, what to lock down first, what to say and what to ask for. The full move to a new provider is covered step by step in how to change your Sydney bookkeeper.

First, be sure

Not every slow week is a reason to leave. But some things are.

Replies that take days, every time
A BAS lodged late, or not lodged, without you being told
Invoices you can't follow, for amounts you didn't expect
Bank accounts that haven't been reconciled in months
Being talked down to when you ask a fair question

One of those, once, is a conversation. Three of them, regularly, is a pattern. If you're not sure where yours sits, take the Roast-O-Meter quiz and see where they land. Then come back.

Step 1: Read what you signed

Find your engagement letter or the email where you agreed terms. You are looking for three things: the notice period, any fees due on exit and what it says about handing back records. Many small bookkeepers work on a month's notice or none at all. Some have nothing in writing, which makes this step short.

If you can't find anything, our guide on how much notice to give your bookkeeper will tell you what normal looks like. If the terms are unclear or there is money in dispute, get legal advice before you send anything.

Step 2: Line up the replacement before you say a word

Don't resign from a bookkeeper into a vacuum. Payroll still has to run next week and the BAS is still due. Have the next arrangement agreed, with a start date, before the current one ends. A new bookkeeper can review the file on read-only access while the old one is still in place, which also tells you how much cleanup you are walking into.

That is the default on our side. We look at the file, quote a fixed monthly figure and agree a start date, so your monthly bookkeeping in Sydney carries on without a gap.

Step 3: Secure your own access

This is the step people skip, and it is the one that causes the awkwardness. Before the email goes, check that the business, not the bookkeeper, controls each of these.

Xero subscription. Log in and check who the subscriber is. If the bookkeeper holds the subscription, ask for it to be transferred to you. Our guide to transferring a Xero subscription from your bookkeeper covers how.
Xero user roles. Make sure your own login has the access level that lets you add and remove users.
Bank feeds and bank access. Confirm any bank logins or payment approvals the bookkeeper has, so you know what to remove.
Payroll and super. Know which system runs payroll, who the administrator is and how super is being paid.
Receipt and bill apps. Anything connected to Xero for capturing paperwork should be in the business's name.
Email addresses on record. Check whose email the ATO, the bank and your software send notices to.

None of this is hostile. It is your business and these are your records. Barry may feel differently and start alphabetising in protest, but that is a Barry problem.

Step 4: Send the email

Short, polite, specific. No list of grievances, no apology essay. You are ending a commercial arrangement, and you would like your things back. Here is a version you can use.

Subject: Ending our bookkeeping arrangement

Hi [Name],

Thanks for your work on our books. We've decided to move our bookkeeping to another provider, and I'd like to end our arrangement with you from [date], in line with the notice in our agreement.

Before then, could you please:

Bring the file up to date to [date] and tell me anything that will be left unfinished
Confirm any BAS, payroll or super lodgements that are due or outstanding
Send me any working papers, reconciliations and records you hold for the business
Transfer the Xero subscription to me if you hold it
Send your final invoice

From [date], [new provider] will take over. I'll remove system access on that day.

Thanks again,
[Your name]

That is the whole thing. If they reply with questions, answer them. If they reply with a guilt trip, you have confirmed your decision.

Step 5: Do the ATO step only you can do

If your new bookkeeper will lodge your BAS, they need to be linked to your business with the ATO, and they can't do that on their own.

Rule: The ATO's agent nomination process applies to all types of entities with an ABN, excluding sole traders. When you engage a new registered tax agent, BAS agent or payroll service provider, you must nominate them in Online services for business before they can access your accounts and act for you. The ATO's steps note that you will need the agent's registered agent number, and its guidance to agents states that the agent can't complete the nomination for you.

What to do: ask your new provider for the details you need, log in to Online services for business and complete the nomination. If you have never used Online services for business, set it up now, because it takes longer than the nomination itself. Then ask your new provider to confirm the link has gone through and that the previous agent no longer appears against your accounts.

On our side, BAS lodgement is done by a registered BAS Agent once the nomination is in place.

Step 6: Get the handover

A clean handover is a list, not a meeting. At a minimum you want:

Bank reconciliations up to the handover date
A note of anything unreconciled or uncoded
Copies of BAS lodged for the current and previous financial year, with workings
Payroll reports and super payment records for the year to date
Any payment arrangements or open correspondence with the ATO
Logins or ownership transfers for every connected app

The full version is in our bookkeeper handover checklist. If the old bookkeeper drags their feet on returning the file, read my bookkeeper won't give me my Xero file back.

Step 7: Remove access on the day

On the agreed date, remove the old bookkeeper as a user in Xero, payroll, the bank and every connected app. Change any shared passwords. Update the contact details the ATO and your bank hold if theirs were on file. It takes ten minutes and it is the difference between "former bookkeeper" and "person who can still see my payroll".

When to do it

There is no perfect date, and waiting for 30 June is a habit, not a rule. A few practical points:

Not the week a BAS is due. Either let the current bookkeeper lodge it and leave after, or move early enough that the new one has time to review the quarter. Our guide to a mid-quarter switch covers both.
Not the day before payroll. Since 1 July 2026, the ATO's Payday Super rules require super to be received by each employee's fund within 7 business days after payday, with a longer period in limited cases such as new employees. A fumbled handover in pay week can put a super payment at risk.
Sooner if the file is behind. Every month an unreconciled file sits, the cleanup grows.

What if the books are a mess when you leave?

They often are, which is usually why you're leaving. A file that is months behind needs a one-off tidy before normal monthly work can start. Our catch up on overdue books service brings it current at a fixed price, then hands it to the weekly cycle.

To find out how bad it is before you commit to anything, get a Free Xero Roast. With your permission we open the file, find the worst five things and put them on a single page.

FAQ

How do I leave my bookkeeper politely?

Send a short written notice that thanks them, gives the end date in line with your agreement and lists what you need back: the file brought up to date, outstanding lodgements confirmed, records returned and a final invoice. Keep reasons out of it unless they ask.

How much notice do I need to give my bookkeeper?

Whatever your engagement letter or written terms say. Many small arrangements run on a month or less. If nothing is in writing, reasonable notice and a clear handover date is the usual approach. Get legal advice if there is a dispute.

Can I leave my bookkeeper in the middle of a BAS quarter?

Yes. Either the current bookkeeper lodges the quarter before leaving, or the new one takes over with enough time to review it. What matters is that one of them is clearly responsible for the lodgement.

What should I get back from my old bookkeeper?

Up-to-date reconciliations, a list of anything unfinished, copies of lodged BAS with workings, payroll and super records, any ATO correspondence and control of every system connected to your books.

Do I have to tell the ATO I've changed bookkeepers?

If the new bookkeeper will lodge for you as a registered agent and your business is not a sole trader, the ATO requires you to nominate them in Online services for business before they can act. The agent can't do the nomination for you.

What if my bookkeeper holds my Xero subscription?

Ask them to transfer the subscription to you before the arrangement ends. If they refuse or go quiet, contact Xero support and ask what your options are as the business owner.

Should I line up the new bookkeeper before giving notice to the old one?

Yes. Agree the scope, price and start date first, so payroll and lodgements continue without a gap.

What does it cost to switch bookkeepers?

Usually the old bookkeeper's final invoice, any cleanup the file needs and the new monthly fee. A fixed monthly price is easier to plan around than an hourly bookkeeper at $80 to $150 an hour with no agreed scope.

About Sydney Bookkeeper

Sydney Bookkeeper is the modern, fixed-price Sydney bookkeeper for businesses with staff that are tired of slow, hourly, jargon-spouting incumbents. We work with professional services firms, construction and property businesses, agencies, tech and ecommerce companies, hospitality groups, and health practices across Sydney. Monthly bookkeeping, BAS lodgement, payroll, and Xero file cleanups, all on fixed monthly pricing, no lock-in.

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The team uses a registered BAS Agent for all BAS and IAS lodgement services. Full registration details, agent particulars, and copies of the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) Code of Professional Conduct, the TPB complaints process, and any conditions on the agent's registration are available on request by emailing hello@sydneybookkeeper.com. This content is general information only, written for Australian small and mid-market businesses. It does not constitute tax, financial product, or legal advice and should not be relied on as such. Tax obligations depend on your individual circumstances. For advice specific to your business, contact the team directly or consult a registered tax agent or licensed financial adviser. Sydney Bookkeeper is not a licensed tax agent or licensed financial adviser. Information was current at the time of publication and may change without notice. We review and update guides periodically.

Sources

Australian Taxation Office, How to nominate your registered agent: https://www.ato.gov.au/businesses-and-organisations/preparing-lodging-and-paying/agent-nomination/how-to-nominate-your-registered-agent
Australian Taxation Office, Agent checklist for client-to-agent linking process: https://www.ato.gov.au/tax-and-super-professionals/for-tax-professionals/client-to-agent-linking/agent-checklist-for-client-to-agent-linking-process
Australian Taxation Office, How Payday Super works: https://www.ato.gov.au/businesses-and-organisations/super-for-employers/about-payday-super