January is a natural point for reflection. Business owners review the previous year, assess what worked, and decide what needs to change in the year ahead.

While attention often focuses on sales, staffing, or growth plans, one relationship is frequently overlooked: the relationship with your accountant. Yet this relationship can have a significant impact on the success, resilience, and long-term value of your business.

Many UK businesses stay with the same accountant for years out of habit or loyalty, assuming that as long as the accounts and tax returns are completed, everything is fine. However, as businesses evolve, this assumption can quietly become costly.

Missed tax planning opportunities, reactive advice, and a lack of strategic support can all limit growth without the business owner fully realising why. January is often the moment when these frustrations come into focus.

1. You Only Hear from Your Accountant at Year End

One of the clearest warning signs is that communication with your accountant only happens at year end. If your main interaction is a rush of emails just before accounts or tax deadlines, the relationship is reactive rather than supportive. This approach leaves little room for planning and often means advice arrives too late to influence outcomes.

A proactive accountant should be involved throughout the year, helping you understand your numbers as they develop and supporting decisions in real time.

2. The Relationship Is About Compliance, Not Strategy

Compliance is essential, but it is also the baseline. If your accountant’s role is limited to filing accounts and submitting tax returns, you may not be getting the support your business needs. Businesses face strategic decisions throughout the year, from investment and hiring to funding and succession planning.

An accountant who does not engage with these conversations is unlikely to add real value beyond ticking boxes.

3. You’re Unclear What You’re Paying For

Another common source of frustration is a lack of clarity around fees. If invoices arrive without explanation or fees fluctuate without warning, it can be difficult to feel confident about value for money. A strong accountant relationship should be transparent, with a clear understanding of what services are included and how fees are structured. You should feel comfortable that what you are paying reflects meaningful advice and ongoing support, not just compliance work.

4. They Don’t Really Understand Your Business

As your business grows or changes, your accountant needs to adapt with it. If you regularly find yourself explaining how your business works or feel that advice is generic rather than tailored, this may be a sign the relationship is no longer aligned.

While no accountant can specialise in every sector, they should demonstrate commercial awareness and take the time to understand your business model, challenges, and ambitions.

5. Tax Advice Is Always After the Event

Tax planning should be proactive, not something discussed once the year has already ended. If tax conversations only happen when liabilities are being calculated, opportunities to plan effectively may already be lost.

January is a particularly important time to address this, as it allows space to review structures, consider remuneration planning, and ensure decisions throughout the year are made with tax efficiency in mind.

6. You Feel More Stressed Than Supported

The way an accountant relationship makes you feel matters. A good accountant should reduce stress by providing clarity and reassurance. If you feel anxious about deadlines, unsure about your financial position, or reluctant to ask questions, that is a sign something is wrong.

You should feel supported and confident that you have someone in your corner who understands your business and is looking out for your interests.

7. Your Business Has Outgrown Your Accountant

Sometimes the issue is not poor service but change. Rapid growth, increased complexity, external funding, or plans to sell or restructure can all alter what you need from your advisers.

What worked when your business was smaller may no longer be enough.

Outgrowing your accountant is often a natural consequence of success and recognising this is an important step in supporting the next phase of your business.

Why January Is the Right Time to Make a Change

While you can change accountant at any point, January offers practical advantages. It marks a clean break between periods and allows time to plan before the year unfolds. The process of switching is usually straightforward, with professional clearance handled between firms and records transferred securely. Most businesses are surprised by how smooth and disruption-free the transition can be when managed properly.

What a Better Accountant Relationship Should Look Like

A strong accountant relationship should give you clarity over your numbers, confidence in decision-making, and advice aligned with your long-term goals.

Your accountant should feel like a trusted adviser who understands both where your business is now and where you want it to go, rather than simply reporting on the past.

Start the Year with the Right Advisers Around You

The start of a new year often brings a quiet realisation that something needs to change.

Reviewing your accountant is not about looking back with frustration but looking forward with ambition. If you are questioning whether your current accountant is providing the level of support and insight your business needs, that instinct is worth listening to.

At UHY Williamson Croft, we regularly help UK business owners review their existing arrangements and transition smoothly to a more proactive and supportive relationship. If you would like an initial conversation to discuss your situation and explore whether a change makes sense, we would be happy to help.

January is the ideal time to start the year with the right advisers around you.

Get in touch to arrange an informal discussion and take the first step towards a more strategic accountant relationship.