How to get referrals from accountants and bookkeepers
Accountants see a business’s numbers, so they see its problems first. When a client asks who to call, the accountant’s answer is worth more than most ads.
Who they are
Most small businesses talk to their accountant more than any other adviser. The accountant does the tax return and BAS, and sees the messy books, the cash flow squeeze, the loan the business needs, the insurance that lapsed and the computer that keeps crashing. Bookkeepers see the same things, often every week.
Clients ask them, "Do you know someone?" A good accountant answers with two or three names they trust, because a bad referral reflects on them. Their time is tight, especially around BAS due dates and the end of the financial year, so they keep that list short and change it rarely.
They also work under professional rules. Members of CPA Australia, Chartered Accountants ANZ and the Institute of Public Accountants must follow the APES standards. Registered tax and BAS agents follow the Tax Practitioners Board's Code of Professional Conduct, which requires them to manage conflicts of interest. A referral that benefits the accountant is one of those conflicts.
What they’ll ask a new supplier for
- What you do, who you work best with and who you don’t take on.
- Your registration or licence, where your work needs one. Bookkeepers who provide BAS services for a fee must be registered with the Tax Practitioners Board.
- Which accounting software you work in.
- How you handle their client’s data and keep it confidential.
- Whether you pay or receive referral fees, and how the client would be told.
- An example of how you report back after a job.
What they buy, and what they pass on
Bookkeepers and BAS agents
The most common referral. An accountant wants clean records at year end and will happily send a client with a shoebox of receipts to someone who can fix it.
Mortgage and finance brokers
Business loans, equipment finance and home loans for owners. Credit referrals come with their own disclosure rules.
IT support
Cloud accounting, email, backups and security. Accountants see what a failed laptop or a hacked inbox costs a client.
Insurance brokers
Business insurance, vehicles and tools, and income protection, often raised when the accountant reviews a client’s costs.
Business advisers and coaches
For clients who are growing fast or struggling, where the accountant can see the problem but doesn’t have the hours to fix it.
Their own office
Accountants also buy: office cleaning, IT, printing and fit-out work for their own practice.
How they choose who to use
They have seen your work
The strongest start is a client you already share. The accountant has seen your invoices, your records or the result for that client.
You make their job easier
A bookkeeper who hands over reconciled files, or an IT business that gets the accounting software working, saves the accountant time.
You stay in your lane
You don’t give tax advice, criticise their work to the client, or try to take over the relationship.
You report back
With the client’s permission, a short note on what you did keeps the accountant in the loop.
You fit their clients
An accountant who mostly looks after tradies or farms wants people who know those businesses.
Getting on their list
Most accountants don't run a formal panel. They keep a shortlist in their head, sometimes on a resources page or in a client newsletter. Some firms run client events or belong to local business groups where they meet the people they refer to. Getting on that shortlist is about trust built over time, which our guide to getting referrals from other businesses covers.
Money and referrals need care. The APES standard on terms of engagement expects an accountant's engagement document to set out the basis and calculation of their fees, including referral fees and commissions. The Tax Practitioners Board's guidance says conflicts should be disclosed early, specifically and before or when the service is provided. If the accountant refers a client to a credit provider or broker and receives a benefit, the credit referrer rules require that benefit to be disclosed at the time of referral. Every state also has secret commission laws, which can catch a referrer who takes a benefit the customer doesn't know about, and in several states the business that pays it as well. The safe course: don't lead with money, and if a fee is involved, put it in writing and expect the client to be told. More on what introductions cost is in the cost of getting introduced.
How to approach them
Start with shared clients
List the accountants your current clients use. Ask a happy client whether they would mention you to theirs.
Choose accountants who suit you
Look for practices whose website names the kinds of clients you serve, such as trades, hospitality or rural businesses.
Write to a person, outside the busy weeks
Email the principal or a named accountant, and avoid the weeks around BAS due dates and the end of the financial year.
Offer something useful to their clients
A clear service, a fixed price for a common job, or a short checklist they can pass on.
Close the loop
When they refer someone, thank them and, with the client’s permission, tell them how it went.
A first email that works
Hi Priya, I’m Karen, a registered BAS agent in Ballarat. Most of my clients are builders and electricians, and I keep their files reconciled every week. I saw on your site that you look after a lot of trade businesses. If you have clients whose books arrive in a mess at year end, I’d be glad to take a few on and hand you clean files. I’m not offering or asking for a referral fee. I’d just like to be a name you can give. Would a coffee in the next few weeks suit? Thanks, Karen
An example only. The business is made up.
Three mistakes that cost the work
Leading with a referral fee
It turns a favour into a conflict the accountant has to manage and disclose. Many will simply say no.
Overstepping with their client
Giving tax advice or criticising the accountant’s work to the client is the quickest way off their list.
Going quiet after a referral
If the accountant never hears how it went, they have no reason to send the next one.
Businesses that work with accountants
Part of Get referred. See every kind of business we write to on Who buys from you.
Questions people ask
Can I pay an accountant for referrals?
It isn’t banned outright, but it comes with obligations on both sides. The accountant has professional rules on conflicts and disclosure, credit referrals have their own rules, and every state has secret commission laws. If you go down this path, get advice, put it in writing and make sure the client is told.
Will an accountant refer to a business they haven’t used?
Rarely at first. Most refer to people they have seen do good work for a client. One shared client who is happy with you is the best start.
Do bookkeepers refer work too?
Yes. Bookkeepers see a client’s spending every week, so they notice the same problems. Those who provide BAS services for a fee are registered with the Tax Practitioners Board and work under its Code.
When is the worst time to contact an accountant?
The weeks around BAS due dates and the end of the financial year. Mid-quarter is usually better.
Is it legal to email an accountant I don’t know?
It can be under the Spam Act, if the address is published for business, there is no note saying they don’t want sales emails, and your message relates to their work. Say who you are and give them an easy way to opt out. Our guide on whether cold emailing is legal in Australia covers the detail.
- APESB, Technical Update 2019/5: revised APES 305 Terms of Engagement
- APESB at a Glance (standards mandatory for CA ANZ, CPA Australia and IPA members)
- Tax Practitioners Board, Managing conflicts of interest (TPB(I) 19/2014)
- Tax Practitioners Board, Using a BAS agent? Check they are registered
- Brightlaw, Referrers under National Consumer Credit
- HWL Ebsworth, Referral arrangements and secret commissions
- Australian Law Reform Commission, Report 108: the Spam Act
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