Find a CoPilot accountant
This article explains how to find a CoPilot accountant and send an enquiry to them in FreeAgent.
CoPilot is an innovative way of working with an accountant through FreeAgent to help simplify your business accounting and give you peace of mind. For an agreed monthly fee, you can choose an expert FreeAgent partner accountant who suits your business needs and then work with them directly within your FreeAgent account.
Please note:
- You can explore CoPilot accountants to work with without any obligation. Your FreeAgent subscription amount will not be altered in any way unless you explicitly confirm the purchase of a CoPilot subscription.
- The price of CoPilot will be dependent on the services agreed with the CoPilot accountant.
- CoPilot is currently only available for a subset of eligible businesses. If you’re interested in the service but you don’t see a CoPilot option in your account, please contact our support team by selecting the blue ‘Help’ button at the bottom of the screen.
- Only the listed account owner can access and view information related to the CoPilot service.
How to find a CoPilot accountant
Navigate to the drop-down menu under your business name and select ‘Connections & Add-ons’.
Next, select ‘Get started’ in the ‘CoPilot’ section.
Then, select ‘Browse our accountants’.
Choose the option most suited to your business. This will help us show you matches specific to your business type, and prioritise accountants with strong experience in your sector.
You'll see slightly different options depending on whether you have a sole trader, partnership, LLP, limited company or unincorporated landlord account type in FreeAgent. Limited company directors will be offered the option of working with a CoPilot accountant on their Corporation Tax return, which is not applicable to the other business types.
Once you’ve chosen the relevant option, select ‘Show matching accountants’.
Review the CoPilot accountants to find a few that may fit your needs. Select 'Learn more' next to each accountant’s details to find out more about them.
This will provide you with key information about the accountant and outline the services and packages they offer, as well as any additional services, to help you quickly find the right fit for your business needs.
You can visit each accountant’s website by selecting their website link next to their details.
How to send an enquiry to a CoPilot accountant
You can send enquiries to multiple accountants at the same time to get to know them and narrow down your ideal fit. FreeAgent can speed up this process by sharing high-level information with your prospective accountants to help kick off your conversations.
To get in touch with any accountants, select ‘Contact [the accountant]'.
Choose the contact method and share your business info
Choose how you would like the accountant to get in contact with you. You can choose for them to contact you by phone or email.
By phone
If you choose for the accountant to contact you ‘By phone’, you’ll need to enter your phone number and agree to share an overview of select data from your FreeAgent account with this accountant.
You’ll also have the option to share your email address.
Select ‘Send enquiry’ to proceed.
You’ll then be asked some questions that are optional for you to answer but will help the accountant to better understand your business and its needs. You’ll also have the option to send a short message to the accountant with a little bit of information about you and your business and the kind of support you need.
By email
If you choose for the accountant to contact you ‘By email’, you’ll need to enter your email address along with a short message to the accountant with a little bit of information about you and your business and the kind of support you need. You’ll also need to agree to share an overview of select data from your FreeAgent account with this accountant.
Select ‘Send enquiry’ to proceed.
You’ll then be asked some questions that are optional for you to answer but will help the accountant to better understand your business and its needs.
What data we share with the CoPilot accountant
In order to help the accountant give you an accurate price and guidance, FreeAgent will share the following information with them:
- Your enquiry form
- Contact details
- Business name
- Company type and sector
- Number of employees in Payroll
- FreeAgent start date
- Company start date
- Most recent Profit and Loss
- Bank feed status
- VAT registration status
- Tax submission status
You can remove their access to this data by deleting your enquiry after it has been sent.
Submit the enquiry
To proceed with the enquiry and sent it to the accountant, select ‘Submit’.
What happens next?
When you send an enquiry to an accountant, they will normally get in touch with you within a few working days. However, if you've not had a response within this time and you want to speak to them urgently, get in touch with our support team by selecting the blue ‘Help’ button at the bottom of the screen.
You can contact more than one CoPilot accountant at a time to ensure you quickly find the best match.
To send an enquiry to additional accountants, select 'See CoPilot accountants' and repeat the process.
If you’re happy to work together, the accountant will carry out a simple ID check to verify your identity, along with some basic paperwork to set you up as a client on their system. If your business is a limited company, there may also be a check on your directorship of the business.
Once that’s complete, they’ll invite you to sign up to CoPilot.
Next steps?
When you hear back from the accountant(s), view their package proposal(s) and sign up to CoPilot with the accountant that’s the best fit for you and your business.