Remember being a teenager? Heartbreaks were dramatic, ice cream was therapeutic, and break-up songs played on repeat until we finally picked ourselves up and moved on. We treasured our stuff, and when the honeymoon was over, everyone wanted their stuff back.
Fast-forward a few years. You’ve graduated college, built a career, and launched a business doing what you love. You’re thriving but tracking down paperwork for your CPA, keeping up with payroll rules, and staying on top of bookkeeping is definitely not your favorite thing.
So you decide to outsource. Someone suggests a “one-stop-shop” CPA firm, one bill, one contact, one place for everything – perfect! You find a firm that just gets you. You leave their office with a bounce in your step, excited to have a trusted financial partner and business soul-mate.
You hand over your records, sign the agreements, and the relationship begins…
When the Honeymoon Ends
Fast-forward again. Your business is booming. Your team is strong, revenues have more than doubled, but so have your CPA’s rates. Cash flow feels tight, IRS notices start to arrive, and the excuses you get just don’t add up. The trust line has been crossed and so starts the breakup. You start interviewing replacements and soon find a new CPA, Payroll provider, and Bookkeeping firm. Change is good.
But now comes the dreaded breakup. You call your old CPA, explain you’re moving on, and part ways politely. No drama, no ice cream required.Until… your new bookkeeper says: “We will need a backup of your QuickBooks file so we can pick up where they left off.”
You call your former CPA, only to hear: “I don’t feel comfortable sharing your QuickBooks file. Thank you for understanding.” You hang up the phone feeling like you just asked for access to government secrets when all you wanted was your stuff back.
Yes, this really happened to one of our clients. Suddenly, your former CPA has taken sole custody of your business financial data history. That “one-stop shop” may now feel like a one-way ticket to starting your books over from scratch.
What Oregon Law Says
Here’s the good news: under Oregon Administrative Rule 801-030-0030, a CPA must provide you, within 60 days of your request, with copies of the records that belong to you or were obtained on your behalf. These include, at a minimum:
- General ledger and trial balance for all years worked on
- Adjusting and journal entries
- Depreciation schedules
- Bank and credit card statements
- Payroll journals and reports
- Quarterly and annual payroll filings
- W-2s, 1099s, and other tax filings
If they refuse to give you those records, then the QuickBooks file itself may be considered the record you’re entitled to, because without it, you can’t reconstruct your books.
Protect Yourself Before the Breakup
Even if you do everything right, recreating years of financial history can be costly and time-consuming. Here’s how to protect yourself:
- Ask for everything in writing. Request the records listed above (and keep a copy of your request).
- Request a portable or accountant’s copy. This is a compressed QuickBooks file that doesn’t transfer the CPA’s license information but contains all your data.
- Ask for exports. If they won’t share a backup, request exports to Excel or IIF files so your new bookkeeper can rebuild your books.
- Save everything you’re given. Reports, filings, and statements are critical to your history — never rely on someone else to keep them safe.
- Own your license. Whenever possible, purchase and manage your own QuickBooks subscription so the data belongs to you.
Because at the end of the day, your business history is your story. Don’t let anyone else control the narrative.
Give LEOZIE a call. We can help.
https://oregon.public.law/rules/oar_801-030-0030?utm_source=chatgpt.com