Data Portability: What Happens to Your Information If You Leave Zenbooks

At Zenbooks, we believe your financial data should always belong to you. If you ever choose to move on from our services, we make sure you have what you need for a smooth transition, without holding your information hostage.

Subscriptions Stay With You

The core apps we use: Xero, Dext, Plooto, Wagepoint, QuickBooks Online, and others, are set up in your business name. If you change accountants, we transfer subscriptions directly to you or to your new advisor. That way, your financial systems remain intact, and your history is preserved.

What You’ll Receive

When transitioning to a new accountant, we provide:

• Full access to your accounting platforms (via subscription transfer).
• Sub-ledgers (e.g., accounts receivable and payable details).
• Capital asset schedules with depreciation records.
• Capital dividend account balances.
• Adjusted cost base (ACB) calculations.
• Any other records required for continuity of tax filings and compliance.

This ensures your new accountant has everything necessary to pick up where we left off.

What Stays Internal

Like all professional firms, we maintain internal records that are not transferred, including:

• Work papers prepared solely for our internal use.
• Internal review notes documenting how our team tested or validated information.
• Internal communications (emails, chats, or notes about workflow and performance).

These materials are proprietary to Zenbooks and are not part of your official accounting records. They exist to support quality control and ensure compliance with professional standards.

Why This Approach Works

By giving you all client-owned data and retaining only internal work materials, we strike the right balance:

• You remain in full control of your financial history.
• Your new accountant has everything they need to continue seamlessly.
• Zenbooks maintains confidentiality and integrity of our internal processes.

Professional Standards Matter

As Chartered Professional Accountants (CPAs), we are also bound by strict professional and ethical standards. The CPA Code of Professional Conduct makes it clear that client information cannot be withheld to pressure payment or discourage clients from moving on.

In other words: holding your data hostage is against our profession’s rules.

For more details, see the CPA Ontario Guide to setting and collecting fees.

This ensures that, even if you switch firms, your essential financial records must always be made available.

The Bottom Line

At Zenbooks, we want clients to stay because of the value we provide, not because their data is locked in. Your information is portable, secure, and always yours. We don’t want you to leave us, but sometimes professional breakups happen because you outgrow or have different needs. We get it, but we’ll make sure it’s a smooth transition when that time comes.

👉 Next Steps: If you’re ready to modernize your accounting without fear of information holdout, book a time with our team to see how Zenbooks can help.