How-to

LinkedIn outreach for accounting and bookkeeping firms

Almost every business an accounting or bookkeeping firm writes to on LinkedIn already has an accountant. So the useful questions are when that business will look again and who will do the looking. This guide covers the buyers worth reaching, the signals that point to a change, timing around 30 June and 31 March, what to write, and the parts of APES 110 and the Tax Agent Services Act that apply. We make Bingle, which comes up near the end, and read every rule quoted here on 28 October 2026.

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By the Bingle team · Published 28 October 2026 · Researched from the sources listed below, drafted with AI help and checked against those sources

Short answer

How do accounting and bookkeeping firms find clients on LinkedIn?

Watch for moments that change a business's finance work, such as a new CFO or finance manager, a funding round, a run of new hires or the approach of 30 June, and write to the person who owns that work within a few weeks with a question rather than a pitch. Bingle, made in Australia, watches LinkedIn for the people behind those moments, ranks each person by fit and timing and drafts the message for your approval. Keep every message within APES 110's marketing rule and, for tax or BAS work, within the Tax Agent Services Act.

How we researched this

On 28 October 2026 we read the Tax Agent Services Act 2009 (compilation of 1 October 2026), the Code of Professional Conduct Determination 2024 (compilation of 9 October 2024) and APESB's compiled APES 110 (July 2025) on the Federal Register of Legislation and APESB's site, plus ABS, business.gov.au, Inland Revenue and LinkedIn Help pages. The Tax Practitioners Board's and the ATO's sites refused our requests that day, so we quote the law rather than their guidance. We're not lawyers, and we didn't test any of the sample messages on real prospects.

Who an accounting or bookkeeping firm is selling to

The Australian Bureau of Statistics counted 2,814,778 actively trading businesses at 30 June 2026, and 996,203 of them employed staff. In 2025-26, 460,461 businesses started trading and 375,331 stopped. Most of that churn is sole traders and small partnerships, whose owners rarely pick an accountant from a LinkedIn message. LinkedIn works better one size up, where the person who chooses the firm has a finance job title you can search for.

Buyer	Who chooses the firm	What usually starts the search
Owner-run business, under about 20 staff
Owner-run business, under about 20 staff	The owner, sometimes with an office manager	Growth the current setup can't keep up with, or a tax bill nobody saw coming
Growing company, 20 to 200 staff
Growing company, 20 to 200 staff	The CEO until there's a finance manager or financial controller, then that person	A new finance leader, a run of hires, a second entity or an acquisition
Venture-funded startup
Venture-funded startup	The founder, then the first CFO or head of finance	A raise, and investors asking for monthly accounts and board reporting
Not-for-profit or association
Not-for-profit or association	The treasurer and the board	A new treasurer, or a grant that comes with reporting conditions

The size bands are our rough cut, not ABS categories. Most firms are better at one row than the rest, and the signals below help only once you know which row you're after.

Signals that a business needs a new accountant or bookkeeper

We couldn't find a study that measures how often each of these leads to a change of accountant, so the table is reasoning from how a business's finance work changes, with the rules it mentions checked at the source.

Signal	Why the finance work changes	Who to write to
A new CFO, finance manager or financial controller
A new CFO, finance manager or financial controller	A new finance leader reviews what they've inherited, outside advisers included, usually in their first few months.	The new leader, four to six weeks in
An ad for a company's first finance role
An ad for a company's first finance role	Someone is about to own the books in-house. For an accountant that's a new buyer of tax and advisory work; for a bookkeeper it can mean outsourced work is coming back inside.	The CEO, or the hiring manager on the post
A funding round
A funding round	Investors expect monthly accounts and a board pack, and a founder doing the books after hours stops having the time.	The founder or COO, a few weeks after the announcement
Several new hires in a quarter
Several new hires in a quarter	More payroll and more super to get right, now on a per-payday deadline.	Whoever runs payroll, often the operations manager
A second entity, a move offshore or an acquisition
A second entity, a move offshore or an acquisition	Consolidated accounts and more than one set of returns, which some small practices don't take on.	The CEO or the finance lead
A post asking for an accountant recommendation
A post asking for an accountant recommendation	The search has started, and they're asking their network first.	The poster, with a useful reply before any private message

Payday Super is the clearest 2026 example of a rule change creating work. Hall & Wilcox's summary, published 22 June 2026, says that from 1 July 2026 employers must make sure super guarantee contributions reach each employee's fund within seven business days of payday, with a 20 business day allowance for a new employee's first payment. A company that doubled its headcount this year and still runs payroll from a spreadsheet now has a deadline every pay cycle.

Thresholds give smaller firms a signal too. In Australia a business must register for GST once its GST turnover reaches A$75,000, and business.gov.au says registration is due within 21 days of becoming aware that turnover will go over it. Inland Revenue's line in New Zealand is NZ$60,000 over the last 12 months, or expected over the next 12. A founder posting about a first big contract may be about to cross it without having noticed.

A like on a large firm's tax update. People follow firms for the content, including the firm they already use.
Anyone who works at another accounting or bookkeeping practice. They fill every search for finance titles; leave them out of your ideal client before you start.

For how long each LinkedIn signal stays useful, see the buying signals table. Where to find raises and hiring in the first place is covered in our posts on Australian companies that just raised and job ads as a sales signal, and the funding round guide has the wider playbook.

Timing around 30 June in Australia and 31 March in New Zealand

The Acts Interpretation Act defines Australia's financial year as "a period of 12 months starting on 1 July". In New Zealand, Inland Revenue gives a business a standard balance date of 31 March, and accepts other dates for some industries or "when there's a good reason", so check before you rely on the New Zealand column. Changing accountant partway through a year means a handover and two practices touching one year's file, so many owners would rather switch at the start of one. That's our reasoning, not a measured fact, but it gives you a calendar.

When	Australian prospects	New Zealand prospects (31 March balance date)
Two to three months before year end
Two to three months before year end	April and May: write about the year ahead and a 1 July start	January and February: the same, for a 1 April start
The last fortnight of the year
The last fortnight of the year	Late June: finance teams are closing the books, so hold off	Late March: the same
The first weeks of the new year
The first weeks of the new year	July: a new finance hire or a fresh raise is reason enough to write	April: the same
Any time
Any time	A new finance leader, a raise or a hiring run beats the calendar	The same

What to write

Open with the change you noticed and what it will cost them in time or risk, then ask a question they can answer in a line. Fees and firm history belong in the reply. The marketing rule in the next section also means no "leading" or "best" and no comment on their current accountant.

To a new financial controller about five weeks in: "Hi [first name], you're about a month into [company] now. Has anyone walked you through how the group's entities are set up for tax yet, or is that still on your list?"

To a founder three or four weeks after a seed round: "Hi [first name], congratulations on the round. Investors usually ask for monthly numbers soon after, which is often when doing the books yourself stops fitting into a weekend. If you're still doing them, I'm happy to show you what a monthly close and a simple board pack would look like at your size."

To an operations manager at a company hiring fast: "Hi [first name], I noticed [company] has [number] roles open. Under Payday Super each new person's super has to reach their fund within seven business days of payday, not once a quarter. Is payroll keeping up, or is it worth a short call?"

Fill the brackets with what's true and cut any line you can't stand behind. Unregistered bookkeepers shouldn't offer BAS in any of these, for the reason below. Our message checker flags lines that read like a template.

Professional conduct rules that apply to prospecting

APES 110, the Code of Ethics issued by the Accounting Professional & Ethical Standards Board, binds members of the three professional bodies it names: Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, CPA Australia and the Institute of Public Accountants. Paragraph R1.2 says all members in Australia shall comply, and R1.3 applies it to members practising outside Australia except where local law prevents it. Its marketing rule, R115.2 in the July 2025 compilation, says a member "shall be honest and truthful" and shall not make exaggerated claims about their services, qualifications or experience, or "disparaging references or unsubstantiated comparisons to the work of others". On LinkedIn that rules out "your accountant is leaving money on the table" as firmly as "Brisbane's best startup accountants".

Writing to a business that already has an accountant is allowed, and the code assumes it happens. R320.4 says a member in public practice shall work out whether there's any reason not to accept an engagement when asked to replace another accountant or when considering "tendering for an engagement held by another accountant". Paragraph 320.5 A1 adds that you'll usually need the client's permission, preferably in writing, before talking to the existing accountant. The outreach is fine; the handover has steps.

Registration decides what you can offer. Under the Tax Agent Services Act 2009 (compilation of 1 October 2026), advertising a tax agent service while not a registered tax agent breaches a civil penalty provision (s50-10) and is an offence (s51-15). Section 51-20 makes it an offence to advertise a BAS service unless you're a registered tax agent or BAS agent, and claiming to be registered when you aren't carries up to 200 penalty units or 40 months' imprisonment (s51-25). A LinkedIn message offering to "take care of your BAS" reads like the advertising those sections describe, so unregistered bookkeepers should offer bookkeeping and payroll and say which registered agent handles the BAS. We're not lawyers; if you're unsure where your work sits, ask the Tax Practitioners Board.

Registered agents also have to keep prospective clients informed. Section 45 of the Code of Professional Conduct Determination 2024 has applied since 1 July 2025 to practices with 100 or fewer employees at 31 July 2024, and since 1 January 2025 to larger ones. It requires you to tell current and prospective clients in writing, "in a prominent, clear and unambiguous way", that the Board keeps a searchable register of agents, how to complain, and both sides' rights and obligations, on engagement or when asked. Certain events in the last five years, such as a suspended registration, and any conditions on your registration now, must be disclosed when someone inquires about engaging you. The Determination's own example of compliance includes publishing the information on a public website you use to promote your services. LinkedIn's Help Center says a profile's Featured section can hold links to external sites, so pin that page there.

Spam law sits on top of all this: Australia's Spam Act and New Zealand's Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act. Our guides to LinkedIn outreach in Australia and in New Zealand cover both. If you practise in New Zealand, also check which ethics code your own body applies there; we didn't verify it for this post.

Where Bingle fits, and where it stops

We make Bingle, so weigh this accordingly. It watches LinkedIn for the signals in this guide that happen on LinkedIn: new leaders and job changes, companies hiring, funding, events, profile views, and likes and comments on posts by competitors and influencers you name. You describe the client you want in its Brain: titles such as Financial Controller or Head of Finance, company size, industries and locations, and who to leave out, such as other practices and your existing clients. Each lead shows the dated reason it's worth a message now.

Every draft is written in your voice and waits in an approval queue until you approve, edit or regenerate it, unless you switch review off for that sequence. Sends go from your own LinkedIn inside the send window you set, and Bingle never sees your LinkedIn password. People who replied to you or engaged with you are watched for job changes, so a finance manager who knows your work comes back as a lead at their next company. After 7 days free with no card, plans start at US$49 a month; the pricing page has the rest, and Bingle also works from inside Claude and ChatGPT.

What it doesn't do: there's no cold email, no contact database, no phone numbers and no self-serve CRM integration, so leads won't flow into your practice management system by themselves; Export CSV is the way out. It can't see a company's GST status or current accountant, and it won't check your wording against the rules above. More guides are on the blog.

Questions

Can accountants advertise on LinkedIn?

Yes. APES 110 doesn't ban marketing; R115.2 requires it to be honest and truthful, with no exaggerated claims and no disparaging or unsubstantiated comparisons with other accountants. For tax or BAS services, the Tax Agent Services Act also requires you to be registered before you advertise them.

Can a bookkeeper advertise BAS services without being a BAS agent?

No. Section 51-20 of the Tax Agent Services Act makes it an offence to advertise a BAS service unless you're a registered tax agent or BAS agent. An unregistered bookkeeper can offer bookkeeping and payroll and refer the BAS to a registered agent.

Is it unethical to approach another accountant's client?

No. APES 110 covers members tendering for engagements held by other accountants and sets out the steps, such as checking for reasons not to accept and usually getting the client's permission before contacting the existing accountant. What it rules out is running down the other firm's work.

When is the best time to contact a business about changing accountants?

We found no published data on it, so this is judgement: two or three months before the year ends (April and May in Australia, January and February for a 31 March balance date in New Zealand), or within weeks of a new finance leader, a raise or a hiring run.

Do I have to tell a LinkedIn prospect about the TPB register?

Registered tax and BAS agents must give prospective clients the register details, the complaints process and both sides' obligations in writing on engagement or when asked, under section 45 of the Code of Professional Conduct Determination 2024. Publishing them on your website, as the Determination's example does, means they're in place before your first message.

Sources

Federal Register of Legislation, Tax Agent Services Act 2009 (compilation 1 Oct 2026), ss50-10, 51-15, 51-20 and 51-25. read 28 Oct 2026
Federal Register of Legislation, Tax Agent Services (Code of Professional Conduct) Determination 2024 (compilation 9 Oct 2024), ss45 and 100. read 28 Oct 2026
APESB, Compiled APES 110 Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (July 2025), paras R1.2, R1.3, R115.2, R320.4 and 320.5 A1. read 28 Oct 2026
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits, July 2022 to June 2026. released 18 Aug 2026; read 28 Oct 2026
Hall & Wilcox, Payday Super starts 1 July 2026: what employers need to do now. published 22 Jun 2026; read 28 Oct 2026
business.gov.au, Register for goods and services tax (GST). read 28 Oct 2026
Inland Revenue, Registering for GST. updated 13 Feb 2025; read 28 Oct 2026
Inland Revenue, Balance dates. updated 7 Jan 2021; read 28 Oct 2026
Federal Register of Legislation, Acts Interpretation Act 1901, s2B (compilation 28 Mar 2026). read 28 Oct 2026
LinkedIn Help, Featured section. read 28 Oct 2026

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