Get your records and your IRS access back first, then deal with the contract, the refund and any complaint. If you open with the argument, you can end up waiting on files from a firm you've just told it did a bad job.
If the provider is a Texas CPA, a state rule helps you: the original records you gave them, and documents they obtained on your behalf, have to come back within 10 business days of your request, and an unpaid bill doesn't change that. If no licensed CPA is behind the provider, don't count on that rule, because your contract does most of the work.
Key Takeaways
- Ask for your records in writing before you cancel, complain or dispute a charge.
- Under Texas rule 501.76, a CPA must return the original records a client provided within 10 business days of a request, whatever the state of the client's account, and can't charge for them.
- A Texas CPA's work papers that would ordinarily be part of your books, and that you can't get elsewhere, come back within 20 business days of a request, for a reasonable fee, unless you agreed otherwise in writing.
- To revoke an IRS power of attorney, the IRS says to write "REVOKE" across the top of the first page, sign and date it, and send a copy to the IRS.
- The Texas State Board of Public Accountancy takes complaints about licensed CPAs and generally has no jurisdiction over providers who aren't licensed.
- Business personal property in Rosenberg is rendered to the Fort Bend Central Appraisal District, and the form is due by April 15 each year.
What should a Rosenberg business do first?
Collect what you can reach yourself, then ask in writing for the rest. The order matters because a records request is simple, while a refund fight or a complaint can take months and sour the relationship.
- Download what's already yours: bank and card statements, copies of filed returns, payroll reports and an export of your accounting file.
- List what the firm is holding, such as documents you handed over, prior returns, depreciation schedules and any logins it set up in its own name.
- Send a dated, written request for those records and keep a copy.
- Once your export is safe, change shared passwords and remove the firm's user access from your bank, payroll and accounting software.
- Revoke the firm's IRS authorizations.
- Only then read the contract for notice, cancellation and refund terms, and send your notice.
Can the firm keep my records if I owe them money?
Not the originals, if it's a Texas CPA firm. Texas Administrative Code rule 501.76 on records and work papers says a CPA returns original client records promptly, within 10 business days of a request. It applies "regardless of the status of the client's or former client's account", and the CPA can't charge a fee for those records.
Work papers are treated differently. The same rule says a firm's internal work papers aren't original records. Unless you've agreed otherwise in writing, though, work papers that would ordinarily form part of your books, and that you can't get anywhere else, come back within 20 business days. The firm can charge a reasonable fee for those.
Rule 501.76 sits in the state board's rules of professional conduct for CPAs. If no licensed CPA is behind the service you hired, don't count on it: what you get back then depends on your agreement. Not sure which you hired? Search the state board's Individual Licensee Search by name, and see CPA vs tax preparer vs enrolled agent for how the roles differ.
How do I take back the IRS access I gave them?
Revoke it in writing. If you signed Form 2848 or Form 8821 for the old firm, don't assume that leaving the firm takes care of it.
The IRS describes Form 2848 as the form that authorizes someone to represent you before the IRS, and Form 8821 as the one that lets someone inspect or receive your confidential tax information. Its page on submitting Forms 2848 and 8821 online says that to revoke one, the taxpayer writes "REVOKE" across the top of the form, then signs and dates it.
The Form 2848 instructions fill in the rest. You mail or fax a copy with that annotation to the IRS, using the Where To File Chart, or to the IRS office handling the matter if the power of attorney covers a specific matter. If you don't have a copy, you send a signed, dated statement listing the matters, the years or periods, and the name and address of each representative whose authority you're revoking. For a Form 8821, the Form 8821 instructions say to write "REVOKE" across the top of the authorization and add a current signature and date under the original signature.
If you file as an individual, your IRS Online Account lets you view authorizations, so you can see what's still on file.
How do I get out of the contract, and can I get money back?
Read the engagement letter or terms of service before you write anything. Look for the notice period, how cancellation works, and what happens to a fee you've paid in advance.
Then put it in writing, with dates. Say what the agreement promised, what didn't happen, and when you raised it. Ask for an itemized list of the work completed for what you've paid. Even if a refund is off the table, that list tells the next accountant what's finished and what isn't.
Be realistic about refunds. If the agreement says a prepaid fee isn't refundable, a strongly worded letter may not change that. A clear, dated record of what was missed gives you a better chance than an angry phone call.
Can I dispute the card charge?
Sometimes, but don't wait to find out. If you paid by card, call the card issuer promptly and ask how its dispute process works and what deadline applies to your charge. Don't assume a charge from months ago can still be disputed until the issuer confirms it.
Before you call, have the paper ready: the agreement, your dated written complaint, and the firm's reply or the lack of one. Be specific about what you paid for and what wasn't done, because a vague complaint is hard for anyone to act on.
Where does a complaint go in Texas?
It depends on who the provider is. Rosenberg sits in Fort Bend County, according to the Texas Almanac's Rosenberg entry, and the routes below are the Texas and federal ones.
For a licensed CPA, that's the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy, through its complaint form. The board's homepage notes that it generally has no jurisdiction over people who aren't licensed CPAs, except when someone practices public accountancy without a license.
For a paid preparer who isn't a CPA, the IRS page on tax return preparer misconduct says to report suspected fraud or misconduct to the IRS. That page lists a preparer claiming a credential they don't actually hold as one example of misconduct.
| Who you hired | Where a complaint goes | What to do before complaining |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed Texas CPA or CPA firm | Texas State Board of Public Accountancy | Send a written records request under rule 501.76 |
| Paid tax preparer with no CPA license | The IRS, for suspected fraud or misconduct | Get copies of every return they filed for you |
| Someone who claimed to be a CPA without a current license | The IRS, plus the state board if they practiced without a license | Look the name up on the state board's license search |
| Bookkeeping or software subscription | Your contract terms, then your card issuer | Export your own accounting file |
What could slip while you switch?
Anything with a date on it that the old firm was handling. Ask them, in your written request, which filings and extensions they submitted, and get a copy of each.
Two dates are worth naming in that request, both taken from the pages linked below as they read in September and October 2026. If your business requested a franchise tax extension and isn't required to pay by electronic funds transfer, the Comptroller's franchise tax extensions page gives Nov. 15 as the extended due date. And because Rosenberg is in Fort Bend County, business personal property located there is rendered to the Fort Bend Central Appraisal District, whose rendition guide puts the form's due date at April 15 each year. The same guide says a written request can get an extension of up to 30 days.
Then check what was actually filed rather than taking anyone's word for it. Our guide to confirming your tax return was filed walks through IRS transcripts and the state's records. If you're still deciding whether to leave at all, when to switch CPAs covers that decision.
Where does Nguyen Accounting Group fit?
We're a CPA firm, so rule 501.76 and the state board's complaint process apply to us the same way they apply to the firm you're leaving.
Our office is at 12440 Emily Ct, Suite 303, in Sugar Land, and our Rosenberg page has more about the practice. The firm's services include accounting and QuickBooks bookkeeping, tax return preparation and tax resolution. The firm's founder, Thuy Nguyen, JD, CPA, is bilingual in English and Vietnamese.
Talk to a CPA before you switch
Leaving a provider goes more smoothly once your records are back and a new firm has agreed to take the work. If you're looking for a new CPA, Book Your 15-Minute Intro Call. We'll talk for 15 minutes and decide together whether we're the right firm for you.
