First, confirm the address with your accountant
Verify the change through a contact you already know and have used before, such as a call to a saved phone number. Ask them to spell out the address and read it back, including the part after the @ sign. A reply from the new address, or a phone number given only in the change announcement, is not independent confirmation on its own.
Send real documents to the new address only after this check. If you cannot reach your accountant through a known channel, wait to hand them over and make arrangements once you are in touch. Even an urgent message is no reason to skip this step.
Check the places you actually send documents from
Once the address is confirmed, open the last set you sent or the handoff record in the tool you use. See how you selected the recipient: from contacts, a template or recurring-send settings? Replace the old address with the new one in the relevant places. Updating a contact may not change a recipient saved elsewhere.
If a colleague sends the documents, give the verified address directly to them and ask them to update their settings. Telling the person who only prepares the PDFs may not get the news to the sender.
This illustrative table shows what to check when sending by email and through a shared folder. Use the rows that match the way you work.
| Place | What to check | What should be verified after the change |
|---|---|---|
| Saved contact and draft message | The recipient’s full address, not just the displayed name | You see the confirmed new address before sending |
| Template or recurring send | The recipient saved directly in the settings and any additional copies | The confirmed new address appears in the next message’s preview or settings |
| Mailbox forwarding | The rule’s destination address, if you forward documents | The rule no longer points to the original address |
| Shared folder | Who has access and which account your accountant signs in with | Your accountant opens the required file from the agreed account |
Test delivery and file access separately
After updating the recipients, agree a test with your accountant that uses no real documents. For example, send a test PDF with no personal or company information to the new address. If you normally share a folder, add a link to an agreed test file. If your tool allows it, use the same sending method as for a regular handoff.
Ask your accountant to confirm two things: the message arrived, and the attachment or shared file opens. An entry in sent mail confirms only that you sent it; a link that works from your own account does not verify their access. For a shared folder, also ask which account they used to open the file.
If the message arrives but the link does not work, check the folder or file permissions and grant access to the agreed account. Do not make the documents available to anyone with the link to solve this. If the message does not arrive, compare the address in the sent message with the confirmed one and work with your accountant to find where delivery stopped. Do not resend the whole set yet.
After verifying the address, you can use this illustrative message template. Replace the details in square brackets with what you agreed.
Hello, I’m sending our agreed test to the new address, without any real documents. Please confirm that the message arrived and that you can open [the test attachment / the link to the test file]. For a shared folder, please also tell me which account you used to open the file. I’ll send the next documents for [period / company] to this address on [agreed date]. Is there any query or handoff at the old address that we still need to finish?
Resolve anything at the old address before the next handoff
Before the next real send, check the recipient’s full address again. If you send documents for several companies separately, check the settings for each one. A successful test of one send does not verify an address saved in another set or rule.
Confirm with your accountant whether any unfinished query or handoff remains at the old address. Do not automatically resend an older set: first find out whether they already received it and what they still need. Save the verified new address, the agreement about the next send and the test confirmation with your handoff note.
Remove the old account’s access to shared files once your accountant no longer needs it and you have agreed how to finish the work. If they still sign in with that account, a change of contact email alone is no reason to remove access.
You can return to your usual handoffs once the recipient for the next set is verified, delivery and file access are confirmed, and you have agreed how to finish the remaining work. A new address does not mean you need to hand over the entire history again.