UNITED KINGDOM / AGILITYPR.NEWS / April 14, 2026 / A new online marketplace is giving retiring accountants a faster, more secure alternative to traditional brokers, making it easier to transfer client blocks of any size to the right successor firm. Block of Fees has been launched to give accountants more control over how they step back from practice, whether that means a full sale, or a phased retirement through the gradual transfer of selected client groups to firms well-suited to their sector or service needs.

Traditional broker sales can take months to gain momentum. By contrast, Block of Fees sellers can have opportunities live within 24 hours and begin speaking with verified buyers almost immediately. Because fees are charged as a percentage, smaller blocks remain commercially viable, giving retiring accountants a much-needed alternative to an all-or-nothing sale. Whether they want to transfer a specialist client segment or the full practice, the handover is far easier to manage for both the firm and its clients.

“Technology is finally providing accountants with the level of flexibility that succession planning has needed for years”, says Paul Smith of Block of Fees. “Retirement is usually a gradual process, not a single date in the diary, meaning many accountants want to reduce their workload in stages, retain certain client relationships, and place other parts of their portfolio with firms that better suit those clients. That level of flexibility has been difficult to achieve through traditional brokers, which is exactly the gap we wanted to solve.”

As more owners of smaller practices start planning for retirement, the real issue is often how to preserve the value tied up in years of trusted client relationships. Selling the whole firm has long been the standard route, but it can leave smaller practices with very little choice over who takes over. In many cases, accountants have little choice but to sell to much larger organisations simply because the deal size works, even if the culture, service style, and pace feel very different from what clients are used to. When that happens, it becomes far easier for clients to move elsewhere, weakening the value the seller has spent years building.

Breaking the client list into smaller fee blocks gives retiring accountants far more control over what happens next. Different client groups can be matched with firms that feel like a better fit in terms of size, sector knowledge, and way of working, helping to protect continuity through the handover. It also supports a more gradual retirement path, giving firm owners the option to step back in stages for cash flow purposes while still retaining selected work and the client relationships they want to remain involved in.

Block of Fees is built specifically for accountants, with verified members, a full documentation trail, and professional checks across ACCA, CIMA, ICAEW, and AAT. By making smaller transfers as practical as full-firm sales, the platform gives retiring accountants more control over how they exit, while improving the chances that clients find the right long-term fit.

A free valuation tool is available for accountants looking to understand the potential value of their client book before making any decisions: blockoffees.co.uk/valuation-calculator. The service is also available to non- retiring accountants who maybe going through restructuring.

For more information, visit blockoffees.co.uk