SWITCHING
Moving over,
without losing the year.
Migrating to Bizzle takes most small businesses under a day: pick a clean switch date, export from your old system, connect your bank and email so recent activity rebuilds itself, set opening balances, then run both in parallel for a month before cancelling.
WHAT YOU GET
The six things that decide whether a migration goes well.
Switch at a clean boundary
A VAT quarter or year end, so no return is split across two systems. This single decision prevents most migration pain.
The bank and inbox do the work
Connect them and Bizzle rebuilds recent invoices, receipts and payments from what already exists — usually more completely than an import would.
Opening balances are the real step
The trial balance at your switch date becomes your starting position. It is worth an hour of your accountant's time, and they keep a free login afterwards.
Run parallel for a month
Keep the old system readable while Bizzle takes new activity. If the two agree at month end, you are done; if not, you found it early rather than at year end.
Keep your exports
Records have to outlive the subscription. Export properly and store it somewhere durable, because HMRC expects records kept for years after the return they support.
Time payroll separately
If payroll is involved, move it at 6 April rather than mid-year. Two smaller changes are far safer than one large one.
WHY IT ADDS UP
Why the parallel month matters more than the import.
Migrations rarely fail during the move. They fail three months later, when a figure turns out to be wrong and nobody can say when it went wrong. Running both systems for one month costs you almost nothing — you carry on as normal — and it turns that risk into a single comparison at month end. If the two agree, the migration is genuinely finished. If they do not, you are finding a discrepancy in a month you can still remember rather than at a year end you cannot.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Questions people ask.
What do I need to export from my old system before I switch?
The trial balance at your switch date, customer and supplier lists, open invoices and bills, and a full transaction export for the archive. The CSV, QuickBooks and Xero importers take the lists and open items; the archive is yours to keep, because HMRC expects records kept for years.
Is a day really enough for a migration?
For most small businesses, yes, because the bank and inbox rebuild recent activity rather than an import carrying every old transaction across. Stock, multi-currency and payroll each add time. The parallel month afterwards is the real test, not the day.
Do I need my accountant for the switch?
For the opening balances, ideally. The trial balance at your switch date is the one step that benefits from a professional eye, and it is about an hour of their time. They keep a free login afterwards, so from then on they are looking at the same file as you.
Can I go back if it does not work out?
Yes. Everything is exportable at any time, and if you ran the parallel month your old system is still readable. Nothing about the switch is a one-way door, which is precisely why the parallel month is worth doing.
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