What happens if we end the engagement?

Engagements end for ordinary reasons: a change of adviser, a change in the business, a year with no qualifying work. The letter decides what ending costs. It can be a notice period and a handover of records. It can also be an exit fee, a charge for work in progress, a success fee on a claim you file with someone else, or records that stay with the adviser. These terms are easy to miss because nobody reads them until they need them.

A notice period measured in weeks, not years. A statement of what is owed on ending: fees for work completed, nothing for work not done. Your records and working papers handed over without charge. A clear rule for a claim in progress, such as a fee only if the adviser's work is used to file.

A fee due on a claim the adviser did not file. A minimum term with a charge for leaving early. Records returned only on payment. A success fee that survives the engagement and attaches to a claim prepared by someone else.

• The clause: termination and exit fees
• The script: giving notice to end an engagement
• Red flag: exit fees that lock you in. Green flag: you can leave with your records
• Switching advisers