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How a PCN referral works, from summary to introduction

You send another firm a short summary of what your client needs, with no names. The firm accepts or declines, and only then sees who the client is. PCN routes, reminds and closes referrals by itself, so nobody has to chase.

What happens to one referral

  1. Day 0
    You send a summary

    The firm that holds your client’s postcode area gets an email straight away.

  2. Day 2
    Reminder

    If the firm hasn’t answered after 2 working days, PCN reminds it.

  3. Day 5
    Back to you

    Still no answer after 5 working days? The referral comes back to you, with no client details shared.

Working days, Monday to Friday. Each step is automatic.

Your client stays anonymous until the firm accepts

Every referral is sent and answered in your member account. Nobody at PCN reads referrals or passes them on by hand. Pick a step to see the screen.

Member account

Referrals

New referral

ProfessionAccountant
Client's postcode areaCF (Cardiff)
Goes toThe accountant who holds CF

What does the client need?

Couple in their late fifties selling a rented flat. They want help with the capital gains tax return on the sale.

My client agreed to be referred to another firm.

Send referral

Don’t include names or contact details here. You add them once the firm accepts.

Member account

Referrals

New referral for you

FromA financial adviser in CF
Client's postcode areaCF (Cardiff)
ReceivedToday, 10:42

Couple in their late fifties selling a rented flat. They want help with the capital gains tax return on the sale.

Accept referralDecline

Client details appear here after you accept.

Member account

Referrals

Referral acceptedAccepted

ClientName shown to the firm
PhonePhone shown to the firm
EmailEmail shown to the firm
Client consentConfirmed by the referring firm

Both firms have an email with the details. From here, you contact the client as you normally would.

Member account

Referrals

Referral returnedNo answer

SentMonday, 10:42
Reminder sentWednesday, 10:42
Returned to youNext Monday, 10:42
Client details sharedNone
Send to another firm

The same happens when a firm declines: the referral comes straight back to you.

Which firm gets your referral?

You choose the profession and your client’s postcode area, usually where they live. PCN sends the referral to the one firm in that profession that holds the area. You don’t pick a firm from a list, and the receiving firm doesn’t compete with anyone for it.

If no firm holds that area yet, the form tells you before you write anything. You’re always free to refer a client outside PCN instead.

Try it: where would a referral go?

The rules every member agrees to

They’re the same for all five professions, and they’re written into the membership terms.

  1. One firm per profession in each postcode area

    Each firm holds one postcode area. While you hold it, no other firm in your profession can join there.

  2. The client agrees before any referral

    Every referral needs the sender to confirm the client has agreed to be passed on.

  3. The client stays anonymous until the firm accepts

    The receiving firm sees a summary and the postcode area. Names and contact details follow only after it accepts.

  4. PCN takes nothing from referrals

    There’s no fee per referral. If two members agree a fee between themselves, it’s theirs to agree and to disclose under their own regulator’s rules.

  5. You can leave, and unused areas reopen

    You leave from your account, with no call to make. Your area, or one held by an account that’s been inactive for 12 months, then reopens for the next firm in that profession automatically.

Who runs PCN

PCN is run by Independent Check Ltd, a UK company formed in 2012. It makes guides, videos and websites for advisers, accountants and solicitors.

Company no.
08302295
ICO registration
ZA389829
Phone
0800 246 1094
Email
info@independentcheck.co.uk

What PCN keeps, and who sees it

A referral holds only what the two firms need. Here’s who sees each part, and when.

Part of the referral

Sending firm

Receiving firm, before it accepts

Receiving firm, after it accepts

The summary of what the client needs

Yes

Yes

Yes

The client’s postcode area

Yes

Yes

Yes

The sending firm’s name

Yes

Yes

Yes

The client’s name and contact details

Yes

No

Yes

The record that the client agreed

Yes

Yes

Yes

A client’s name and contact details are deleted 90 days after they’re shared. The summary and the outcome stay. Independent Check Ltd is registered with the ICO (ZA389829). The privacy notice sets out how referral details are handled.

What each profession sends and receives

Each profession page lists the referrals that most often pass between that profession and the other four.

Is your postcode area open?

Membership is free. PCN charges nothing to join and takes nothing from referrals.

Check your area