Home 👤 Account Management 🔁 Change of Ownership (CHOWN) – Transfer a Service to Another Business

🔁 Change of Ownership (CHOWN) – Transfer a Service to Another Business

Last updated on Feb 06, 2026

Overview

A Change of Ownership (CHOWN) transfers a service from one business account to another business account.

Common reasons include:

  • Buying or selling a business

  • Moving services between related entities

  • Changing who is responsible for billing and management

This process updates:

  • Who is responsible for the service ongoing

  • Where invoices are issued

  • Which authorised contacts can manage the service

What CHOWN is (and isn’t)

✅ CHOWN is used for

  • Transferring a live service from Business A to Business B

  • Moving a service to a different legal entity (for example: company restructure)

  • Transferring responsibility for billing and management to a different business account

❌ CHOWN is not used for

  • Correcting typos or updating contact details
    (We can update business details without transferring ownership.)

  • Changing a business name while keeping the same legal entity

  • Porting a number between providers
    (That’s a port, not a change of ownership.)

  • Reconnecting a disconnected service
    (Disconnected services usually need a new order.)

Who can request a CHOWN?

To protect customers, CHOWN can only be requested by a person who is authorised to act for each business:

  • Current owner (outgoing business): must approve releasing the service

  • New owner (incoming business): must approve accepting responsibility

If either business can’t confirm authority, we can still explain the process — but we won’t be able to complete the transfer until the right person is available.

What you’ll need (checklist)

To keep things moving, have these ready:

Outgoing business (current owner)

  • Business name and ABN/ACN (or registered entity details)

  • Service identifier (e.g. the phone number, service address, or Pickle reference)

  • Confirmation of the exact services to transfer

Incoming business (new owner)

  • Business name and ABN/ACN

  • Billing contact details

  • Proof of authority to act for the incoming business (as required)

If the incoming business doesn’t already have a Pickle business account, we’ll help set one up as part of the process.

How the CHOWN process works

Step 1: We confirm the request

We’ll confirm:

  • Which services are being transferred

  • The outgoing and incoming business entities

  • Any dependencies (e.g. bundles, linked numbers, monitoring services)

Step 2: We verify both sides

We’ll collect the minimum information needed to verify both businesses and confirm authorisation.

Step 3: We schedule and execute the transfer

Depending on the service type, the transfer may be:

  • Administrative (billing/ownership update), or

  • Provisioning-led (requires controlled service changes behind the scenes)

We’ll tell you what to expect before anything happens.

Step 4: Post-transfer checks

After CHOWN completes, we’ll confirm:

  • Service status

  • Billing account alignment

  • Any number presentation or configuration items that need to be rechecked

Timeframes and downtime

Most ownership transfers are completed in a few business days, depending on:

  • Service type and complexity

  • Whether both parties are available promptly

  • Whether any upstream carrier or provisioning steps are required

CHOWN is usually designed to avoid downtime, but some service types or changes (especially legacy numbers, complex voice setups, or multi-service moves) can involve a short interruption window. If any downtime risk exists, we’ll tell you in advance.

Important notes for business transfers

Contracts and bundles

Some services or add-ons may not transfer “as-is”. If something can’t be transferred, we’ll explain options (for example: recreate under the new business and then cease the old).

Numbers and call routing

If a phone number is staying with the service, it typically transfers with the ownership — but complex number scenarios (ranges, hunt groups, inbound numbers, or multi-carrier history) may require extra checks.

Specialist scenarios

If the transfer relates to sensitive circumstances (e.g. insolvency, bereavement, or safety-related situations), we’ll move the request to the correct specialist pathway.

Common reasons CHOWN requests get delayed

  • The outgoing or incoming business can’t confirm authority

  • The incoming business account details aren’t verified or don’t match entity records

  • The service is suspended/disconnected (often can’t be transferred)

  • The request includes services that require separate handling (e.g. add-ons, third-party services, or legacy products)

  • Information is missing (service list, entity details, billing contacts)

Troubleshooting: “We want to start the transfer, but the other party isn’t available”

That’s fine — we can still start the process with the current owner.

What happens next:

  • We’ll capture the request and identify what’s missing

  • We’ll provide a reference for the incoming business to quote when they contact us

  • The incoming business will then complete their acceptance step

Need to transfer a service?

Contact Pickle Support and tell us:

  1. The service(s) to transfer

  2. The outgoing business name

  3. The incoming business name and ABN/ACN

  4. Whether both parties are available now

We’ll guide you through the fastest path.