Monthly bookkeeping checklist — what to collect from each client

Bank statements for every account

The full statement for the period, for every account including the ones the client forgets they have. Statements, not screenshots — a screenshot has no opening or closing balance to reconcile against.

Credit card statements

Business cards and any personal card used for business expenses, for the same period.

Sales invoices issued

Everything billed in the period, including anything raised outside the accounting system.

Purchase invoices and supplier bills

Bills received in the period, with supplier name and amount legible. A photograph of a folded receipt taken at night is the most common cause of a query.

Expense receipts

Card and cash expenses with a business purpose. One item per receipt rather than a single document with forty photographs pasted in.

Varies by country. What counts as an acceptable receipt, and whether a digital copy is sufficient on its own, is set by each country's tax authority.

Payment processor settlement reports

Stripe, PayPal, a card terminal or a marketplace. Gross sales, fees and payouts are three different numbers and only the report separates them.

Payroll summary for the period

Gross pay, deductions, employer contributions and net paid, matching what actually left the bank account.

Varies by country. The payroll filing that accompanies this, its name and its frequency are set by each country.

Cash sales and petty cash log

For any client taking cash. Without it the bank simply shows unexplained deposits.

Answers to last month's queries

The unidentified transactions from the previous close. Asking within the same cycle gets an answer; asking at year end does not.

Sales tax records and filings

The return filed for the period and the workings behind it.

Varies by country. The name of the tax, the filing frequency, the registration threshold and the due date differ by country and change. Work from the client's own registration, not a general rule.

Loan and finance statements

Statements for every loan, lease and finance agreement, so principal and interest can be split correctly.

Asset purchases and disposals

Invoices for anything capitalised, and the paperwork for anything sold or scrapped.

Varies by country. Capitalisation thresholds and depreciation treatment are set by each country's rules.

Stock or inventory count

A dated count with valuations, for any client holding stock.

Director or owner transactions

Drawings, loans to and from the business, and anything personal paid through the company account.

Accruals, prepayments and outstanding items

Invoices raised or received after the period end that belong inside it, plus anything paid in advance.

Insurance and other annual policies

Renewal documents for policies spanning the period end, which need apportioning.

Confirmation the period is closed

A written confirmation that nothing further is coming, before you finalise. It is the difference between a close and a re-open.

Signed engagement letter

Scope, fees and responsibilities agreed before work starts.

Business registration documents

Incorporation or registration certificate, and the current registered details.

Varies by country. The name and form of the registration document differ by country.

Tax registration details

The client's tax reference numbers and which taxes they are registered for.

Varies by country. Which registrations exist, and which are mandatory at what turnover, are set by each country.

Prior-year accounts and tax returns

The last set of filed accounts, to carry balances forward and to see how the previous adviser treated things.

Opening balances and trial balance

From the previous system or adviser, as at your start date. Chasing this later is far harder once the relationship with the old adviser has ended.

Director and shareholder identity documents

Passport or national ID for each person you are required to identify.

Varies by country. Who must be identified, and to what standard, is set by each country's anti-money-laundering regime.

Proof of business and residential address

For the entity and for the individuals your obligations cover.

Varies by country. Which documents are accepted and how recent they must be differ by country — some accept a utility bill, others require a bank statement or a government-issued letter.

Bank account details and access arrangements

Account list, and how you will receive statements each month — a bank feed, a scheduled export, or the client sending them.

Accounting system access

A named user on their ledger rather than a shared password, plus access to any payroll or point-of-sale system that feeds it.