Bookkeeping onboarding fails when the firm starts recurring work before it has reliable access, clean opening data and a shared definition of who owns each process. This checklist is designed to prevent that.
Bookkeeping client onboarding checklist
☐ Execute engagement letter and confirm monthly scope
☐ Identify entities, reporting periods and accounting basis
☐ Collect accounting-system access
☐ Collect bank, credit card and loan account details
☐ Confirm payroll provider and payroll journal workflow
☐ Map accounts payable process and approval rules
☐ Map accounts receivable and deposit workflow
☐ Review chart of accounts and tracking dimensions
☐ Collect prior-year trial balance and most recent reconciled period
☐ Identify unreconciled or cleanup items
☐ Document recurring journal entries
☐ Confirm sales tax, payroll tax and other filing responsibilities
☐ Set monthly document request deadline
☐ Define month-end close target date
☐ Define management reporting package and recipients
☐ Create recurring monthly checklist with owners
☐ Set exception/escalation rules for missing information
☐ Confirm billing and auto-payment arrangements
☐ Run first-close quality review and document changes
What to document before the first monthly close
Capture the client’s close calendar, materiality or review thresholds, source systems, recurring accruals, loan schedules, payroll treatment, revenue recognition considerations, and the exact reports expected after close. The goal is to turn tribal knowledge into an operating process that another qualified team member can follow.
Connect onboarding to recurring delivery
Once onboarding is complete, the work should roll directly into a Monthly Bookkeeping Checklist rather than being recreated every month. Firms building a larger recurring advisory model should also read the CAS Guide and How to Start a CAS Practice.
PracticeERP helps firms connect client data, recurring work, time, WIP, billing and dashboards. See the features overview for how that unified structure supports recurring services.
Ready to take the next step? Build onboarding as the first stage of a repeatable delivery system—not a one-time email chain. See how PracticeERP connects setup, workflow and firm visibility.