Bookkeeping Client Onboarding Checklist: Everything to Collect Before the First Close
Everything to collect from a new bookkeeping client before the first monthly close: business details, a complete account list, software and bank access, historical records and agreed working rules.
Quick answer: Onboarding a new bookkeeping client means collecting five things before the first monthly close: business and entity information, a complete list of accounts (bank, credit card, loan and payment platforms), access to the accounting software, bank feeds and payroll, historical records such as the last closed period and prior tax returns, and agreed working rules for receipts, questions and deadlines. Missing any one of these is a common reason a new client's first close runs weeks late.
Key takeaways
- A complete account list is the foundation. Every unlisted card or account becomes an unreconciled surprise later.
- Ask for accountant or read-only access to software and platforms rather than shared logins.
- Scope cleanup or catch-up work separately from the monthly fee, before you see how messy the books are.
- Agree on a monthly calendar: when documents are due, when questions must be answered and when reports are delivered.
- Collect onboarding items through one organized request, not a string of emails.
Before onboarding: confirm scope and condition
Bookkeeping engagements go wrong most often at the start, when the firm agrees a monthly fee before understanding the state of the books. Before you sign, find out:
- Which accounting software the client uses, if any
- When the books were last reconciled, and by whom
- How many bank, card and loan accounts the business has
- Monthly transaction volume, roughly
- Whether there's payroll, sales tax, inventory or multiple locations
- Whether any tax returns are unfiled or any IRS or state notices are outstanding
If the books are behind, quote catch-up or cleanup work as a separate project with its own fee and timeline. Then put it all in writing. Our guide to bookkeeping engagement letters covers what to include.
The bookkeeping client onboarding checklist
1. Business information
- Legal business name and any trade names
- Entity type and formation documents
- EIN confirmation letter
- Owners and ownership percentages
- Fiscal year end
- Main contact for bookkeeping questions, and who approves payments
- Sales tax registrations and filing frequency, if applicable
2. A complete list of accounts
Ask for every account the business uses, including ones the owner thinks of as personal but sometimes uses for business:
- Checking and savings accounts
- Business credit cards, including cards held by employees
- Loans and lines of credit, including vehicle and equipment loans
- Payment processors and marketplaces, such as Stripe, Square, PayPal, Shopify or Amazon
- Payroll provider
- Any personal accounts used for business transactions
For each account, collect the opening statement for the first period you're responsible for.
3. Access and permissions
- Accounting software: have the client invite you as their accountant or as a user with an appropriate role, rather than sharing their own login.
- Bank feeds: connect read-only feeds wherever possible.
- Payroll: request accountant or read-only access to reports.
- Payment platforms: request read-only or reporting access.
- Bill pay and expense tools, if the client uses them.
Record every access you're granted. When the engagement ends, you'll need to remove it, and your written information security plan should cover how access is granted, logged and revoked.
4. Historical records
- Last year's business tax return
- The most recent year-end financial statements, or the last closed period from the previous bookkeeper
- Prior-year trial balance or general ledger, if the client is switching from another firm
- Fixed asset and depreciation schedules
- Loan agreements and amortization schedules
- Recent payroll tax filings
- Any open IRS or state notices
5. Working rules
Agree on how the relationship will work month to month:
- Which receipts you need, usually anything above a set amount
- How and where the client sends receipts and documents
- How the client answers questions about uncategorized transactions, and how quickly
- The monthly calendar: documents due, questions answered, reports delivered
- Which reports they'll receive and in what format
Setting up the books
Once you have access and records:
- Review the chart of accounts. Clean up duplicates and unused accounts, and align it with how the business operates and how the tax return is prepared.
- Set opening balances from the last closed period and confirm they tie to statements.
- Connect feeds and set bank rules for recurring transactions.
- Set up clearing accounts for payment processors so payouts and fees reconcile.
- Document anything unusual: owner draws, related-party transactions, loans from shareholders.
The first month
Treat the first close as a test run. It almost always reveals missing pieces: an account nobody mentioned, a card used for personal spending or a processor that wasn't connected. Use our month-end close checklist for the full process.
After the first close, hold a short review with the client. Walk through the reports, explain anything that changed from their previous bookkeeper's approach and fix any process problems while the relationship is new.
A sample onboarding timeline
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Engagement letter signed; onboarding request sent with the full checklist |
| Days 2 to 7 | Client grants access and uploads statements and records; firm checks each item as it arrives |
| Week 2 | Chart of accounts reviewed; opening balances set; feeds connected |
| Week 3 | Kickoff call to confirm working rules and the monthly calendar |
| First month end | First close using the monthly checklist |
| Following week | Reports delivered and reviewed with the client |
Common onboarding problems
- The account nobody mentioned. Ask directly about every card, loan and processor, and compare against bank statements for transfers to unknown accounts.
- Shared logins. They create security and audit problems. Insist on user-level access.
- Unscoped cleanup. Finding six months of unreconciled transactions after agreeing a flat fee. Scope it first.
- No agreed calendar. Without dates, monthly documents arrive whenever the client remembers.
- Documents scattered across email. One request, one upload channel.
Make onboarding one organized request
The difference between a two-week onboarding and a two-month one is usually how the information is requested. A single organized request with every item listed gets done. Twenty separate emails get lost.
Correctdocs turns this checklist into one guided request. The client sees exactly what to upload, each statement is checked to confirm it's the right account and period, and automatic text and email reminders follow up on anything missing. Once onboarding is done, you can use the same kind of request for monthly statements.
Correctdocs is in early access. The first 10 US accounting, bookkeeping and tax firms get a free 30-day pilot on real client requests. Request early access.
Frequently asked questions
What do I need from a new bookkeeping client?
Business and entity details, a complete list of bank, card, loan and payment accounts with opening statements, access to the accounting software and feeds, historical records such as the last closed period and prior tax returns, and agreement on receipts, questions and monthly deadlines.
How long does bookkeeping client onboarding take?
For a client with reasonably current books, two to four weeks before the first close is common. Clients with significant catch-up work take longer, and that work should be scoped separately.
Should I use the client's login for their accounting software?
No. Ask the client to invite you as an accountant or user with an appropriate role. Shared logins create security problems and make it impossible to see who changed what.
How do I handle a client whose books are behind?
Quote the catch-up or cleanup work as a separate project with its own fee and timeline, complete it first, then begin the regular monthly engagement.