If you're re-typing the same list of documents into a new email every month for every client, you're doing manual work that a template solves once. Here are the two checklists most bookkeeping practices need.
Monthly reconciliation checklist
- Bank statements for all business accounts
- Credit card statements
- Loan or line-of-credit statements
- Receipts for any expense over your firm's threshold (commonly $75)
- Copies of invoices sent and received during the period
- Payroll reports, if you don't already have direct access
New client onboarding checklist
- Prior-year financial statements (P&L, balance sheet)
- EIN confirmation letter
- Bank and credit card account access or statements
- Existing chart of accounts, if one exists
- Outstanding accounts receivable and accounts payable lists
Making it reusable instead of re-typed
The list itself is only half the problem — the other half is having to re-send and re-track it manually for every single client, every single month. Save the checklist once, reuse it for every new engagement, and let clients upload without a login. That's the difference between a template sitting in a Google Doc and a system that actually saves you time.