What records does my bookkeeper need from me each month?
The most important thing your bookkeeper needs is access to your bank and credit card accounts. With QuickBooks Online, this usually means connecting your accounts through bank feeds so transactions flow in automatically. If bank feeds aren’t an option, then PDF statements at the end of each month work fine. This covers the bulk of what’s needed because most business activity runs through your bank and credit cards.
Beyond account access, your bookkeeper needs anything that adds context to your transactions. Receipts for cash purchases, vendor invoices that explain what a large charge was for, and any contracts or agreements that affect how revenue or expenses should be recorded. A $4,000 charge at a supply house looks different in your books if it was materials for a specific job versus general shop supplies. Your bookkeeper can’t know the difference without some input from you.
If you have employees, your bookkeeper needs payroll reports each pay period. This includes gross wages, tax withholdings, employer taxes, and any deductions. If you use a payroll service like Gusto or ADP, access to that platform is usually enough. Loan statements are also needed monthly so your bookkeeper can properly split payments between principal and interest.
For businesses that send invoices, your bookkeeper needs to know what you billed and what payments came in. If you’re invoicing through QuickBooks, this is already in the system. If you’re invoicing through another tool or manually, share those records so accounts receivable stays current. The same applies to bills you receive from vendors. Your QuickBooks ProAdvisor in Chandler can help you set up workflows that capture most of this automatically.
Mileage logs, expense reports from employees, and documentation for any owner draws or personal transactions on business accounts are commonly overlooked. These don’t seem urgent in the moment but they create gaps that are hard to fill later. If your bookkeeper has to chase you for three months of missing information, the work takes longer and costs more.
The best system is one that requires minimal effort from you on a regular basis. Most of the data flows through bank feeds and connected apps. Your role is really about filling in the gaps with context your bookkeeper can’t get from a transaction description alone. A quick note explaining an unusual charge or forwarding a vendor invoice takes seconds and saves real time during full-service bookkeeping.
One practical tip: create a shared folder in Google Drive or Dropbox where you drop receipts and documents throughout the month. Snap a photo of paper receipts and toss them in. This way nothing gets lost and your bookkeeper has everything in one place when it’s time to close the books.
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