The first month of a new bookkeeping client, done properly

3 days ago
3 min read

Introduction

Bookkeeping relationships settle into a shape within about four weeks, and whatever shape they settle into is what you will live with. If receipts arrive as photographs in a messaging app in week two, they will still be arriving that way in year three.

Most bookkeepers onboard by getting access to the software and starting work. That is understandable and it is the source of nearly every ongoing frustration in the job — the chasing, the missing paperwork, the client who does not understand why their figures are not ready. All of it traces back to month one.

1. The first month of a new bookkeeping client is about establishing habits

You are not just taking on records; you are setting a routine. Decide what that routine should be.

Decide how documents will reach you

One route, agreed and used. A receipt-capture app, a shared folder, or a monthly envelope, but one of them rather than four. Show them how to use it once.

Set a monthly deadline and explain why it matters

A date by which everything must be in. Clients meet deadlines they understand and ignore ones that appear to be your preference. Tie it to their VAT dates.

2. Get the opening position right

Everything afterwards depends on this. Do not rush past it to start posting.

Reconcile the opening balances properly

Bank, VAT, payroll liabilities, loans. Inheriting somebody else's unreconciled ledger and building on it is how errors compound quietly for years. Reconcile before you post anything.

Ask about anything that looks unusual

Old outstanding invoices, a suspense account, a director's loan nobody can explain. Ask in month one while it is somebody else's mess. Later it becomes yours.

3. Sort out access and permissions

Delays here waste weeks. Chase them in parallel, not in sequence.

Software, bank feeds and authorisations

Accounting software, bank feed connections, agent authorisation with the tax authority. Start these on day one because several of them take time to arrive. Some take a fortnight.

Confirm what the previous bookkeeper is providing

Records, trial balance, payroll history, passwords. Ask early and politely, because that goodwill fades once they have moved on. Put the request in writing.

4. Explain what you need and what they will get

Clarity prevents most friction. Set it out on one page.

Say what you cannot do without

Bank statements, purchase invoices, sales records, mileage. Explain that guessing is not an option and why an estimate creates a problem later. Explain the consequence, not the rule.

Say what they will receive and when

A monthly report, VAT figures by a date, a call if something looks wrong. Clients who know what is coming stop asking for it. Send it on the same date monthly.

5. Have a proper conversation at the end of month one

The check-in nobody does is the one that keeps the client.

Review how the month actually went

What arrived late, what was unclear, what you had to chase. Fixing it now is easy; fixing it in a year is a confrontation.

Point out what you noticed

Cash flow, a supplier duplicating charges, a category that looks wrong. That observation is what turns a bookkeeper into an adviser.

Conclusion

Bookkeeping relationships settle within four weeks and then stay that way, so use the first month to set habits rather than simply starting work. Agree one route for documents and one monthly deadline, and explain why the deadline matters rather than letting it look like a preference.

Reconcile the opening balances properly instead of building on somebody else's unreconciled ledger, and query anything odd while it is still the previous bookkeeper's mess. Start software, bank feed and authorisation requests on day one because they take time. Say plainly what you cannot work without and what the client will receive and when. Then review the month at the end of it and share one thing you noticed.