You have decided to talk to a bookkeeper about cleaning up your books. That is a great first step. But now you are wondering: what should I actually have ready for the call?
The answer depends on whether you are doing a quick discovery call or a full file review, but here is what will make any initial consultation significantly more productive.
Access to Your Accounting File
This is the single most important thing. If you use QuickBooks Online, Xero, or any cloud-based accounting software, your bookkeeper needs to be able to see your file. That means either:
- Inviting them as an accountant user (preferred for QBO and Xero)
- Sharing your screen during the call so they can see your chart of accounts, bank registers, and reconciliation status
If you use QuickBooks Desktop, things are a bit more complicated. You may need to create a backup file (.qbb) and send it to them, or share your screen.
A bookkeeper who gives you a price without looking at your actual file is guessing. A good cleanup specialist needs to see the state of your accounts before they can give you an honest assessment.
Your Most Recent Bank Statements
Even if your bank feeds are connected to your accounting software, having your actual bank statements available is helpful. Your bookkeeper will want to compare your software balances to your real bank balances. Any discrepancy between the two is an immediate indicator of how much reconciliation work is needed.
At minimum, have statements for your primary business checking account and any business credit cards.
A List of Your Bank and Credit Card Accounts
Know how many accounts flow through your business. This includes:
- Business checking accounts
- Business savings accounts
- Business credit cards
- Lines of credit
- PayPal, Stripe, Square, or other payment processor accounts
- Loan accounts
The number of accounts directly affects the scope and cost of a cleanup, so your bookkeeper will ask about this early in the conversation.
A Rough Idea of How Far Behind You Are
You do not need to know the exact date of your last reconciliation. But having a general sense helps. Are you three months behind? A year? Two years? Have you never actually reconciled?
If you are not sure, that is fine. Your bookkeeper will figure it out once they see the file. But any context you can provide upfront saves time.
Your Goals and Timeline
Think about why you are getting your books cleaned up. The "why" affects the scope of work. Common reasons include:
- Tax filing: You need clean books for your CPA to file returns
- Loan application: A lender wants to see your financials
- Investor due diligence: Someone wants to see your numbers before investing
- Business sale: You need accurate books for a valuation
- Peace of mind: You just want to know where you stand
- Starting fresh: You want to hand off clean books to a monthly bookkeeper
Each of these has different requirements for the level of detail and polish in the deliverable. A cleanup for tax filing has different priorities than a cleanup for an SBA loan application.
If you have a deadline, mention it. Bookkeepers can often accommodate timelines if they know about them upfront.
What You Do NOT Need
Do not spend hours organizing paperwork or trying to fix your file before the call. Seriously. I have had clients delay their consultation for weeks because they wanted to "get things in order first." That defeats the purpose.
You do not need:
- A perfectly organized file
- Every receipt from the last three years
- A detailed spreadsheet of everything that is wrong
- To have already categorized your transactions
- To understand what is wrong with your books
That is what the consultation is for. Come as you are.
What to Expect During the Call
A good bookkeeping consultation should feel like a conversation, not an interrogation. Here is what typically happens:
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You describe your situation. How far behind you are, what software you use, what your business does, and what prompted you to reach out.
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The bookkeeper reviews your file. They will look at your chart of accounts, check reconciliation status, scan for obvious issues, and assess the overall state of things.
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They ask clarifying questions. Things like: Do you have personal transactions on any business accounts? Do you have employees? Are there any accounts that are no longer active?
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They give you an honest assessment. A straightforward explanation of what needs to be done, roughly how long it will take, and what the investment looks like.
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You ask your questions. Anything that is on your mind. There are no stupid questions when it comes to your books.
The whole thing usually takes 20 to 30 minutes. By the end, you should have a clear picture of where you stand and what the path forward looks like.
Ready to have that conversation? Book a free consultation and come exactly as you are. We will take it from there.