01 · Bookkeeping & Accounting
Accurate books, reconciled properly, closed on time.
The foundation service: transactions captured, accounts reconciled, and a month-end close that happens on schedule—so every other financial question starts from records that can be trusted.
- Matched
- Exception, owned
- Close checklist
- Sign-off
Cleanup and setup are projects, not the monthly service.
Historic cleanup, system setup, and transitions from a previous bookkeeper are scoped as separate projects with their own start point, evidence, and end state. That keeps the recurring monthly service honest: it starts from a known position instead of quietly absorbing an unknown backlog.
Recognition
Signs this is the gap.
- The bank balance is the only number anyone fully trusts.
- Reconciliations happen occasionally, or only at year-end.
- Month-end has no fixed shape—it finishes when it finishes.
- The year-end accountant starts every engagement with cleanup.
- Nobody can say quickly what is owed, owing, or unallocated.
Scope
What is included—and what deliberately is not.
Included in the engagement
- Transaction capture and classification against a consistent chart of accounts
- Bank, card, and control-account reconciliations with worked exceptions
- Accounts payable and receivable ledgers kept current
- A month-end close run to a checklist with dates and owners
- An open-items list so nothing disappears into a drawer
Out of scope
- Statutory filings and regulated tax advice, which remain with registered advisers
- Audit and assurance work of any kind
- Payment execution, unless separately and explicitly agreed in writing
Cleanup, setup, and transition projects are scoped separately from the recurring monthly service. Statutory filings and regulated advice sit with registered advisers.
The working cycle
How the work runs.
- CaptureTransactions, invoices, and supporting documents enter the ledgers as they occur, with gaps chased early rather than at month-end.
- ReconcileBank, card, and control accounts are matched line by line; every difference is surfaced and worked to a conclusion.
- ReviewA second pass checks classification, cut-off, and unusual movements before anything is called final.
- CloseThe period is locked against a checklist; late adjustments follow a controlled path instead of rewriting history.
- Carry forwardOpen items carry into the new period with owners and dates—visible, not forgotten.
Outputs
Deliverables, and what each is for.
- Maintained ledgers
- The complete transaction record the rest of the finance function stands on.
- Reconciliation statements
- Proof that the records agree with the bank—and a named list of whatever does not yet.
- Close checklist
- Evidence the period actually closed: what was done, when, and by whom.
- Open-items list
- The honest tail of the month: unresolved items with owners and dates.
Ownership
Who owns what.
Figures & Finance
- Maintain the ledgers and work reconciliations to a conclusion
- Run the close checklist and lock the period
- Surface exceptions with owners and dates rather than smoothing them over
The client
- Provide system access and route documents through the agreed channel
- Answer queries that need business context
- Approve the close position
Registered advisers
- Statutory filings and regulated advice, working from the reconciled records and schedules this service prepares
Fit
What the service needs, and who it suits.
Required information and access
- Access to the accounting system, agreed and scoped at onboarding
- Bank and card statements, or feed access where the client enables it
- A named contact for queries and approvals
- Opening balances and prior-period records for setup or cleanup work
Suited to
- Businesses whose records lag reality and whose month-end has no fixed shape
- Founders still acting as the de facto bookkeeper
- Teams preparing for their first serious reporting, lending, or audit-readiness conversation
Questions
Asked before most engagements.
Can you take over from our current bookkeeper or system?
Yes—as a scoped transition project first. Opening balances, prior-period records, and open items are verified and documented before the recurring monthly rhythm starts, so the handover point is explicit.
What happens to the backlog before you start?
It is assessed and scoped as a cleanup project with a defined end state. The monthly service begins from the cleaned position; the two are never blurred together.
Do you replace our year-end accountant?
No. Statutory filings and regulated advice stay with your registered advisers. This service prepares reconciled records and schedules so their work starts from evidence rather than a shoebox.
Which accounting systems do you work with?
The system list is confirmed during scoping rather than advertised as a blanket claim. Bring your current setup to the first call; compatibility is an early scoping question, answered honestly.
When does month-end close each month?
The close date is set in the engagement calendar agreed at onboarding, based on when your inputs are complete. What the service commits to is a fixed, visible rhythm with evidence—agreed against your business, not a marketing number picked before seeing it.
Connected work
Works closely with.
Bring this service to a clarity call.
The first conversation maps bookkeeping & accounting against your current setup: the highest-priority gap and the clearest next step.