The short answer
Bring a list of every bank, card, loan and payment account, the name of your accounting software and who holds the main login, a summary of your last tax return from your CPA, recent payroll reports, and your sales tax permit details. Add a short list of questions. You do not need everything, and nothing sensitive should be emailed until you and the bookkeeper agree on a secure way to share it.
Why a little preparation pays off
You have a first conversation with a bookkeeper on the calendar, or you are about to ask for one. Without preparation, that hour tends to end with "send me some things and I'll get back to you". With a folder ready, it can end with a clear picture of where your books stand and what the work involves.
The gathering also helps you, whoever you hire. Owners often find an account they had forgotten, a loan nobody has been recording, or a sales tax return that was due last month. Finding those before the meeting is better than finding them in a records review.
Collect what is easy to reach and make a note of what you cannot find. The gaps tell a bookkeeper as much as the documents do.
Decide who should attend. Usually that is the owner plus whoever keeps the books today, whether an office manager, a family member or you at the kitchen table. The owner knows what the numbers need to show, and the person doing the entries knows how things actually work. If your CPA has raised concerns about the books, write those down as well.
| Bring this | Why it matters | If you can't find it |
|---|---|---|
| Last three statements for every bank, card and loan account | Shows every account the books must reconcile to, and how far behind they are | Bring the list of accounts; statements can be downloaded later |
| Accounting software name and who holds the admin login | Decides how access is set up and whether the file belongs to you | Note who set it up and the email used |
| Summary of last year's business tax return from your CPA | Gives the year-end figures the books should agree with | Bring your CPA's name; the figures can be requested |
| Recent payroll reports and the provider's name | Shows pay frequency, headcount and who files payroll returns | Note who runs payroll and how often |
| Loan and line-of-credit statements | Loan balances and interest are where errors often hide | List each lender and roughly what is owed |
| Idaho seller's permit and sales tax filing frequency | Sales tax collected is owed to the state, not income | Note whether you collect sales tax and who files the returns |
| A short list of your questions | Keeps the meeting on what matters to you | Write three things you most want to know |
The checklist
Work through the table above first. IRS Publication 583 describes the supporting documents behind any set of books: sales slips, paid bills, invoices, receipts, deposit slips and canceled checks. You do not need those at a first meeting, but the bookkeeper will ask where they live. Then add these details, which tend to be forgotten:
- Every account, by name. Business checking and savings, every business credit card and who holds it, loans and lines of credit, and payment processors such as card terminals or online payment apps. A list of accounts is as useful as the statements.
- Your software and access. The accounting software you use, whose name the subscription is in, who holds the administrator login, and the last month that was entered. If the books live in a spreadsheet or a shoebox, say so.
- The CPA's view of last year. A summary of the last business tax return, or the year-end balances and adjusting entries your CPA made. These are the numbers the books should agree with.
- Payroll. The payroll provider's name and a recent payroll summary. If you withhold Idaho income tax, note your filing cycle for Form 910; the Idaho State Tax Commission assigns semimonthly, monthly, quarterly or annual filing depending on how much you withhold.
- Sales tax. Whether you hold an Idaho seller's permit, and how often you file. The Tax Commission sets you up to file monthly, quarterly, semiannually or annually, and most retailers file monthly, with tax due by the 20th of the following month.
- Your open questions. The things that worry you or that you never understood. These shape the scope more than anything else.
Hold the sensitive documents until sharing is agreed
Statements, payroll reports and tax returns carry account numbers, Social Security numbers and pay details. Have them ready, describe them during the conversation, and send them only after you and the bookkeeper have agreed on secure file sharing or access through your accounting software.
Ordinary email is a poor place for this kind of data. Even the Idaho Department of Labor tells employers not to report new hire information by email because it is not a secure means of transmission. The SBA's cybersecurity guidance makes a related point for logins: give each person a separate user account, limit administrative access, and check whether your financial, accounting and payroll accounts offer multi-factor authentication.
So nobody needs your online banking password, before the meeting or after it. If a bookkeeper will need access later, it should be their own named login, view-only where that is enough.
Questions to ask the bookkeeper
Bring these and write down the answers, so you can compare two or three candidates fairly. How to choose a small business bookkeeper explains what a good answer sounds like.
- What happens in a normal month, and on what date will I get reports?
- Which accounts will you reconcile, and will that include cards, loans and payment processors?
- Which reports will I receive, and will you walk me through them?
- Who files payroll returns, sales tax returns and Forms 1099: you, my payroll provider, my CPA or me?
- How will we share documents, and what access will you need?
- What will you not do, and who should I use for that?
- Will I get the scope, schedule and fee in writing before work starts?
What usually happens after the consultation
Most bookkeepers follow a similar sequence: a conversation, a look at the records, a written proposal, then setup and a monthly routine. The records review shows how current and accurate the books are, which decides whether cleanup or catch-up work comes before monthly bookkeeping.
At Danielson Bookkeeping & Consulting the steps are set out on how we work: a consultation about your business, your current bookkeeping, your software and what you need to see; a records review; a written scope covering what is included, what is not, the schedule and the fee, agreed in writing before work starts; then onboarding, any cleanup, and reconciled books and reports on an agreed monthly date. Tax preparation and tax planning stay with your CPA or enrolled agent.
The scope is the document to read most carefully. What a bookkeeping scope of work should spell out lists what belongs in it. Keeping books for a church instead? The church consultation checklist covers funds, giving records and board reports. When your folder is ready, request a consultation.
