New Client Onboarding Checklist

Record legal name, DBA, EIN, formation state, principal address, and primary + billing contacts. Pull the Secretary of State filing to confirm the entity is in good standing — clients often give the DBA when the IRS expects the legal name.

Sole prop, single-member LLC, multi-member LLC, S-corp, C-corp, or partnership. The classification drives the return type (Schedule C, 1065, 1120-S, 1120) and quarterly cadence. Ask for the most recent SS-4 or CP-575 to confirm — clients commonly misremember whether an S-election was actually filed.

Government-issued ID for each signer, plus beneficial-ownership info for the FinCEN BOI filing if the entity is in scope. Store in the encrypted client folder, never via plain email — this is a WISP-covered category under IRS Pub 4557.

Check the client name and beneficial owners against the firm's conflict log. Flags include shared ownership with an attest client, prior representation of an opposing party, or a related-party relationship with another active client. Document the clearance memo.

Specify which services are in: monthly bookkeeping, sales-tax filing, payroll oversight, 1099 prep, federal/state income tax returns, advisory hours. Out-of-scope items (audit, R&D credit study, ERC review) get listed explicitly so scope-creep during tax season has a paper trail.

Required only when the engagement is a review, compilation with assurance, or audit. Cross-reference the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and confirm no member of the engagement team performs bookkeeping functions for this client. Document the independence assessment in the workpaper file.

Fixed-fee monthly, hourly, or value-based. Document the base fee, included hours, out-of-scope hourly rate, and rate-card for additional services. Set up the recurring invoice in Practice Ignition or QuickBooks.

Use the firm template via DocuSign, Practice Ignition, or TaxDome. Confirm the signer has authority — managing member for an LLC, corporate officer for a corporation. No client work begins until the countersigned letter is on file.

Three most recent years of federal and state returns, plus the prior-year financial statements (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow). Returns surface NOL carryforwards, basis schedules, depreciation method elections, and any open IRS notices that need to be addressed before the next filing.

Use the accountant-invite path (QBOA or Xero Partner) so the firm's master admin owns the connection — never log in as the client. Confirm bank feeds are connected and pulling, and that the chart of accounts isn't a mess of 800+ accounts before quoting close hours.

YTD statements for every operating account, credit card, line of credit, and term loan. Loan amortization schedules from the lender are needed to split principal vs. interest in the GL — bank feeds typically post the full payment to one account.

Tie the opening trial balance to the prior-year tax return — retained earnings, fixed assets net of accumulated depreciation, loan balances, equity. Note any unreconciled items inherited from the prior bookkeeper as a known cleanup project.

Triggered when prior-period books don't tie to the return. List the periods affected, estimate hours, and send a separate fixed-fee proposal — cleanup is never inside the recurring monthly fee. Common gotchas: undeposited funds buildup, retained-earnings plug, missing fixed-asset detail.

Map every recurring obligation: 1040/1120/1120-S/1065 income tax, 941 quarterly payroll, 940 annual FUTA, state withholding and UI, sales tax (per state), 1099-NEC by Jan 31, W-2 by Jan 31, FBAR if foreign accounts, FinCEN BOI updates. Load into Karbon, Canopy, or TaxDome with assigned owners.

Pull a state-by-state revenue and transaction-count summary against post-Wayfair economic-nexus thresholds (commonly $100K or 200 transactions; varies). Any state over threshold needs registration and a back-file plan — usually via that state's voluntary disclosure or amnesty program before the next return cycle.

Confirm Gusto/ADP/Paychex/Rippling/QBO Payroll connection and the federal deposit schedule (monthly vs. semiweekly per the lookback period). Late-by-one-day deposits trigger 2% penalties — note any bank-holiday adjustments on the calendar.

Create the client workspace in TaxDome, Liscio, SmartVault, or Suralink. Required under the firm's WISP — exchanging W-2s, K-1s, or bank statements over plain email is a GLBA / FTC Safeguards violation. Send the client the access invite and a 2-minute portal walkthrough video.

Monthly close review for bookkeeping clients; quarterly for tax-only. Put the cadence on both calendars and tie the agenda to the close package — variance commentary, A/R aging, cash position, upcoming filings.

Walk through the engagement letter scope, who does what, the document-request cadence, the close timeline, and how to flag urgent items vs. monthly questions. Confirm the client knows what they own (receipt capture, W-9 collection, payroll approvals) versus what the firm owns.

Partner reviews the onboarding workpaper: signed engagement letter, conflict clearance, ID + BOI on file, system access confirmed, calendar loaded, portal provisioned. The client moves from onboarding to the recurring close/tax workflow only after sign-off.