Why a checklist beats expertise
The purpose is not to teach someone accounting. It is to ensure nothing is skipped under time pressure, and to make the process survivable when the usual person is unavailable.
Before the month ends
- Chase outstanding vendor bills and receipts.
- Confirm recurring journals are scheduled.
- Reconcile bank and card accounts to date.
- Flag any unusual transactions for explanation while people remember.
Days one to three
- Finalise accounts payable and receivable.
- Complete the payroll accrual.
- Reconcile all bank, card and loan accounts.
- Post accruals, prepayments and depreciation.
- Reconcile every balance sheet account.
Days four to five
- Run a variance review against prior month and budget.
- Investigate anything above threshold.
- Produce the statements.
- Write a short commentary on what moved and why.
- Distribute and archive supporting schedules.
Maintaining it
Add a line whenever something is missed, and remove lines that never find anything. A checklist that grows without pruning becomes ritual rather than control.
TallyWise provides this as part of our bookkeeping services. Book a call to talk through your situation.
