Fewer Bookkeeping Questions During Tax Season
Every year, tax preparers lose hours fixing books that should have arrived finished. We organize and finalize accounting files before they reach your tax team, so the return is prepared from clean numbers and the preparer's questions are about tax, not bookkeeping.
When firms send us year-end files
- Tax preparers are spending billable hours categorizing transactions and fixing reconciliations
- Business returns are being extended because the books are not ready
- Year-end files arrive from clients or outside bookkeepers in inconsistent shape
- The firm wants a standard tax-ready package for every business client
- Opening balances do not agree to the prior-year return and nobody has time to find out why
What a tax-ready package includes
- All bank, credit card, and loan accounts reconciled through year-end
- Opening balances tied to the prior-year return, with differences documented
- Fixed asset additions and disposals listed with dates and cost for depreciation
- Loan balances reconciled to lender year-end statements, interest and principal split
- Payroll reconciled to W-3 and quarterly filings
- Owner draws, contributions, and distributions summarized by owner
- Meals, entertainment, and other tax-sensitive accounts separated
- 1099 vendor list prepared with amounts
- Year-end financial statements and a tax-ready summary memo for the preparer
How the engagement runs
Receive the file
Send us the year-end file with whatever exists: statements, prior-year return, fixed asset list. We tell you what is missing.
Reconcile and tie out
Every balance sheet account is reconciled and tied to the prior return. Differences are documented, not plugged.
Prepare the tax package
Schedules and summaries are built in the format your tax team wants to see, so they do not have to dig through the file.
Hand to tax
The preparer receives finalized books, schedules, and a memo listing anything that needs a tax decision. Bookkeeping questions are already answered.
Common questions
When should we send year-end files?
As early as possible after year-end. Files sent in January and February get the fastest turnaround. During March and April, tell us the deadline in the first email so it is built into the scope.
Can you prepare the package in our tax software's format?
We prepare schedules in Excel or Google Sheets in the layout your preparers use. If your firm has a standard tax-ready checklist, we follow it.
Do you handle the prior-year tie-out?
Yes. Reconciling the opening balance sheet to the last filed return is part of every tax-ready engagement, with adjustments logged separately.
Can you do this for clients whose books you do not maintain monthly?
Yes. Tax-ready work is often a one-time year-end engagement for clients whose books are kept by the client or another bookkeeper.
Have a File Like This?
Send us the details. We review the scope and reply with a clear quote within one business day. No obligation, no end-client contact.