What to Expect During Onboarding
A clear guide to the steps, responsibilities, information requests, and communication involved in beginning your bookkeeping relationship with TheAccountingDr.
Welcome to TheAccountingDr
Thank you for choosing TheAccountingDr. Entrusting someone with your business's financial information is an important decision. My goal is to make your onboarding experience organized, transparent, and as straightforward as possible.
The onboarding process allows me to learn how your business operates, understand your bookkeeping needs, establish secure access to approved systems, and prepare your records for dependable ongoing service.
This guide explains the typical process. Your onboarding may be adjusted based on your business, accounting system, record condition, reporting needs, and approved services.
The Purpose of Onboarding
Onboarding creates the foundation for an organized and effective bookkeeping relationship.
During onboarding, TheAccountingDr works to understand the financial and operational activities that affect your bookkeeping. This process helps identify what information is needed, which systems must be reviewed, and how your recurring bookkeeping workflow should be structured.
- Learn how your business operates
- Understand your accounting history
- Identify banking and credit-card accounts
- Review sales and payment systems
- Establish approved software access
- Clarify communication expectations
- Determine reporting requirements
- Identify cleanup or catch-up needs
Your Typical Onboarding Stages
The exact sequence may vary, but most onboarding relationships follow these general stages.
Discovery and Service Confirmation
We discuss your business, bookkeeping concerns, current accounting system, service needs, and the proposed scope of work.
Agreements and Authorizations
Required service agreements, engagement documents, payment arrangements, and approved authorizations are completed.
Information and Document Gathering
You provide the business, accounting, banking, reporting, and operational information applicable to your engagement.
Secure System Access
Appropriate access is established for approved accounting, banking, merchant, sales, document-management, or related systems.
Accounting Review and Setup
Existing records, account structures, connections, balances, and workflows are reviewed before recurring work begins.
Transition to Recurring Service
Once required information, access, setup, and any approved cleanup work are complete, the engagement moves into the recurring monthly bookkeeping process.
Information and Documents That May Be Requested
Requests are customized according to your business and approved bookkeeping services.
You may be asked to provide information or records from several categories. Receiving complete and accurate information helps prevent unnecessary delays and reduces the need for repeated follow-up.
- Business ownership, entity, address, and contact information
- Bank and credit-card account information
- Loan, financing, and liability information
- Merchant processor and payment-platform information
- Sales, point-of-sale, or e-commerce system information
- Payroll reports when payroll activity affects the bookkeeping records
- Prior financial statements and accounting reports
- Bank, credit-card, loan, or merchant statements
- Inventory or product-sales information when applicable
- Information about unusual, incomplete, or unresolved transactions
Please provide only the information specifically requested through the approved onboarding process. Do not send passwords, complete payment card numbers, or other sensitive credentials through ordinary email.
Software and Account Access
Access should be limited to what is reasonably necessary for the approved bookkeeping engagement.
Depending on your services and business systems, onboarding may require access to Xero, Hubdoc, financial institutions, merchant processors, point-of-sale systems, e-commerce platforms, or inventory systems.
- Use individual user invitations when available
- Use view-only access when appropriate
- Avoid sharing personal login credentials
- Use secure document-transfer methods
- Remove obsolete or unnecessary access
- Notify TheAccountingDr of system changes
TheAccountingDr will not request that you place full bank-account numbers, routing numbers, payment-card details, or passwords into an unsecured email message.
Responsibilities and Expectations
Successful onboarding depends on timely communication and cooperation from both parties.
What We Ask of You
- Respond to onboarding requests promptly
- Provide complete and accurate information
- Upload requested records through approved methods
- Establish appropriate system access
- Explain unfamiliar or unusual transactions
- Notify us when business information changes
- Review information and questions provided to you
- Ask for clarification when something is unclear
What You Can Expect From TheAccountingDr
- A structured and organized onboarding process
- Clear explanations of requested information
- Professional and respectful communication
- Reasonable safeguards for sensitive information
- Bookkeeping guidance within the approved scope
- Questions when information requires clarification
- Transparency about delays or unresolved matters
- A clear transition into recurring service
When Recurring Bookkeeping Begins
The transition occurs after the essential onboarding requirements have been completed.
Recurring bookkeeping generally begins after the required agreements, information, documents, account access, and payment arrangements are in place. Any identified cleanup, catch-up, migration, or setup work may also need to be completed before the regular monthly process can begin.
- Service scope has been confirmed
- Required agreements are complete
- Billing and payment setup is complete
- Requested information has been received
- Required systems are accessible
- Account connections have been reviewed
- Material questions have been resolved
- Approved preliminary work is complete
Missing documents, delayed responses, incomplete access, unresolved transactions, or previously unidentified cleanup needs can extend the onboarding timeline.
Frequently Asked Questions
Select a question to review the answer.
How long does onboarding take?
Timing varies according to the complexity of the business, the condition of the records, the number of financial accounts and systems, the responsiveness of the client, and whether cleanup, catch-up, migration, or setup work is required.
Do all clients provide the same documents?
No. Document and information requests are customized according to the business, accounting system, approved services, and activity reflected in the financial records.
What happens if my bookkeeping is behind?
TheAccountingDr may recommend a separate cleanup or catch-up engagement before recurring monthly bookkeeping begins. The scope, timing, and fee for that work should be confirmed before it starts.
Do I need to have every answer immediately?
No. Some information may require research or follow-up. Please communicate what is available, identify what is still being gathered, and respond to outstanding requests as promptly as reasonably possible.
Can I email financial documents?
Ordinary email may not be appropriate for sensitive financial records. Use the secure document-sharing or software workflow approved for your engagement.
What if my business adds a new account or system?
Notify TheAccountingDr promptly when bank accounts, credit cards, loans, merchant processors, sales systems, or other systems are opened, closed, replaced, or materially changed.
Does this guide replace my service agreement?
No. This guide is informational. Your signed service agreement, engagement letter, approved proposal, and other applicable engagement documents govern the actual scope and terms of service.
Questions During Onboarding?
Clear communication is an important part of the onboarding process. Contact TheAccountingDr when you need clarification about a document, request, system, deadline, or next step.